A Parent’s Guide to Chelsea
On Saturday mornings (and all summer long) my kids are excited to have time off from school. Weather-permitting, we’ll walk or bike to Chelsea and go gallery-hopping, escaping our little Manhattan apartment and seeking large-scale installations between 21st and 26th streets.
Start out at 555 West 24th St...
Gagosian Gallery
555 west 24th st. & 522 west 21st st.
We’ll usually stop by Gagosian’s two Chelsea locations, where we’ve seen monumental works by Jeff Koons and Richard Serra. These impressive structures really leave a permanent impression in kids’ minds and create important life-long associations with art, leading them to question why and how things are made.
Make a left (northwest) on W. 24th Street on your way out and turn left onto 11th Ave.; turn left onto West 23rd St.; head to 550 West 23rd St...
Danziger Gallery
550 West 23rd st.
Another stop in Chelsea is Danziger Gallery, where we’ve seen quirky photographs by Karen Knorr of animals in palaces; this type of work breeds an interesting discussion on how humans have isolated themselves from nature, replacing real beauty with an artificial one.
From here, to go to the other Gagosian location in Chelsea head southeast on West 23rd St., toward 10th Ave; turn right on 10th Ave; turn right on West 21st St., arrive at 522 West 21st St.
After your visit there, head northwest on West 21st St. toward 11th Ave.; turn left onto 11th Ave.; turn left onto W 20th St. and arrive at 529 West 20th St...
bitforms gallery
529 west 20th st. #2
Tucked away on the second floor of a Chelsea building, bitforms often hosts shows by artists using technology, something I am naturally attracted to. Daniel Canogar’s recent show “Small Data” was a fantastic contrast to all the big pieces, especially the tiny projections of people crawling over and under miniature piles of electronic garbage.
Make a right on your way out and you can’t miss...
David Zwirner
537 west 20th st. | 519, 525, & 533 west 19th st.
Installation view of "Yayoi Kusama: Give Me Love" courtesy of David Zwirner.
We also frequent David Zwirner’s Chelsea locations, which has recently showcased major immersive installations—like Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Rooms, Doug Wheeler’s light environments, and Oscar Murillo’s Colombian candy factory.
To get to the other David Zwirner location, make a right on your way out heading northwest down West 20th St.; turn left on 11th Avenue; turn left on West 19th St and arrive at 517-525 West 19th Street.
Next, walk northeast on West 19th St., toward 10th Ave.; turn left on 10th Ave.; turn left on West 20th St. and take the stairs up to The High Line and enjoy a stroll walking downtown, where you’ll be able to see…
The (Future) Whitney Museum
corner of gansevoort st. and washington st.
Sketch of the new Whitney, courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art
I’ll always point out the new Whitney museum that’s being constructed, which reminds us of the great programming the museum organizes. We had an amazing time last year at Whitney Wees, where we learned about the “Hopper Drawing” show and “listened” to the sounds of the city in other paintings in that show. We’ll definitely add the new Whitney to our Saturday morning routine as soon as it opens!
You’ve reached the end of the High Line, call it a day, or for a special treat this summer, head down to street level and go the L Train at 14th St. and 8th Ave.; jump on a Brooklyn-bound train and get off at the Bedford St. stop; once outside head south down Bedford until you reach South 4th St.; make a right on South 4th and walk straight ahead until you hit...
Domino Sugar Factory
316 kent ave., brooklyn
Finally, this summer we’ll be heading to
Brooklyn to see the Kara Walker installation at the Domino
Sugar factory, a final stop before brunch in Williamsburg.
