Things to do in New York this Friday

The New York Botanical Garden is forgoing its Orchid Show this year but is doing a limited Spotlight on Orchids across select galleries of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, including intimate displays of orchids in brilliant white and striking colors set against the foliage of aroids, ferns, and bromeliads—planted as they might be found in nature and blending gracefully with their surroundings, NYBG says. You'll get to discover unusual orchids and artful floral creations by Botanical Garden horticulturists that combine expressive orchids with rocks, tree trunks, vines, and other found materials. NYBG's Orchid Show will return in 2022. Until then, you can purchase a Garden Pass + Conservatory ticket, which includes access to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and outdoor gardens and collections.

New York City's drive-ins are still going strong — The Queens Drive-In at NYC’s iconic Flushing Meadows Corona Park (a project by Rooftop Films, Museum of the Moving Image and the New York Hall of Science) is back for its spring season, from March to June this year. It'll all kick off on Friday, March 5 with a special screening of Amazon’s highly anticipated Coming 2 America, which will be co-presented by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. The event is free and open to the public with RSVP. Attendees will receive free food and merchandise courtesy of Amazon Studios. “Coming to America is the quintessential, iconic Queens film, and we are beyond thrilled to host one of the only screenings of its sequel, Coming 2 America, right here in the film’s backyard," Richards said. "I am proud to continue the Borough President Office’s tradition of hosting drive-in films in our home borough." Programming will continue throughout the spring with new and classic films curated by Museum of the Moving Image and Rooftop Films, including a dozen double features like Escape from New York and Robocop; Dazed and Confused and Fast Times at Ridgemont High; Shaft and Boyz n the Hood; Fist of Fury and Lady Snowblood; North By Northwest and From Russia with Love; Rocky and Creed; Desperately Seeking Susan and Thelma and Louise; and Singin’ in the Rain and Magic Mike XXL.  There will also be regular screenings of beloved family films, including Labyrinth; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Facto

New York Responds: The First Six Months at the Museum of the City of New York is an extension of the outdoor photography installation that opened this summer and features selections that were made by a community jury, reflecting the changes and challenges of life in New York City from March through August 2020. The exhibit showcases photographs, objects, videos, and works of art that document the impacts of Covid-19 and activism in 2020, including creative handmade masks and social distance markers; photographs of mutual aid efforts, including food donation, community fridges, and volunteers; a pan used in the 7 o’clock clapping for health care workers; photographs of activism for Black Lives Matter, including healthcare workers taking a knee; an innovative ventilator devised by medical personnel at The Mount Sinai Health System; and photographs of essential workers, including food delivery and public transportation.

Brooklyn Museum's biggest exhibit this spring is opening on Friday. You may have seen KAWS' giant cartoon-y characters with X's for eyes around the city, but this is the first time Brooklyn-based artist (Brian Donnelly) has had a major New York survey of his work, which includes rarely seen graffiti drawings, paintings, smaller collectibles, furniture, and his popular "Companion" figures.

Get your zen on at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden which has launched a new series of winter nature walks and sound works in the Garden—site-specific original compositions and audio walks for visitors to experience at their own pace.As part of the Art in the Garden series, BBG is showcasing three works from January through May: Gelsey Bell and Joseph White’s "Meander," Ben Rubin and Brian House’s "Terminal Moraine," and a reprisal of Michael Gordon’s "loved." "Each work takes its inspiration from the garden and the temporal sensations one experiences among its natural features, both ancient and fleeting," according to BBG.  On right now, Gelsey Bell and Joseph White's "Meander" is a sound walk that guides listeners on a meditative stroll into the natural landscape. It encourages listeners to watch, listen, and reset their clocks to pastoral temporality, inviting them to sink into the complex patterns and fine details of the natural environment. From February 26 to April 25, Ben Rubin and Brian House's "Terminal Moraine" will be presented in the Elizabeth Scholtz Woodland Garden. The installation uses algorithmic sound to represent tree growth and glacial ice recession. Then, from March 13 to May 9, "loved" will be on in the Cherry Esplanade. Composer Michael Gordon created the installation for BBG to honor those we've lost in the pandemic. Performed by percussionist David Cossin, the meditative composition for seven vibraphones plays hourly on Cherry Esplanade and runs 5 minutes

"Love Letters for Harlem" is an exhibition of photographs by Harlem residents John Pinderhughes, Ruben Natal SanMiguel, Jeffrey Henson Scales and Shawn Walker that celebrate the lives and culture of Harlem. “As longtime residents of Harlem, we are inspired by the rich cultural lineage of our neighborhood,” states gallerist Claire Oliver. “In the midst of this challenging year when we have all been so isolated, we wanted to showcase the resiliency and celebrate the individuals, geography and culture of Harlem through the intimacy of photography while also supporting a vital organization that provides urgently needed aid to our community in this time of need.” A portion of the proceeds will benefit Harlem Community Relief Fund, an initiative of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce (GHCC), who in concert with Harlem Week, ReThink Food NY, NY State Assemblywoman Inez Dickens, CCNY, NAACP are working together to combat food insecurity in Harlem.  

BRIC is presenting "Latinx Abstract," a groundbreaking exhibition that asserts the enduringlegacy of abstraction among Latinx artists, from January 21 to May 2, 2021. The show features a cross-generational survey of ten artists—Candida Alvarez, Karlos Carcamo, Maria Chavez, Alejandro Guzman, Glendalys Medina, Freddy Rodriguez, Fanny Sanín, Mary Valverde, Vargas-Suarez Universal, and Sarah Zapata. The artists' work "challenges the established history of abstract art in the United States, which largely excludes the contributions of Latinx artists, individuals of Latin American descent based in the United States." The show will be on both virtually and in-person at BRIC House (647 Fulton St). In-person viewing at BRIC will be available during reduced hours, Wed-Sat 11am-6pm, and at reduced capacity. Visitors are encouraged to reserve a space 48 hours in advance by contacting BRIC. In-person viewing availability is subject to change.

Japanese restaurant Ootoya is opening an Onigiri Pop-Up take out window for one-month only at their Times Square location, offering twelve different onigiri, or Japanese rice balls. Ranging from $3.75 to $5 each, you can choose from Onigiri like flaked salmon and tuna-mayonnaise, but also Ootoya’s popular menu items turned into onigiri such as tonkatsu (fried breaded pork), spicy kurozu (fried chicken with spicy black vinegar sauce) and sukiyaki (soy-simmered sliced beef). Ootoya will also offer Onigiri sets that consist of two onigiris, choice of karaage fried chicken, edamame or potato croquettes, miso soup and pickles for $9.99 or $10.99. 

Enjoy a free exhibit of mouthwateringly colorful appetizers, the sophisticated sheen of silverware, scatterings of fruit and more on canvas by Art Students League students. Each piece is more vivid than the next, capturing fleeting moments through enticing snapshots of table settings and the whimsical faces of characters who might be in attendance.

Music and culture site Okayplayer and photography museum Fotografiska New York are offering New Yorkers a new series of live, guided meditations every Friday at 6 p.m. now, through March 19. The event, taking place at the museum, will incorporate tracks from "PASSAGE, the EP," Okayplayer’s new project developed to inspire community healing through sound and stillness. The lead track of the record features Big K.R.I.T.; a short-film visualizer by the man behind some of Beyonce’s greatest visual works, Andrew Morrow.