Image via Complex Original
Not only are the Olympics coming to an end, but Black History Month as well. Have you done your part to celebrate both occasions? This list of free things to do this weekend isn't necessarily centered on Black History Month or the Winter Olympics, but you should definitely celebrate both while you still have some time. You can watch this hilarious figure skating video, or you can read an essay about the Apollo Theater in Harlem. After you do that, check out these awesome free events around town this weekend.
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Obsolete Cinema presents Winter Action Slam
When: Sunday, Feb. 23
Location: 627 Fifth Ave.
Website: freddysbar.com
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Obsolete Cinema at Freddy's Bar presents Winter Action Slam, the ultimate ode to retro VHS films. This Sunday patrons will be viewing the best in 90s ass kickery, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Indulge in a bit of nostalgia and view Out of Justice and Hard Target all for free. The night will be complete with trivia, prizes and forums.
Art Spiegelman's Co-Mix: A Retrospective
When: Saturday, Feb. 22
Location: The Jewish Museum
Website: thejewishmuseum.org
Time: 11 a.m.
Co-Mix is a retrospective exploration of one of the world's most influential comic artists, Art Spiegelman. The exhibition includes "over three hundred preparatory sketches, preliminary and final drawings, plus prints and other ephemeral and documentary material."
Akie Bermiss at BAMCafe
When: Saturday, Feb. 22
Location: BAMCafe
Website: events.chron.com
Time: 9 p.m.
Akie Burmiss is bred directly from Brooklyn's neo-soul scene. He's opened for George Clinton and collaborated with the likes of Aabaraki, the Screaming Headless Torsos, and hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari. Check him out live and for free at BAM in Fort Greene.
WHAT IT IZ! The Spoken Wordical
When: Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday Feb. 22
Location: 1 Washington Place
Website: gallatin.nyu.edu
Time: 7 p.m.
This is going to be so incredibly hardcore. All that's known is that it is a "prison abolitionist hip hop theater remix of The Wiz." RSVP HERE.
"In Place" by Rachel Mica Weiss
When: Friday, Feb. 21
Location: Fridman Gallery
Website: fridmangallery.com
Time: 6 p.m.
Sculptor Rachel Mica Weiss debuts her installation "In Place" tonight. The show focuses on the "realities and illusions of restrictions and barriers." Go find out what the hell that means.
The Impact of the African Diaspora on Fashion & Culture
When: Friday, Feb. 21
Location: 559 Myrtle Ave.
Website: myrtleavenue.org
Time: 6 p.m.
Leisure Life NYC brings a discourse of epic proportions about the impact of African Diaspora on fashion and culture equipped with wine. A panel of style-savvy artists will be speaking about their individual experiences as well as their views on being classified as "ethnic" artists. Be sure to RSVP to snag a seat.
Considering the Quake: Seismic Design on the Edge
When: Friday, Feb. 21
Location: 536 LaGuardia Place
Website: cfa.aiany.org
Time: 9 a.m.
After extended research on the resiliency of emergency shelters and civil protection buildings, two professors from The University of McGill composed an exhibit of seismic testing videos, models, and life sized replicas of seismic technologies. Their hopes are to engage an invested audience in the high demand for such technologies in at-risk earthquake zones around the world.
Funky Turns 40: Black Character Revolution
When: Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21, 22
Location: 515 Malcolm X Blvd.
Website: nypl.org
Time: 10 a.m.
"Funky Turns 40" focuses on the first integrations of black cartoon characters into mainstream cinema and television. From 1900-1960, black characters were depicted as stereotypical, pre-Civil rights era "minstrel caricatures." The exhibition traces the transition from discriminatory representations up to the more human, realistic illustrations of the 60s and 70s.
"Bad Conscience" at Metro Pictures
When: Saturday, Feb. 22
Location: 519 W 24th St
Website: metropicturesgallery.com
Time: 10 a.m.
"Bad Conscience," an exhibition by writer and artist John Miller, is a collection of friends' artwork, coming together in dialogue. The pieces range from "highly nuanced images of the banal" to "more explicit works about vice and depravity."
Urban Park Ranger Nature Art and Photography
When: Sunday, Feb. 23
Location: 212th St. and Bell Blvd.
Website: nycgovparks.org
Time: 11 a.m.
The Urban Park Ranger Nature Art and Photography program provides a creative outlet for those interested in photography education. Take photos of the scenic Fort Totten Park. You are free to bring your own cameras, but digital and DSLR cameras are preferred.