April 21—Laurie Simmons is a New York–based artist and filmmaker renowned since the mid-1970s for her psychologically and formally profound work.

Two sessions of this free program are offered, one for ages 5 to 8 and one for ages 9 to 12. Each session is led by an artist who takes participants through informal drawing exercises in relation to works in the Modern’s galleries. Children under the age of 6 must be accompanied by an adult during the program. Bring a sketchbook and pencils. Attendance is limited, so early arrival is encouraged. A sign-up sheet is located at the information desk.

October 28—Kenny Scharf, an artist featured in Urban Theater: New York Art in the 1980s, rose to prominence in the 1980s East Village art scene and was one of the first artists to inject elements of street culture into the mainstream of contemporary art.

Two sessions of this free program are offered, one for ages 5 to 8 and one for ages 9 to 12. Each session is led by an artist who takes participants through informal drawing exercises in relation to works in the Modern’s galleries. Children under the age of 6 must be accompanied by an adult during the program. Bring a sketchbook and pencils. Attendance is limited, so early arrival is encouraged. A sign-up sheet is located at the information desk.

November 18—Jules de Balincourt, the artist featured in the Modern’s exhibition FOCUS: Jules de Balincourt, works from the position of an outsider on paintings of American politics and marginalized communities, both utopian and dystopian, in compositions that explore the shifting relationship between representation and abstraction.

March 3—Jonathan Schipper is a New York–based artist known for large-scale, self-destructing works. Perhaps best known for Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle, the imperceptibly slow crashing together of two full-sized automobiles over a period of six days that simulates a head-on collision, Schipper is a keen critic of our fast-paced, heedless existence. His methodical deconstruction, and sometimes reconstruction, of daily experience brings our otherwise oblivious existence into sharp focus.

Learn with local artists as they lead informal basic drawing classes in the galleries. This free class is open to adults at all skill levels—just bring a sketchbook and pencils. Registration is not required, but participants should sign in at the information desk.

October 7-Jenny Jaskey is director and curator of the Artist’s Institute at Hunter College; co-editor of Realism Materialism Art, an upcoming publication on the “speculative turn” in philosophy and aesthetics; and contributor to various publications including the Brooklyn Rail. Of particular interest for this presentation is Jaskey’s curatorial innovations and experiences in her position at the Artist’s Institute, a research institution and experimental curatorial platform for contemporary art in New York City.

February 17—Janet Zweig, a New York–based artist working primarily in the public realm, and Dan Maginn, FAIA, a Principal with el dorado inc in Kansas City, have occasionally collaborated with each other on public art projects. “Public art” has the challenging call to thoughtfully engage while broadly appealing to a varied audience. Zweig and Maginn recognize and embrace this challenge.

October 14—