Take in Women's History Month Events All Across New York

March is Women’s History Month, and New York offers a wide range of opportunities to explore the achievements and advances of women in the arts, politics, education and other fields.
The ACA Gallery (529 West 20th Street; 212 206-8080) in Manhattan offers the work of artists Faith Ringgold (best known for her children’s’ books and quilts) and Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (paintings, sculpture, woodcuts).
On March 25, a panel of scholars will gather up at Barnard College to discuss the life and work of Jane S. Gold, the first director of the Bernard Center for Research on Women. (Barnard Hall, Sulzberger Parish; 7 PM; free; 212 845-2037)
Down at NYU, the Fales Library has the new Riot Grrrl collection, featuring works related to the Feminist Punk movement. (212 998-2596-call ahead for any restrictions on visitors). It’s at 70 Washington Square South.
At El Taller Latino Americano (2710 Broadway; 212 665-9460) a non-profit cultural arts center, an exhibit called “Women-Made” focuses on the work of three artists and their approach to gender roles and femininity.
At the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway; 718 638-3000), you’ll find the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; the famed Judy Chicago installation “The Dinner Party” is on view, along with works by Kiki Smith. El Museo del Barrio (1230 Fifth Avenue 212 831-7272) also features the work of a number of Latina artists.
And tomorrow in Central Park (bring an umbrella) listen to "The Fascinating Tales of Women” at 11:00 am, which focuses on prominent women in history. (212 628-2345.) The tour meets at Bethesda Fountain.
Other events for Women’s History month can be found at nycgovparks.org

Treasures, Trash, and Everything in Between at the Outsider Art Fair

Let the Museums have their Picassos and Raphaels, their Monets and Renoirs. This weekend in New York, attention is on the unknowns at the Sanford Smith Outsider Art Fair (Feb. 5-7).
The fair includes almost 40 exhibitors from both New York and abroad, with lectures and events organized by The American Folk Art Museum. The event began 18 years ago as a way of recognizing an overlooked and unheralded market—art created outside of mainstream society. The artists are generally untrained or self-taught, and often work in primitive styles.
Presenters include New York’s Fountain Gallery, a not-for-profit cooperative highlighting works by artists living with mental illness; St. Louis’ Galerie Bonheur, which is focusing on the work of late Bahamian artist Amos Ferguson; and Galerie St. Etienne, which has a history of exhibiting works by artists who have gone on to gain fame in the mainstream art world, such as Grandma Moses.
What can you expect to see? Well, one artist showed up at the opening event wearing a coat she had made from human hair. Another uses trash boxes found in his work as a janitor. And another makes handbags out of Ramen Noodle packets. There’s even a work made entirely of beads, sewn by Haitian artist who lost all her material possessions in the recent earthquake in Haiti.
The fair is located at 7 West 34th Street, near Fifth Avenue; today (Sunday) it runs from 11 am to 6 pm. Sanford Smith and Associates can be reached at (212) 777-5218. The American Folk Art Museum can be reached at (212) 265-1040.
So come on, what’s the Superbowl compared to this?