ART and DESIGN, UNIQUE VENUES IN THE BIG APPLE(c) By Polly Guerin

Art and Design aficionados need go no further than the Big Apple to indulge their sensitivities in new ways of viewing art and design budding like a spring bouquet at museums and installations. Here’s the scoop!!!
THE WORLD STAGE: ISRAEL One of the most significant young artists today, American-born Kehinde Wiley’s vibrant, large-scale paintings of young urban men shed a new light on Ethiopian, and native-born Jews and Arab Israelis who are rendered in the self-confident, empowered poses typical of classical European portrait painting. Wiley’s work is based on photographs the artist took of men of diverse religions and ethnicities living in Israel and scouted his subjects in discos, malls, bars, and sporting venues in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Lod. He places them against vivid decorative backgrounds inspired by Jewish papercuts, an intricate form of folk and ceremonial art. Wiley’s painting Alios Itzhak, pictured here, portrays an Ethiopian Jewish Israel man entwined in an ornamental background on a papercut. At The Jewish Museum, through July 19, 2012. www.thejewishmuseum.org.
THIS SIDE OF PARADISE The contemporary art organization, NO LONGER EMPTY uses public art initiatives to help New Yorkers re-discover their neighborhoods’ history and architectural lost treasures. For the last several weeks a group of more than 30 artists have been at work in the once abandoned Andrew Freeman Home on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, a posh retirement home for the formerly well-to-do, and turning old bedrooms and bathrooms into installations that mine the building’s eccentric history. ‘This Side of Paradise’ art installations draw attention to the grand 1924 Italian Renaissance-style palazzo building located at 1125 Grand Concourse in the Bronx at 167th St. It’s worth the trip. Among the artists’ work, painter and graffiti artist John Matos, better known as ‘Crash,’ worked on a subway theme that will cover the walls of a second-floor bedroom. The opening April 4, from 6 pm is followed by a speakeasy fundraiser. Call 508.272.5699. www.nolongerempty.org.
THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ANDREW CARNEGIE Join the Museum of American Finance and the American-Scottish Foundation on Tuesday, April 10th at MoAF, the Museum of American Finance for a program on Andrew Carnegie in connection with New York City’s celebration of Scotland-Tartan Week, which kicks off with the Caledonian Club’s pre-parade Ceilidh on Friday, April 13th at the Abigail Adams Auditorium, 417 East 61st St. Following a panel discussion at MoAF guests will have the opportunity to view “Andrew Carnegie Forging Philanthropy,” the Museum’s display on Carnegie’s life and work, with a spotlight on his love of Scotland, his business and philanthropic activities. Registration required. Call 212.908.4110. Members Free. Gen. Adm $45 (includes museum membership). 5:30 Registration, 6pm panel discussion, 7pm reception and viewing. At MoAF, 48 Wall St. (corner of William and Wall) www.moaf.org.
ART DECO NEW YORK: BIRTH OF A MODERN METROPOLIS, an illustrated lecture by bon vivant raconteur, author, lecturer and historian David Garrard Lowe, sheds more light on the subject of New York’s celebrated landmarks which are also pictured in Lowe’s book by the same name. The lecture, Thursday, April 12th, 6 to 8 pm takes place at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, 2 East 90th St. Reservations are required. For tickets and questions about the event contact rickbruner@nylandmarks.org.
Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m tripping up to the Bronx to ‘THIS SIDE OF PARADISE,’ see you there. Fan mail welcome: pollytalk@verizon.net or go to www.pollytalk.com and click the link to any of the Polly Blogs in the left-hand column of the page.