Is public napping performance art? It is if you're kooky, androgynous actress Tilda Swinton! She did just that in London's Serpentine Gallery in 1995, in collaboration with the artist Cornelia Parker, and now she's at it again at the MoMA. Swinton will appear unannounced six times in 2013 to publicly sleep in a clear box. But hey, maybe you'll be at the museum at the right time? You may as well check. The Museum of Modern Art is at 11 West 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

www.moma.org/
11 W 53rd St, New York, NY, United States
+1 212 708 9400
Google map: bit.ly/17o7Abq

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Olek is a Polish crochet artist (don't call her a "yarn bomber"!) who's crocheted the Wall Street bull statue and various other items around NYC. She hasn't had an NYC exhibition since getting arrested in London a few years ago. Now she's back and crocheting skeletons, household items, people, and more. Check out her funny, subversive, and very touchable exhibition "The End Is Far" at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea's gallery district until March 23. If you go on the right day, you might see me!

www.jonathanlevinegallery.com
529 W 20th St #9, New York, NY, United States
+1 212 243 3822
Google map: bit.ly/167CfZT

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Since the 1970s, the sculptor and conceptual artist Wolfgang Laib has been collecting pollen, pouring it in museums and galleries, and calling it art. Not that I'm skeptical — NYC's been so dreary that I think we could all use a burst of color, at the very least. "Pollen From Hazelnut" is on display in the Marron Atrium at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) until March 11. Don't forget to bring antihistamines! MoMA is at 11 West 53rd Street and is open free for all every Friday from 4-8 p.m. Check the website for more hours.

www.moma.org/
11 W 53rd St New York, NY 10019, United States
+1 212 708 940
Google map: bit.ly/XNFKyX

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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Single Fare just might be the most New York art exhibition of all. For starters, it's an open-call exhibition. And there's only one requirement: All art must be made on a MetroCard, the same plastic card you swipe to ride NYC subways. This year, artists of every discipline from all over the world will be part of the show. I've even submitted my own snarky homage to the inspiring — and often slow — lettered subway lines! The opening reception for Single Fare 3 is Wednesday, February 13, from 6-9 pm at RH Gallery on 137 Duane Street. You can check out the exhibition until February 22.

www.rhgallery.com/
137 Duane Street New York, NY 10013, United States
+1 646 490 6355
Google map: bit.ly/XmkujA

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/. She's also on Twitter: @amandagreen

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This museum of early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design has a fabulous collection of art including many pieces by Egon Schiele and Klimt.
It also has two delightful cafes serving Viennese style food, wonderful cakes and gorgeous breakfasts. It's quite small and a refreshing change from some of the enormous museums in New York that can quickly exhaust you. Also it's not far from the marvellous Frick collection which is also fairly small and "do-able"

www.neuegalerie.org/
1048 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
+1 (212) 628 6200
Google map: bit.ly/uVgiK6

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To promote the new season of Boardwalk Empire, HBO is running a restored 1920s subway train on the 2/3 lines each weekend in September. You can catch the vintage train at the 96th, 72nd, and 42nd streets. I can't wait to check out the rattan seats, ceiling fans, and old-fashioned windows!

www.fastcompany.com/1777858/mta-goes-back-in-time-for-boardwalk-empire-promo

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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imes Square isn't the easiest place to meet up with your friends, what with it being the "Crossroads of the World" and all. Until September 16, those quick on their feet can grab a spot in one of the Meeting Bowls at 46th and Broadway. The semi-enclosed bowls accommodate many people and make it possible to sit down while still taking in the view. They're designed to bring locals and tourists together, so don't be afraid to sit with strangers.

www.timessquarenyc.org/about_us/art_ts.html
Google map: bit.ly/oLLkoB

* Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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I went to the MoMA (pronounced Moe-ma) website to try to figure out how to describe its latest exhibition, "Talk to Me," and I can't really figure it out. It's about design and where utility meets personal interaction and communication. It features 194 pieces. Uh, it looks cool? It really does. The museum's open every day in the summer and late on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You can check out "Tall to Me" until November 7, and if you go to MoMA on a Friday from 4-8:30 you get in free. MoMA's located at 11 West 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/talktome/
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019-5497
+1 (212) 708-9400
Google map: bit.ly/p0S27z

Amanda is our Been there local for New York. You can check out her page here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/new-york-local-amanda-green.jsp and her own NYC blog here: www.noisiestpassenger.com/

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Last week, I mentioned a closing exhibition of Laurel Nakadate's "365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears." If you didn't get to play voyeur to a year's worth of pictures of the artist crying, you're in luck. There's an even bigger exhibition of Nakadate's work -- including the weepy stuff -- at MoMA PS 1 in Long Island City, Queens. PS 1 is the place for contemporary art in NYC. The quickest way to the museum is the 7 train to Queens from Times Square or Grand Central. Get off at the 45th Road-Courthouse Square stop, exit at Jackson Avenue, and walk one block to 46th Avenue. The museum's located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue and 46th Avenue and is open Thursday through Monday from noon to 6 pm.

ps1.org/exhibitions/view/321
22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
+1 (718) 784-2084
Google map: bit.ly/mmn3zk

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If you're the kind of person who tears up when someone else does, you might need to bring some tissues to Laurel Nakadate's "365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears." For a year, the artist took a photograph of herself crying - clothed, naked, at home, in public, and so on. Though some will doubt how sincere the art is, crying's personal, not to mention cathartic. The free exhibit closes on June 25. View it at the Leslie Tonkonow sixth-floor gallery at 535 West 22nd Street near 10th Avenue. It's open on Tuesday-Saturday from 10-6. While you're that far west, check out the other small galleries on 22nd Street. You'll bound to find some art to appreciate.

www.tonkonow.com/

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New York City loves its public art and commissions interesting works from all over the world. My favorite piece this summer is Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa's "Echo" on Madison Square Park Oval Lawn. The 44-foot statue isn't quite a bust. It's the neck and head of a daydreaming little girl. It sounds weird, but it's serene -- not an easy feat in the middle of bustling Manhattan. Until August 14, you can lie on the lawn around the statue and daydream on your own.

www.madisonsquarepark.org/things-to-do/calendar/jaume-plensa-in-madison-square-park
+1212.538.1884
Google map: bit.ly/mt2N83

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New Yorkers love their museums - and have plenty of them - but it's nice to visit a smaller gallery for some art education. The Gagosian Gallery highlights lesser-known pieces by big artists. Fewer visitors means more of a chance to really take in the artwork. And did I mention it's free? Until June 25, you can check out the latest sexy exhibition, "Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’Amour Fou." The collection of paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings capture Marie-Thérèse Walter, one of Picasso's muses. The two had a secret love affair for years - Picasso would sneak around on his wife a few days each week to spend time with Walter and their child. Complicated love makes for good art.

522 West 21st Street, New York, NY 10011
+1 212 741 1717
www.gagosian.com/
Google map: bit.ly/lpEwpG

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New York's coming out of a brutal, blizzard-ravaged winter. Around Valentine's Day, sculptor Will Ryman installed 38 huge rose sculptures, along with the occasional beetle and ladybug, on Park Avenue between 57th and 67th Streets. Good news: The giant urban garden isn't covered in snow anymore. Now you can stroll the ten-block strip with a pricey ice cream cone in hand. You'll even run into real blooms -spring's first daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips.

Google map: bit.ly/m4wdUW

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Art for art's space. Dia Art Foundation's gallery at Beacon exemplifies what New York does best - converting disused industrial space into space for art. At over 240,000 square feet this ex-box printing factory, located just over an hour's train ride away from Grand Central Station up the Hudson River, houses art on a grand scale. Each gallery is devoted to a single artist - from Beuys to Judd to Warhol (72 of them!) Including monumental holes in the ground and obligatory piles of shattered glass this is art, and as importantly a gallery, on a scale to take your breath away and make you smile. Follow with a stroll up the river and lunch in the groovy Beacon.

www.diaart.org
535 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011
+1 212.989.5566
Google map: bit.ly/gYV2GB

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A two week intensive in drawing, painting or sculpture led by artists of renown. The Drawing Marathon transformed my studio practice and brought art back to the center of my life. I went deeper and farther in two weeks than I had in years.

New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture
8 West 8th Street
New York, New York 10011
t: 212 673 6466
www.nyss.org

Google map: tinyurl.com/yc9ff6q

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If you want to be down with the kids, Williamsburg in Brooklyn is where it's at.

Bedford Avenue, the epicenter, is accessible from Manhattan on the L subway line, or the ‘Hipster Line’ as it’s sometimes known (cringe).

It’s where New York’s art/music types congregate with the fashion victims and try-hards; if you intend to fit in, make sure you’re wearing a lumberjack shirt and thick-rimmed glasses. Or alternatively, a fedora and peyot – Williamsburg has a sizeable Hasidic Jewish community

If you’re looking for some tucker, avoid SEA on N 6th - it’s the worst Thai restaurant I’ve ever been to. Right across the street is the Sweetwater Tavern (105 N 6th St) - a pub-style affair with a mahogany bar, Guinness on-tap and good bistro food (the eggs benedict is delicious), all reasonably priced.

In fact, N 6th St is probably my favourite part of this district. Head east down this slightly barren, industrial urban chic street towards the river, and you’ll find multi-coloured spandex emporium American Apparel, a nifty indoor thrift market, a couple of pricey clothes boutiques selling local designers’ wares (the mark-downs during sale time are well worth stopping by for though), art spaces, and a gorgeous antique furniture store called Golden Calf. You’ll also find Williamsburg Music Hall and some great street art down here.

Two things you should know about Williamsburg before visiting:
1) it’s the home of Peaches Geldof
2) it’s ‘the most toxic place to live in America’, due to its higher-than-average incidence of cancer

I’ll leave it to you to decide which is worse...

Subway: L line (Bedford Ave station)

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The Target Free Friday Night, sponsored by clothing giant Target is a great experience. The free admission begins at 4:00pm and ends at 8:00pm giving plenty of time to take in the best this gallery (including 150 000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and design objects) has to offer. The most famous of which include Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Dali’s The Persistence of Memory. Although tickets are not available to buy in advance the lengthy queue surprisingly moves quickly but arriving early never hurts.

(212) 708-9400
11 West 53 Street,
between Fifth and Sixth avenues
New York, NY 10019-5497

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The Neue Galerie shows early twentieth century German and Austrian art and design, including first-rate examples of paintings by Kokoschka, Schiele, Klimt (Adele Bloch-Bauer), and many other artists and designers. The setting is a 1914 mansion, just off Fifth Avenue, which opened in 2001.

The work is displayed as if it were in a private house, with furniture and fabrics appropriate to the pieces on show. The glassware and ceramics are also of high quality. The Neue Galerie is a pleasure to visit and a tribute to its founders. There is a comprehensive bookshop offering scholarly works as well as souvenirs.

Corner of Fifth Avenue and 87th Street. Subway to 86th Street and walk from there.

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The Whitney Museum was designed by Marcel Breuer and contains a large collection of American art from the nineteenth century to the present day. Sometimes however it shows special exhibitions and that can restrict the range of work on display. This is a pity since many visitors to New York will want to see a representative selection of work from the Whitney's entire collection to gain an insight into the nature and range of American art, rather than concentrating on the work of select figures.

However the Whitney is well worth visiting especially if, in future, it makes a more generous selection of its main collections available than was on show this season. There is also a good bookshop.

945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street. www.whitney.org Subway lines 5 or 6, at 77th St and walk towards Central Park.

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MoMA has the finest and largest holding of 20th and 21st century modern art in the world.

To save $20 admission go after 4pm (up to 8pm) on Fridays when it's free - although it gets busy, it's a great way of seeing some of the best displays of modern art you can ever see.

11W 53rd Street; nearest subway: Fifth-53rd Street
www.moma.org/

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