New year, new you. What will you try?
Fun fact: Claude Monet once said Venice was “too beautiful to be painted.” When his wife, Alice, suggested a trip to the storied city, he initially replied, “Venice . . . no . . . I will not go to Venice.” Monet and Venice shows what can happen when we open ourselves to novel experiences. There’s just one more month to see this revelation of an exhibition, so get your tickets now.
You know what they say: When one door closes, another one opens. Christian Marclay: Doors comprises dozens of scenes from decades of film history, all hinging on doorways that send us somewhere new.
Which doors will you open this year? The front doors of the Brooklyn Museum, we hope.
Monet and Venice
Christian Marclay: Doors
Mark your calendars
Poetry Workshop: Monet and Venice
Sunday, January 11, 11 am–1:30 pm
Join Brad Vogel, author of Find Me in the Feral Pockets and organizer of the NYC Poets Afloat Residencies, in a generative writing workshop inspired by Monet and Venice.
Salsa Party
Thursday, January 22, 6–9:30 pm
Salsa party is back! Practice your salsa dancing with a lesson led by Balmir Dance Society instructors, followed by social dancing, live music, and professional performances.
More happening
Stroller Tour: Monet and Venice
Wednesday, January 14, 10–11:15 am
Before the Museum opens to the public, enjoy an interactive, stroller-friendly tour of Monet and Venice. Designed for children up to 24 months old, this baby-friendly program features touchable objects, songs, exploration of artworks on view, and an opportunity to connect with other adults.
Can’t make this one? We have another scheduled on January 21.
Drop-In Workshops: Life at Sea
Saturdays–Sundays, January 3–4, 10, 17, and 31, 11 am–5:30 pm; January 24–25, 12–4 pm
Take a deep dive into Oliver Jeffers: Life at Sea and help expand this underwater world. During these free drop-in workshops, bring the family to create colorful creatures and structures. Each afternoon centers on designing new ocean life, from coral to 3D fish, to add to Life at Sea.
Sharing the love
Spector Craft Prize
Apply for the inaugural Spector Craft Prize, recognizing artists who have been practicing for seven years or less, by March 1! Disciplines include ceramics, woodworking, glass, textiles, metalwork, paper arts, and basketry.
Porgy and Bess
Hailed by The Washington Post as “a Porgy of its time that speaks to ours,” Porgy and Bess—one of the defining works of American music theater—returns to the Metropolitan Opera this winter. With its fusion of opera, jazz, and Broadway, the Gershwins’ enduring masterpiece features a number of tunes whose popularity has transcended the opera house. Through January 24.
From the top: Claude Monet and his wife, Alice, in Piazza San Marco, Venice, October 1908. Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, Inv. 2013.0.2.17. (Photo: Bridgeman Images); Claude Monet. Palazzo Ducale, 1908. Oil on canvas. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 20.634. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum); Installation view, Christian Marclay: Doors. Brooklyn Museum, 2025. © Christian Marclay. (Photo: Paula Abreu Pita); Seydou Keïta. Untitled, 1954. Vintage gelatin silver print. Courtesy of The Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection. © SKPEAC/Seydou Keïta, courtesy The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art and Danziger Gallery, NY; Installation view, Oliver Jeffers: Life at Sea. Brooklyn Museum, 2025. (Photo: Paula Abreu Pita); Claude Monet. Venice, Palazzo Dario, 1908. Oil on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection, 1933.446. (Photo: The Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource, NY); Salsa Party, 2022. (Photo: Kolin Mendez); Stroller Tours, 2025. (Photo: Elena Olivo); Opening Celebration: Oliver Jeffers: Life at Sea, September 2025. (Photo: Matthew Carasella Photography); Image courtesy of the Spector Craft Prize; Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera
