The three-day Labor Day holiday may be one of the most popular summer weekends for New Yorkers to get away, but it’s also a wonderful time to stay put in the city. There are plenty of fun and interesting events to partake in around town — from the West Side County Fair, to the Waverly Place Festival, to the Coney Island Beard & Mustache Competition and more. Art lovers are not excluded: some of New York’s best and most unique art shows and fairs take place this weekend.
So if you’re looking for something to do on this three-day weekend, why not check out one of these three great was to celebrate art in New York?
1. The Governor’s Island Art Fair.
New York City’s largest independent art fair kicks off this weekend. The Governor’s Island Art Fair, now in its eighth year, is an exciting showcase of 100 hand-selected artists and galleries. Each artist is assigned a full room in the island’s Colonel Row buildings, former military housing that’s been abandoned since the mid-1990s. It’s a great show, in a truly one-of-a-kind location.
2. Washington Square Art Exhibit.
The annual art show in Washington Square Park, famously started by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, draws more than 125 local, regional, and national artists for an al-fresco art exhibit that stretches the sidewalks from East 13th St. to West 3rd St. Expect to see a wide variety of media here, from graphic art, to oil and acrylics, to crafts, sculpture, and more.
3. MoMA PS1’s Final Warm Up.
The 18th season of the popular outdoor music series at MoMA’s Long Island City outpost celebrates its final summer hurrah this Saturday, September 5. The show takes place in the museum’s courtyard, where an art installation by Madrid architecture firm Andrés Jaque, Office for Political Innovation is currently on display. In addition to the concert, limited galleries at the museum are also open for viewing.
For more fun events coming up in New York City, check out our post on fall’s best art and design events.