FLOW returns to Randall's Island Park for 2012 with five new artists and five new site-specific installations along the Park's southern shoreline.

FLOW is a project of the Randall's Island Sports Foundation and the Bronx Museum of the Arts (BxMA), suported by the Rockefeller Foundation and Made Event.

Start time: 6:00 am

End time: 9:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 830-7722

Location: Waterfront Pathways along Ward's Island (in Randall's Island Park)

Managing New York’s 843-acre Central Park, which is both a historically significant designed landscape and natural habitat, is delicate. This daylong conference specifically examines ecology as affected and influenced by natural and cultural value systems, the agendas of different constituencies, diversity and the role of people, and public education. Two panels will address this stewardship challenge: the morning session focuses on “lessons learned” by public sector stewards at Prospect Park (Brooklyn), New York Botanical Garden, and The Presidio (San Francisco); the afternoon session is comprised of landscape architects in private practice with experience in urban parks.

Start time: 8:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

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Location: Museum of the City of New York

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is pleased to announce Nature: Prints, Drawings, and Mixed Media, an exhibition of works on paper by artist Julio Valdez, curated by Graciela Kartofel. This show includes twenty-one works created during the past two decades of Valdez’ artistic career. Utilizing nontraditional materials and processes, he explores the inseparable spiritual relationship between man and his natural environment; on view through September 13th through October 25, 2012.

Deeply influenced by his Dominican cultural heritage, which has instilled in him an acute connection to nature, Valdez continues to search for and contemplate his own identity. The resulting works use a visual language that echoes traditional Latin American mythology and simultaneously blends his past and present. The mythical nature of Caribbean culture is evident in each of Valdez’s works—he uses ancestral symbols with a profoundly sincere contemporary approach. The lizard, turtle, and yucca plant, all indigenous to the Dominican Republic, are regularly featured in his works and emphasize the bond with his homeland despite his residence in New York City. However, Valdez states, “The physical and psychological distance from my birthplace has allowed a critical distance for re-examining my origins [which has] triggered gradual changes in my artistic vocabulary.”

These intimate works on paper are rich and fragmented scenes where the human body is entangled in a sea of colorful symbols and textures. Paying homage to a tradition of quilting, Valdez employs a system of layered earthen tones, prints, drawings, and other media. These built surfaces are tactile as they are vibrant and have spontaneity similar to surrealist automated drawings. The silhouette plays a prominent role in his work, referencing traditional portraiture’s look inward, but his lack of identifying features transforms them into “the everyman.” Kartofel notes, “Although some are self-portraits, it is frequent for the artist to say, ‘This is my brother… this is my son.’ Each portrait is not only physiognomic, but it is also a study of the relation and interaction between humans and nature.”

The complexity of his artistic process has also led to fruitful explorations of the printmaking process itself. Valdez is a master at combining revolutionary techniques and traditional methods, blurring the boundaries between mediums, as he inserts hand worked elements and torn paper in his prints. He often combines processes such as embossment, à la poupée, chine collé, monotype, silk aquatint, and solar plate printmaking. These processes are directly linked to the themes in his work—his hand application and other direct methods honor ancient cultural traditions of Africa and Latin America.

A native of Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic, Julio Valdez moved to the United States in 1993 after receiving a fellowship to work at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York City. A painter, printmaker and mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited internationally, he has received numerous prestigious international awards, including an Artist-in-Residence Fellowship at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City (1997-98), the Silver Palette for Painting at the XXXeme Festival International de la Peinture, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France (1998), the Grand Prize at the XVII E. Leon Jimenes Biennial, the Dominican Republic (2000), and the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2003), among others. Valdez’s work can be found in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Artes Graficas Oaxaquena in Oaxaca, Mexico, among others. He currently lives and works in New York City. Julio Valdez’s Harlem studio offers print workshops, lectures and classes, for more information visit www.juliovaldez.com.

Nature: Prints, Drawings, and Mixed Media will travel to the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, Connecticut. On view December 2, 2012 - January 27, 2013.

The Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks, and park history. It is located on the third floor of the NYC Parks & Recreation headquarters, in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for holidays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/art or call 212-360-8163.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: 212-360-8163

Location: Arsenal (in Central Park)

This multifaceted exhibition examines the life and work of the Impressionist master by highlighting his passion for gardening and the inspiration he drew from his living masterpiece, the garden on the grounds of his home in Giverny, France. Monet's Garden has components in several venues throughout the Garden and has a rich assortment of programming, including concerts and family activities. The curator for this exhibition is Professor Paul Hayes Tucker, the World's foremost authorities on Monet and Impressionism.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: 718-817-8700

Location: Watson Building, Room 302 (in Bronx Park)

Join us to view a series of ornamental textiles inspired by the beauty of Staten Island’s Greenbelt.

This exhibit is made possible in part by a DCA Art Fund Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, (COAHSI), with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Silk Painting Workshop and Reception on Sunday September 29th from 2:00 PM -5:00 PM. For information and registration visit www.statenislandarts.org

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

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Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Learn to play pétanque, the popular European game anchored in precision, patience, and camaraderie from members of La Boule New Yorkaise, NYC's championship-winning club. Available for parties.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

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Location: Petanque Courts (in Bryant Park)

Come play ping pong at Bryant Park!

Paddles and balls will be provided free of charge to all skill levels.

Visit the park and sign up with an attendant, who can arrange a friendly game.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Ping Pong Court (in Bryant Park)

Game boards, including chess, backgammon, checkers, and Scrabble, are available for a small fee. Provided by the Marshall Chess Club.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 7:00 pm

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Location: Fountain Terrace (in Bryant Park),Chess Area (in Bryant Park)

Le Carrousel was specially created to complement the park's French classical style, featuring brightly colored animals and French cabaret music.

$2 per ride, or buy a discount card to enjoy 10 rides for $15.

Weather permitting. Also available for parties.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 8:00 pm

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Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum will be open for free all weekend! Take a self-guided tour, view the Collecting the Kitchen exhibit and take a quiz to see if you can identify the historic kitchen artifacts. Visit on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. for the annual cider pressing.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

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Location: Dyckman Farmhouse Museum (in Dyckman House Museum)

Attention neighborhood foodists: it’s your favorite time of year! Mad. Sq. Eats is returning to Worth Square Friday, September 21! This month-long outdoor market will bring you 26 vendors from some of the city’s most raved about eateries, including returning Mad. Sq. Eats favorites as well as some newbies to keep things feeling fresh.

With the extensive line-up of vendors, be sure to stop by early and often and try it all! All are welcome to stop on by, grab a drink and EAT! Mad. Sq. Eats is open daily September 21 through October 19 from 11am to 9pm.

Start time: 11:00 am

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For more than ten years, the Corinne May Botz searched for ghost stories in buildings across the United States. She ventured into these haunted places with both camera and tape recorder in hand; her photographs, accompanied by first-person narratives, reveal a rare glimpse into American interiors, both physical and psychological.

She says, “The first thing that inspired the project were writers like Edith Wharton, Charlotte Bronte and even Toni Morrison. Often these ghost stories were written by women as a means of articulating domestic discontents. I was interested in the idea of a woman being trapped in the home or by domestic space and how this was expressed in history."

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

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Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

It's Summertime and no better time to be a part of The In Crowd. Performances by internationally-acclaimed ragtime, jazz, boogie-woogie, and stride pianists playing the likes of Ella, Ramsey & Scott. Please Say You Will!

Produced in partnership with the Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians and Sam Ash Music Stores.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 2:30 pm

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Location: Upper Terrace (in Bryant Park)

Walk through a scenic area on the western edge of the Park, much of which is off the beaten track for most visitors. See rolling meadows, lake views, bridges of different styles, and a garden with flowers and plants mentioned by Shakespeare.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or email tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Moderate inclines and stairs, paths clear and negotiable - only parts accessible to people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (in Central Park)

Free tours of the Conference House on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. There is a charge for group tours which are booked separately. Please visit www.conferencehouse.org or call 718-984-6046 for more information.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: 718-984-6046

Location: Conference House Museum (in Conference House Park)

Join the Greenbelt Natural Resources Team in exploring our native and non-native plant species. A great opportunity to learn plant ID skills and explore our parks. We will be inside for an overview and then outside for an exploration. Bring Lunch. Suitable for ages 16 and up. Free program. Registration recommended.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 667-2165 ext 301

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Marja Samsom (the Dumpling Diva and chef of famed, now historic, downtown restaurant The Kitchen Club) will serve up 'batter cakes and lemon cream', based on the mid-19th century recipe. Reportedly a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, batter cakes were often served at tea time. The original recipe, with Marja's adaptation for modern cooks, is featured in the museum's newest publication "The Little Book of Tea."

Free admission, includes a self-guided tour of the Merchants' House Museum.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 777-1089

Location: Merchant's House Museum

Make the most of your visit and stop by the High Line Field Station to chat with High Line Greeters. These dedicated volunteers can answer your questions and provide information about the park’s unique design, history, horticulture, art, and more.

The High Line Field Station is open every Thursday and Friday afternoon between 3:00 and 7:00 PM, and every Saturday and Sunday between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

Start time: 3:00 pm

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 206-9922

Location: Chelsea Market Passage (in The High Line)

Join us opening night in this historical garden for a neighborhood centric event of music, dance, performance and visual art.

Start time: 5:00 pm

End time: 9:00 pm

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Location: La Plaza Cultural

OSA Presents the Lacoste L!VE Concert Series featuring Animal Collective. Tickets available here!

Start time: 5:30 pm

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Location: Williamsburg Park

Tours of the 1799 country house - home to New York City mayors since 1942 0 are usually not offered in the evenings, making this a special treat for people who can't make the regular Wednesday tour hours. Take a tour and sample cider and gingersnaps based on a historic recipe.

Reservations are required.

Start time: 5:30 pm

End time: 8:00 pm

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Location: Gracie Mansion (in Carl Schurz Park)