(image via Leslie-Lohman Museum / Facebook)

Objectified
Opening Friday, November 3 at Leslie+Lohman Prince Street Project, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through November 5.

This swift three-day exhibition shows the work of queer ceramic artist Caitlin Rose Sweet. I first encountered Sweet’s work when I interviewed her about a show she was doing inspired by Bosch’s notorious triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights. Since then, she hasn’t stopped whipping up sculptural pieces that impressively mix elements of grotesque and feminine. Friday, her solo show Objectified is unveiled to the public, placing the queer femme body in all its manifestations on view. Sweet’s ceramic sculpture creations can resemble traditional craft art, domestic home goods, genitalia, gnarled fingers, and fantastical beasts all at once. Will you be entranced or spooked?

(image via Art During the Occupation Gallery / Facebook)

“Please help look after my stuff when I am dead.”
Opening Friday, November 3 at ADO Gallery, 6:30 pm to 9 pm. On view through November 26.

You may have seen the work of artist Lisa Levy before, like when she sat naked on a toilet at Christopher Stout Gallery and shared one-on-one moments with people for her piece The Artist Is Humbly Present, a goofy yet loving tribute to Marina Abramovic. Or even more recently, when she won the coveted title of Miss Subways. Despite the extended bouts of silent sitting and subway strutting, Levy is still very much alive, but for her latest endeavor she’s preparing for the inevitable. She’s assembled a hearty and eccentric collection of her own 200 or so belongings, and while she notes on the exhibition’s Facebook event that she’s “hoping for another 25 years or so” of life, attendees are more than welcome to choose an item or two to theoretically receive when Levy does indeed leave this earthly plane. You’ll even receive a will when the exhibition closes. I like to think that’s what the phrase “if there’s a will, there’s a way” is referring to.

(image via Knockdown Center)

Cura(Collected)
Opening Sunday, November 5 at Knockdown Center, 5 pm to 7 pm. On view through December 17.

This art exhibition series organized by Sessa Englund is all about artists who are also curators. As I am a performer/writer/person who also curates shows fairly regularly, perhaps I am a little biased, although you cannot deny nowadays it is more common to find people who are so-called multi-hyphenates than people who do one thing and one thing only. Not only that, but Cura(Collected) focuses on curation as the ability to create spaces for empathy, nurturing, and discovery, as well as the opportunity to both influence and be influenced by your local art scene. The show is primarily a collaboration between Anjuli Rathod, Eduardo Restrepo Castaño, Óscar Moisés Díaz, and Manuel Arturo Abreu, but they’ve brought on many additional creators to contribute as well. For the opening reception on Sunday, there will be performances by Maria Herrera Castaño, Justin Cabrillos, and Matt Salzi.

(flyer by Anjali Krishnan, via Facebook)

goodgood haunted house
Saturday, November 4 at Studio 301 NYC, 8 pm to 11 pm. One night only, $10.

Halloween may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean one must stop being spooky. I for one think the world would be a better place if all those Park Slope families in fancy brownstones left their elaborate spiderweb, pumpkin, ghost, and ghoul decorations up year-round. Back in East Williamsburg, Halloween is still hanging on by a spooky thread, probably the thread of a spiderweb or something. Come Saturday, art collective goodgood is throwing an art show dedicated to all things haunting, and all are invited. The collective focuses on showing the work of artists and creators who may have a thriving professional life, but lack ample time to show the world the projects they work on in their own time. Here, they can do just that. Tickets to get in are $10, but they include a free drink and the knowledge that you are indeed #supporting #the #arts.

Update, November 3: The original version of this post was revised to correct the start and end time of Cura(Collected).