Modigliani, baseball, ocean life on display at Long Island museums
A still from the new film, "Ocean Odyssey" on view at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Credit: Rod Leonhard
Local lore, inventions, history and legends and local artists, as well as international luminaries past and present — all show up in Long Island's museums this fall. These curated, immersive experiences let you travel the skies and oceans, explore archaeological evidence, celebrate African American, Asian, Italian, Latinx and homegrown culture, and take a deep dive into the realms of creativity.
The Pollock-Krasner House features Lee Krasner's "Portrait in Green," 1969. Credit: Pollock-Krasner Foundation
"Lee Krasner: Portrait in Green" through Oct. 29, Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, 830 Springs-Fireplace Rd., East Hampton
This tightly focused look at a major work presents Lee Krasner's wall-sized "Portrait in Green," full of gestural curves, deep tones, and enigmatic marks, alongside photographs of the artist creating it. A series of gouache paintings from the same period also are on view. Complete your visit with a step across time to Jackson Pollock and Krasner's studio, a perfectly preserved caldron of unparalleled creativity. (Book in advance.)
More info: $15, $10 up to age 11; 631-324-4929, stonybrook.edu/pkhouse
"Modigliani and the Modern Portrait" through Nov. 5, Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor
This is a rare Long Island presentation of the renowned and beloved Jewish Italian artist, Amedeo Modigliani. In the early 1900s, Modigliani painted alongside trailblazers like Picasso but replaced the harsh angularity of Cubism with soft, curving, resplendent forms, all while advancing Modernism. The exhibition contrasts contemporary portraiture and works by 20th century masters with Modigliani's paintings and drawings.
More info: $15, $5 children; 516-484-9338, nassaumuseum.org
"One of These Black Boys: Making Space — Tariku Shiferaw" through Nov. 30, Southampton African American Museum, 245 N. Sea Rd., Southampton
Ethiopian-born, New York-based artist Tariku Shiferaw brings selections from his series of abstract works that reference the role of popular culture, especially musical genres like hip-hop, R&B, reggae, blues and jazz in the creation of art. Also check out the museum's permanent exhibition "Grooming a Generation: A History of Black Barbershops & Beauty Parlors."
More info: 631-353-3299, saamuseum.org
"Park Dae Sung: Ink Reimagined" through Dec. 10, Charles B. Wang Center, 100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook
This self-taught master of ink painting revisits and reinvigorates traditional Korean brush techniques, bringing a meditative approach to towering works and calling forth images and emotions sometimes with a single stroke. The septuagenarian painter, who lost use of one arm but is still incredibly prolific, gives a demonstration on Oct. 18 (with RSVP).
More info: Free; 631-632-4400, thewangcenter.org
The Long Island Museum's "Picturing America's Pastime" includes iconic photographs from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, like this 1910 image of Ty Cobb. Credit: Charles M. Conlon/National Baseball Hall of Fame
"Picturing America's Pastime" and "Home Fields" through Oct. 15 and "Somos/We Are: Latinx Artists of Long Island" through Dec. 17, The Long Island Museum, 1200 Rte. 25A, Stony Brook
Swing for the fences or explore Long Island's Latinx art this fall. The history museum features baseball's greats in a doubleheader: photos from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and memorabilia from our region's ballparks and stadiums. Meanwhile, the art museum hosts "Somos/We Are," where local Latinx artists voice a variety of visions, styles and nationalities.
More info: $10, $7 ages 6-17, $5 up to age 5; 631-751-0066, longislandmuseum.org
Test your wings in a flight simulator at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Credit: Rod Leonhard
"Star of the Americas" through Dec. 20, "Ocean Odyssey" ongoing, and "Hispanic Heritage Activity Stations" through Oct. 15, Cradle of Aviation Museum, Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, Uniondale
Fly a drone, chart the heavens, discover Latinx aviators and dress up as your favorite scientist for "Spooky Science Night" on Oct. 27. They're all one-of-a-kind experiences connected to Long Island's unique spot in history, and they're all here. You can also follow a mother whale and her newborn calf's journey or discover the cosmology of the Inca and Mapuche peoples of South America at the Catholic Health Sky Theater Planetarium.
More info: Check website for planetarium and gallery admission; 516-572-4111, cradleofaviation.org
"Artists Choose Artists" through Feb. 18, Parrish Art Museum, 279 Montauk Hwy., Water Mill
What makes artists tick? Often, it's other artists. The Parrish celebrates its 125th anniversary with a plethora of local creators choosing the art that inspires them. When Alice Aycock, Vija Celmins, Rashid Johnson, KAWS, David Salle and others pick works from the permanent collection to show alongside their own, surprising connections are revealed.
More info: $16; 631-283-2118, parrishart.org
“Indian Summer” by Huntington’s Arthur G. Dove is part of the "Salt Life” exhibit featuring works by Dove and Helen Torr at the Heckscher Museum of Art. Credit: The Heckscher Museum of Art
"Salt Life: Arthur Dove and Helen Torr" Nov. 18-March 10, Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington
Married artists Arthur Dove and Helen Torr were key figures in the development of American Modernism. They also were Long Islanders. When they weren't sharing ideas — and cocktails — with friends like Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, they were sailing Huntington Harbor. See the creativity and impact these major local talents had on the artistic community.
More info: $5 suggested; 631-380-3230, heckscher.org
"Suffolk County: A Timeline Experience" permanent exhibition, Suffolk County Historical Society Museum, 300 W. Main St., Riverhead
So you think you know about life on Long Island? This new "museum within the museum" is ready to test and expand your knowledge. A timeline pinpoints 250 key events — from Long Island's geological formation to archaeological evidence of the earliest peoples, groundbreaking modern inventions and pop culture. Bringing history close to hand are artifacts from Native American life, Colonial times, sailing, military history, aerospace, entertainment and more.
More info: Free; 631-727-2881, suffolkcountyhistoricalsociety.org
Ongoing exhibits, American Airpower Museum, 1230 New Hwy., Farmingdale
What's old is what's new and exciting at the museum, where you can see vintage planes like Warhawks and Avengers, sit in the cockpit and maybe even take a flight. Aviation's past comes alive through the stories of men and women — military, engineers, pilots and more — who took to the skies and changed history. Ongoing exhibits include "Women Air Service Pilots," "Tuskegee Airmen," "Republic Aviation," "D-Day," "War Correspondents," "World War II Prisoners of War" and more.
More info: $15, $10 ages 5-12; 631-293-6398, americanairpowermuseum.com
