Spring Ideas from the Department of Cultural Affairs

Bronx
Bronx Museum of the Arts
www.bronxmuseum.org

First Fridays; March – May
Beginning in March, the Bronx Museum of the Arts is launching, First Fridays,  a new series on the first Friday of every month featuring film and video screenings, art performances, music and other special events! 
Cost: Free

The New York Botanical Garden
www.nybg.org

Chocolate and Vanilla Adventures; March 1 – April 6
Orchids do more than simply look pretty. They also stimulate other senses, as in the case of the vanilla orchid, which gives the world one of its delicious flavorings. Learn about this treat and one of its favorite partners, chocolate, which also comes from a plant--the cacao tree--in this hands-on family program for ages 3–10.
Cost: Children under 2: Free
Children 2 – 12: $7.00
Adults: $20.00

Staten Island
The Noble Maritime Collection
www.noblemaritime.org

Tugboats Night & Day; Ongoing
The Noble Maritime Collection, a maritime museum on the grounds of the famous old sailors’ retirement home, Sailors’ Snug Harbor, presents Tugboats Night & Day, an exhibition inspired by those beloved icons of New York Harbor, the tugboats. Twelve contemporary artists contribute their tug interpretations in paintings, photographs, fine prints, and murals to the show.
Cost: Adults: $5.00
Seniors: $3.00
Free: Educators, Students, Children under 10; Sundays are also free  

The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum
www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org

Antonio Meucci Young Inventors Competition; April
In keeping with the legacy of Antonio Meucci, each year the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum presents the Antonio Meucci Young Inventors Competition.  Students in grades 6 – 12, who live and attend school in Staten Island, are invited to join in the fun and develop an original idea for a new invention!  Be sure to check the website for guidelines and deadlines. 

Manhattan
American Folk Art Museum
www.folkartmuseum.org

Families and Folk Art; Ongoing
This program, for children ages 4 - 12, and their accompanying adults, explores folk art through interactive discussion-based tours in the galleries followed by a hands-on artmaking activity inspired by objects in the museum. 
Cost: Free with museum admission

American Museum of Natural History
www.amnh.org

Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter; Ongoing through May 26
Welcome Spring with the exotic colors of tropical butterflies!  This exhibition features butterflies from three of the families: the Pieridae (PYAIR-i-dee), commonly known as whites and sulphurs; the Papilionidae (pah-pill-ee-ON-i-dee), or swallowtails; and the Nymphalidae (nim-FAL-i-dee), which includes morphos, longwings and others.
Cost: Adult: $22.00 (NM)
Children: $13.00 (NM)
Adult: $13.00 (M)
Children: $7.00 (M)

Children’s Museum of the Arts
www.cmany.org

5 by 4 = 20: Celebrating CMA's 20th Anniversary; Ongoing through May 11
2008 marks the 20th anniversary of the Children’s Museum of the Arts!  The special exhibit, 5 by 4 = 20: Celebrating CMA’s 20th Anniversary, honors the diverse artistic experiences and energy that children and adult artists bring to the museum when they come to create.
Cost: Free with museum admission

Queens
New York Hall of Science
www.nyscience.org

Invention at Play; Ongoing through May 11
Explore the playful side of invention--and the inventive side of play--with this interactive traveling exhibition. Learn how play--the ordinary and everyday “work of childhood”--connects with the creative impulse of both historic and contemporary inventors.
Cost: Free with museum admission

Queens Library
www.queenslibrary.org

Picture Book Time; Mondays through March
Join the Hillcrest Branch of the Queens Library every Monday in March for this family-friendly program of stories, songs, fingerplays and crafts.  Be sure to check out queenslibrary.org for some of these ongoing different events at your local library branch: Chess clubs, Toddler Times, Poetry Workshops and Teen Trivia Challenges. 
Cost: Free

Brooklyn
Prospect Park (Auburn Center)
www.prospectpark.org 

Discover Tours; Ongoing – Saturday and Sundays, 3 – 4pm
Learn how to look for birds, discover the source of the Lullwater, and find out what you can do to protect nature on a tour led by expert naturalists. 
Cost: Free

Brooklyn Museum
www.brooklynmuseum.org

Goodbye Coney Island?; Ongoing through April 6
An exhibition of more than fifty photographs from the Brooklyn Museum’s holdings, Goodbye Coney Island? traces the evolution of this fabled part of New York over the past 125 years. The show presents images that depict the area’s early life and its landmarks and attractions from the 1870s to the present, including the Oriental Hotel, Steeplechase, Luna Park, the beach and boardwalk, and the classic Thunderbolt rollercoaster.
Cost: Suggested contributions: Adults: $8.00; Students and Seniors: $4.00; Members and Children under 12: Free