7 Things to do in NYC, May 10-12

This week’s events to check out include a slew of free activities, such as an empowerment summit created by Mary J. Blige and eco-friendly family programming at the Skyscraper Museum.

Free

Taraji P. Henson, left, Mary J. Blige, center, Angela Martinez. (Getty Images; Sterlingpics for Mary J. Blige)

Strength of a Woman Summit

The Glasshouse — 660 12th Ave, Hell’s Kitchen

Sat. May, 11 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige reigns supreme in her hometown of New York City this weekend. Her Strength of a Woman 3-day festival includes concerts, a gospel brunch and a free community summit.

The 9-time Grammy winner (and 2-time Oscar nominee) assembled a who’s who of celebrity notables — such as Taraji P. Henson, Angie Martinez and best-selling author Bevy Smith for a day filled with panels focused on female empowerment through personal style, finance, small business development, health and wellness. Actors such as Larenz Tate, Michael Rainey Jr. and Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man will be on hand as well.

Free with registration.

Theater

Madison Ferris, Kyra Sedgwick and Lily Mae Harrington in “All of Me.” (Monique Carboni)

“All of Me”

The Pershing Square Signature Center — 480 West 42nd Street, Hell’s Kitchen

Through June 16

“The Closer” star Kyra Sedgwick — last seen on Broadway in a 1998 production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” — returns to the stage in the new Laura Winters play “All of Me,” a romantic comedy about a wheelchair-bound boy who meets a girl who uses a scooter.

The young couple use text-to-speech technology to connect to the world around them in a story that explores how class and disability play out in America today. Lily Mae Harrington, Florencia Lozano, Brian Morabito, Madison Ferris and Danny J. Gomez also star; Ashley Brooke Monroe directs.

Tickets start at $29.

Film

Actor and musician Leon as seen in “The Rhythm and The Blues” by Darryl Pitts, screening at the 31st New York African Film Festival. (Jeffrey Brown)

31st New York African Film Festival at Film

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center — 144 W. 65th Street, Upper West Side

Through May 14

The theme of this year’s African Film Festival, produced with Film at Lincoln Center, is “Convergence of Time.” The festival features more than 50 films from more than 25 countries exploring “the intersection of historical and contemporary roles played by individuals representing Africa and its diaspora in art.”

The New York City premiere of Darryl Pitts’ “The Rhythm and The Blues” on May 11 at 5:30 p.m. is a highlight, starring Leon as influential blues guitarist and singer Eddie “Playboy” Taylor. In the hour-long drama, the actor and musician plays the Mississippi-born sideman who lived in obscurity after being an integral part of the post-World War II Chicago Blues scene of the 1950s and 1960s.

Ticket are $17 with discounts for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

Art

Nabil Kanso, Soaring Load, 1988, Oil on linen. (Courtesy Estate of Nabil Kanso/Institute of Arab and Islamic Art)

“Endless Night”

Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (IAIA) — 22 Christopher Street, West Village

Through Aug. 25. Wed. through Sun., 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Nabil Kanso‘s first institutional solo exhibition in New York recently opened showcasing his expansive collection of art investigating the intersection of social injustice, myth, memory and medium.

The Beirut-born artist, who died in 2019 at 79, was renowned for his emotionally evocative murals, paintings, sketches, and watercolors. “Leaves from the Theater of War (1980-1992),” features a series of 242 ink drawings chronicling his personal account of the realities of war. But the centerpiece of the exhibit is Kanso’s large, unstretched oil paintings — such as 1988’s “Soaring Load” (pictured above) — created in response to the Lebanese Civil War.

Free.

Music

Kori Withers, left, Bill Withers, center, and Valerie Simpson. (Mattie Music; Getty Images)

Mother’s Day Brunch with the music of Bill Withers

City Vineyard — 233 West St. at Pier 26, Meatpacking District

Sun. May 12 at 12 p.m.

Bill Withers’ youngest daughter Kori Withers is hosting a special Mother’s Day brunch celebrating the release of the children’s book, “Grandma’s Hands”, which brings her father’s famous song to life.

The singer-songwriter, who followed in her dad’s footsteps, will be joined by Valerie Simpson, Marcus Machado and Everett Bradley performing Withers’ classics such as “Lean on Me” and “Lovely Day.”

The 32-page illustrated book will be on sale at a specially-marked price.

Tickets start at $30. 

Dance

Caleb Teicher’s “This Is The Part When You Go Woo.” (Richard Termine)

“This Is The Part When You Go Woo”

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum — 1071 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side

Sun. May 12 and Mon. May 13

Award-winning dancer, choreographer and teacher Caleb Teicher introduces their latest performance-presentation with a script and concept developed in partnership with Michael Benjamin Washington.

Offering an inside look at the range of relationships that take place in theaters between artists and audiences, Teicher’s presentation also features visuals by interdisciplinary artist Ameya Marie Okamoto.

Tickets are $35, with Choose-What-You-Pay option

Family

“Tall Timber: The Future of Cities in Wood” exhibition introduction. (Courtesy of The Skyscraper Museum)

“Tall Timber Towers: Family Program”

The Skyscraper Museum — 39 Battery Place, Battery Park City

For the new exhibit, “TALL TIMBER: The Future of Cities in Wood,” architectural historian Carol Willis examines recent tall buildings made of Mass Timber and the material’s role in a more sustainable, eco-friendly future.

The exhibit seeks to demonstrate in a multimedia format how mass timber is better than steel or concrete. A model of software company Atlassian’s forthcoming 42-story hybrid timber tower in Sydney is a standout.

All ages are welcome for the guided tour for Saturday’s family program, where kids can also imagine their own timber skyscrapers. The exhibit runs through Aug. 31. Wed – Sat. from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Free. RSVP required. 

If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: [email protected] with the full details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.