Release stress and find refuge from city life by practicing seasonal yoga, surrounded by the beauty of Wave Hill. Hatha Yoga involves the use of physical postures, breath control and meditation to create a supple, strong and relaxed body-mind. Classes are led by Neem Dewji, certified in Hatha and Therapeutic Yoga from The Yoga for Health Foundation in Bedfordshire, England, and The Integral Yoga Institute in NYC.

Participants should bring a mat, dress in loosely fitting clothing and come to class with their breakfast well digested. All levels are welcome. Sessions are held outdoors only and are weather dependent. Call (718) 549-3200 x245 by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the class for weather updates. Registration opens on-site at 9:30AM.

Photo credit: Joshua Bright

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 11:15 am

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Wave Hill

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)

Bring the kids and visit one of New York City’s richest bird habitats with New York City Audubon guides. Learn how to spot and identify our feathered neighbors in their natural surroundings on a tour through the North Woods.

Bring you own binoculars, if you have; binoculars are also available to borrow in a limited number at the visitor center. Space is limited; please arrive early to sign in. Ages 5+.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 11:00 am

Contact phone: 212-860-1370

Location: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central 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

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Explore Wave Hill’s greenhouses and the impressive Ecology Building with its original bowling alley and roof of green grass. Then create your own visionary structure using clay, cardboard and natural and recycled materials.

Photo credit: Wave Hill

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Wave Hill

From Saturday, October 6, through Wednesday, October 31, The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at The New York Botanical Garden will treat visitors to frightful Halloween fun. Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, bats, parties, and parades. On October 20 and 21, master carver Ray Villafane of Food Network fame will transform humongous pumpkins into zombies and other unearthly creatures. Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Every day, youngsters can play inside a “gourd-geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, learn about owls, and join a Halloween Parade, while every weekend offers even more treats.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 817-8700

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

Volunteering is a great way to make new friends and to give back to your city. Volunteer opportunities usually involve manual labor and may not be appropriate for all ages. All equipment is provided.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (212) 304-2365

Location: Inwood Hill Nature Center (in Inwood Hill Park)

Come get lost in our three-acre interactive corn maze. The adventure begins with a “Stalk Talk” to prepare you for the challenge of finding clues, solving puzzles, and making your way out of the maze.

To add to the adventure, join us for Maze By Moonlight on Saturday, October 6th and 13th, when the maze will be open until 9:00 PM.

Feel up to the challenge? Then join us for the fun of getting lost and loving it!
$9 adults; $5 children (ages 4–11)
Group Rates available for 10 or more people. For details and reservations, visit www.queensfarm.org or call (718) 347-3276

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 4:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 347-3276

Location: Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park)

Pick Your Own Pumpkin

October is Pumpkin Month at the farm! Enjoy the crisp autumn air as you wander through the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin. A fun farm treat for the whole family!

Prices are based on size of pumpkin.
This event will take place each weekend in October.

*On weekdays, pumpkins will be available for purchase in our Gift Shop.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 4:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 347-3276

Location: Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm 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)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

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: 11:00 am

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 206-9922

Location: Chelsea Market Passage (in The High Line)

Join us for a series of Tree Giveaway events in local communities where you can pick up a FREE TREE to plant in your own front or back yard!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• 100 trees are available per event.
• Limit one tree per household.
• Register for a tree online ahead of time to make sure you can receive one.
• Registration closed? Limited quantities of trees will be available first come, first served.
• Trees must be planted in the five boroughs.
• Trees cannot be planted along streets, in city parks, in containers, or on roofs.
• Trees must be properly watered and maintained.

For a full calendar of upcoming fall 2012 Giveaways, please see the MillionTreesNYC website.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 333-2552

Location: Build It Green! NYC Reuse Center

Volunteering is a great way to make new friends and to give back to your city. Volunteer opportunities usually involve manual labor and may not be appropriate for all ages. Some opportunities require pre-registration. All equipment is provided.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 352-1769

Location: Fort Totten Front Gate (in Fort Totten Park)

Urban Park Rangers specialize in interpretation of historic turning points, both natural and man-made, in our city’s long history.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 548-0912

Location: Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (in Pelham Bay Park)

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

Contact phone:

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

IPAD/IPHONE Photo art and photo editing workshop. Gain massive skills and learn a ton of editing techniques!

Join expert educator, artist and designer Lyle Foxman in this workshop and photo walk funded by COAHSI as he takes you into the world of IPad/IPhone photo art. Packed with tricks, techniques, demonstrations and hands-on tasks, it’s an easy approach for IPad/IPhone and Android Tablet users. Hang on tight as you’re guided through comprehensive exercises on resizing, layers, textures and resolution, color correction, and image touch up. Master advanced techniques for creating eye-popping visuals, tilt-shift photography, panoramic images, sizzling photo effects, and workflows with print, social media, blog and cloud storage service providers. Participants will be encouraged to share their work and create a community blog at http://snapnapp.tumblr.com.

Who Should Take This Course

• Amateur, home photographers/tablet users or anyone looking to improve the quality of their images and their workflow techniques.
• Anyone with and IPad, Iphone or Android tablet device that has access to photo and art apps.
• Anyone who wants to know how to get full quality results using your I-pad, I-phone or mobile device

Staten Island professional photographer Flint Gennari had this to say about Lyle’s September workshop “ With the advent of apps and the availability and ease of smart phones and tablets, a little bit of knowledge will allow anyone to create works of art. No need to reinvent the wheel Lyle’s class offers the information of what’s out there and provides examples of what you can do even if it is your first time transforming your photos into something all will admire”.
Lyle Foxman, has over 15 years experience in the arts, technology and education. He has won numerous arts in education grant awards involving photography, animation and technology. Lyle is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts and has just completed his Master's Degree from Touro College in Instructional Technology.

Workshops October 13th & 14th from 11:30am - 1:30pm (limited to 15 participants)
A free photowalk will take place after at the Alice Austen House & Fort Wadsworth October 13 from 2:00pm - 3:30pm (Open to all)
Registration is available online at http://snapnappworkshops.eventbrite.com/
You can also visit the workshop blog at http://snapnapp.tumblr.com/

** Come prepared to the workshops with your fully charged camera, cables, tablet and mobile devices.
Partial proceeds to go to Alice Austen House. This event is made possible (in part) by a DCA Premier Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, with Public Funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Start time: 11:30 am

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (917) 597-5263

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

Join us for a tour through Central Park in which you will see a hidden bench that tells time, miniature boats powered by the wind, a magnificent sculpture celebrating fresh water, and much more!

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

Accessibility level: Easy to negotiate; paths and few stairs - mostly accessible to people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:45 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: East 72 Street and Fifth Avenue (in Central Park)

Play animal charades, pretend to be a bat trying to catch a moth, or join many other fun and active nature games. A Naturalist will lead children and families to areas near the Audubon Center, where you can be active and learn about the nature that is all around us!

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 287-3400

Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect 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)

View significant artifacts from 19th-century family life and walk into a fully furnished 1820s bedroom. There will be tours every half hour.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 3:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 789-2822

Location: Lefferts Historic House (in Prospect Park)

Join Sidney Horenstein, geologist and Educator Emeritus, American Museum of Natural History, as he leads his geology, history and natural history walk through Dyckman Valley.

Dyckman Street and 125th Street are the only sea level acesses to the Hudson River in the northern half of Manhattan Island. Both developed along major NYC faults and both were the locations of early communities. The walk will point out some of the botanical and geological features of Dyckman Street and the shore path south of it.

This program is generously supported by the Greenacre Foundation and the Fort Tryon Park Trust.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 795-1388 extension 300

Location: Anne Loftus Playground (in Fort Tryon Park)

Join us for a series of Tree Giveaway events in local communities where you can pick up a FREE TREE to plant in your own front or back yard!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• 100 trees are available per event.
• Limit one tree per household.
• Register for a tree online ahead of time at to make sure you can receive one.
• Registration closed? Limited quantities of trees will be available first come, first served.
• Trees must be planted in the five boroughs.
• Trees cannot be planted along streets, in city parks, in containers, or on roofs.
• Trees must be properly watered and maintained.

For a full calendar of upcoming fall 2012 Giveaways, please see the MillionTreesNYC website.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 333-2552

Location: MacDonald Park

On Nature Exploration Hikes we will discover the plants and animals that inhabit the urban forest. Moderate hikes are longer, faster paced hikes on rugged terrain. For all hiking programs we recommend wearing comfortable shoes or boots, and packing water and a light snack.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 967-3542

Location: Comfort Station near Eton Place and Richmond Avenue (in Willowbrook Park)

Urban Park Rangers specialize in interpretation of historic turning points, both natural and man-made, in our city’s long history.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 421-2021

Location: Myrtle Avenue and Broadway

Spend time outside enjoying nature while helping to keep Prospect Park clean. Families can take a tour of the Park and its waterways and help keep it clean along the way. Gloves, garbage bags and trash grabbers will be provided.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 287-3400

Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park)

With talent from the Columbia University Music Performance Department, the Manhattan School of Music Community Partnerships Program, and French Cookin’ Blues Band.

COLUMBIA KLEZMER BAND
Jeff Warschauer, Coach
Young musicians play the spirited old music of Eastern European Jews.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: 116th Street Overlook (in Riverside Park)

Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill)

Angel Hernandez, Educator for The Bronx County Historical Society, will lead us to Latino gravesites such as the Queen of Salsa - Celia Cruz, Sugar Importer - Manuel Rionda, and Baseball Hall of Famer - Alexander Pompez. This bilingual presentation will update participants on The Bronx Latino History Project – tour proceeds will help support the initiative.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 3:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 881-8900

Location: Woodlawn Cemetery

Imagine living as a 19th century New Yorker taking a journey through Central Park. Along the way, you will learn about the Park's history and hear how its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, struggled to turn their visions into our reality.

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

Accessibility level: Easy to negotiate; paths and few stairs - mostly accessible to people with disabilities

Start time: 2:30 pm

End time: 3:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 794-4064

Location: Outside the Dairy Gift Shop (in Central Park)

Imagine yourself in the past. Learn games, pastimes and tasks that were common 200 years ago. At Lefferts Historic House, you can try your hand at needlepoint, games, and more.

Start time: 2:30 pm

End time: 3:30 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Lefferts Historic House (in Prospect Park)

Talk a walk with one of our naturalists to watch for animals, and investigate little-known facts about the park and its animal residents.

Start time: 3:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 287-3400

Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park)

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)

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)

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

Contact phone:

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

Contact phone:

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)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

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

Contact phone:

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

Take a tour through Central Park and pass over streams, under arches, and through the woods along a maze of pathways in this secluded 38-acre woodland respite.

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

Accessibility level: Hilly, stairs, and a few Park-related obstacles to negotiate - not recommended for people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park)

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)

Join us for a free fitness walking program for adults at Fort Totten Park!

Sponsored by The Fitness Consultants.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 352-4793

Location: Fort Totten Front Gate (in Fort Totten Park)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

From Saturday, October 6, through Wednesday, October 31, The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at The New York Botanical Garden will treat visitors to frightful Halloween fun. Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, bats, parties, and parades. On October 20 and 21, master carver Ray Villafane of Food Network fame will transform humongous pumpkins into zombies and other unearthly creatures. Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Every day, youngsters can play inside a “gourd-geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, learn about owls, and join a Halloween Parade, while every weekend offers even more treats.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 817-8700

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

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

Contact phone:

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)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 12:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill)

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

Contact phone:

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

Walk from the Dairy to Belvedere Castle and learn about the intricate design of Central Park's web of pastoral landscapes and formal romantic vistas.

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

Accessibility level: Hilly, stairs, and a few Park-related obstacles to negotiate - not recommended for people with disabilities.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 794-4064

Location: Outside the Dairy Gift Shop (in Central Park)

Join an exhibition interpreter for one of our regularly scheduled tours of Wave Hill’s fall exhibition Foregrounding the Palisades, sculptural installations by artists Isidro Blasco, Blane de St. Croix and Paula Winokur that focus on the cliffs across the Hudson River, a quintessential feature of Wave Hill’s vista—and history. In the Sunroom, Crystal Z. Campbell and Yeon Ji Yoo fill the space with site-specific works inspired by local social and natural history.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Wave Hill

Garden along Brooklyn's beautiful waterfront! The Green Team provides essential horticultural care to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Weekly projects may include planting, mulching, and removing invasive plants. The Green Team is a wonderful opportunity to learn about gardening, enjoy nature, and make the park look its best.

Start time: 6:00 pm

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park: Main Street (in Brooklyn Bridge Park)

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)

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)

Come out and volunteer with Natural Areas Volunteers (NAV) at Fresh Creek Preserve to plant native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous material around the Creek to improve the creek habitat. Join our Technical Leader at 9 A.M. at Avenue L and E 108th Street in Brooklyn. Public Transportation: Take the L train to E105th Street in Brooklyn. Please come dressed in closed-toe shoes, long pants and clothing that can get dirty. Space is limited.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS EVENT.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 360-3318

Location: Avenue L & East 108th Street (in Fresh Creek Nature Preserve)

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)

Shop for farm fresh fruits , herbs and vegetables,baked cookies,and cakes. There will be a tea tasting and Stellar Market cooking demonstrations as well as representatives from Just Food offering their tips. Nutritional information and health literature will be offered.US cash EBT and WIC vouchers accepted.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 877-7113

Location: Padre Plaza, Success Garden (in Padre Plaza)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

From Saturday, October 6, through Wednesday, October 31, The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at The New York Botanical Garden will treat visitors to frightful Halloween fun. Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, bats, parties, and parades. On October 20 and 21, master carver Ray Villafane of Food Network fame will transform humongous pumpkins into zombies and other unearthly creatures. Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Every day, youngsters can play inside a “gourd-geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, learn about owls, and join a Halloween Parade, while every weekend offers even more treats.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 817-8700

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

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

Contact phone:

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)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

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

Contact phone:

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

Imagine living as a 19th century New Yorker taking a journey through Central Park. Along the way, you will learn about the Park's history and hear how its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, struggled to turn their visions into our reality.

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

Accessibility level: Easy to negotiate; paths and few stairs - mostly accessible to people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 794-4064

Location: Outside the Dairy Gift Shop (in Central Park)

Fresh Grown Produce, Baked Goods, Flowers and more. We accept USD Cash, EBT ,WIC ,Farm Checks, Debit and Credit cards

Start time: 3:30 pm

End time: 6:30 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Hands and Heart Community Garden

This three-part workshop will focus on maintaining and building healthy soil, vital to any productive garden, whether you grow vegetables or flowers. Learn what soil is, how to enrich it the organic way, and what concerns exist for soil in urban areas. Parts 1 and 2 will take place at The New York Botanical Garden, and Part 3 will be hands-on at a Bronx community garden.

Pre-registration is required.

To register or for more information, call 718.817.8026 or e-mail skatz@nybg.org

Start time: 6:00 pm

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone: 718-817-8026

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

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)

DIscover the varieties of birds that call Bryant Park home during the migratory season with guided tours.

Presented in partnership with the New York City Audubon Society

Start time: 8:00 am

End time: 9:00 am

Contact phone:

Location: 'wichcraft coffee kiosk (in Bryant Park)

Join us for a free fitness walking program for adults at Fort Totten Park!

Sponsored by The Fitness Consultants.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 352-4793

Location: Fort Totten Front Gate (in Fort Totten Park)

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)

Come join us in a day of adaptive sports such as track, basketball and goal ball! Pre-registration is required for school group participation.

Please call David Deas at 718-353-7853 for more information.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 353-7853

Location: Al Oerter Recreation Center (in Flushing Meadows Corona 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

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

From Saturday, October 6, through Wednesday, October 31, The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at The New York Botanical Garden will treat visitors to frightful Halloween fun. Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, bats, parties, and parades. On October 20 and 21, master carver Ray Villafane of Food Network fame will transform humongous pumpkins into zombies and other unearthly creatures. Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Every day, youngsters can play inside a “gourd-geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, learn about owls, and join a Halloween Parade, while every weekend offers even more treats.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 817-8700

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

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

Contact phone:

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)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

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

Contact phone:

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

Take a tour through Central Park and pass over streams, under arches, and through the woods along a maze of pathways in this secluded 38-acre woodland respite.

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

Accessibility level: Hilly, stairs, and a few Park-related obstacles to negotiate - not recommended for people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park)

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)

Celebrate the opening of the new gallery exhibit, The Wild Garden: Discovering Central Park's Woodlands. Special guests and the interactive installation will introduce you to each of the Park's three woodlands, why they are here, how thay've changed over the last 160 years, and the wonderes you can discover by visiting them.

Free. No advance registration. For ages 18+. For more information about the Conservancy's monthly Harlem Meer Social Hour series, please call (212) 860-1370 or visit www.centralparknyc.org/socialhour.

Start time: 6:30 pm

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 860-1370

Location: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park)

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)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

From Saturday, October 6, through Wednesday, October 31, The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at The New York Botanical Garden will treat visitors to frightful Halloween fun. Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, bats, parties, and parades. On October 20 and 21, master carver Ray Villafane of Food Network fame will transform humongous pumpkins into zombies and other unearthly creatures. Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Every day, youngsters can play inside a “gourd-geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, learn about owls, and join a Halloween Parade, while every weekend offers even more treats.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 817-8700

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

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

Contact phone:

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)

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

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

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

End time:

Contact phone:

Location:

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

Contact phone:

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

Join us for a tour through Central Park in which you will see a hidden bench that tells time, miniature boats powered by the wind, a magnificent sculpture celebrating fresh water, and much more!

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

Accessibility level: Easy to negotiate; paths and few stairs - mostly accessible to people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:45 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: East 72 Street and Fifth Avenue (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, common plant communities 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 extension 301

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

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)

This event has been cancelled due to rain.

Ghosts, Goblins, Spiders, and other critters will be playing in our playgrounds. The night will be full of fun and excitement. Costumes are encouraged! Be there or be scared!

This event is presented by Syfy. Syfy is the proud sponsor of 14 NYC Parks Fall-themed events across the city, including Pumpkin Fest in Central Park on Saturday, October 27!

Start time: 4:00 pm

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Samuel Seabury Playground

This event will raise awareness about breast cancer by sharing printed informaiton and speakers on the topic. It will also include arts and crafts (ribbon making), a self examination demonstration by Dr. Carmen Llopiz-Valle and a tribute dance by one of the center's dance class groups.

Start time: 5:00 pm

End time: 8:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 754-5411

Location: Recreation Center Fifty-four (in Recreation Center 54)

How do we create a food movement that is lead by the food justice movement? How do we ensure that the food justice movement lifts the leadership and ideas of those most affected by the present food system? The Brooklyn Food Coalition invites you to join in this conversation and help us move toward an equitable and anti-racist food movement for us all.

Moderator: Beatriz Beckford, Brooklyn Food Coalition
Speakers: Malik Yakini, Detroit Black Food Security Network, Detroit Food Policy Council, 2012 James Beard Award Winner
Lorrie Clevenger, Black Urban Gardeners, Why Hunger , Daisy Chung, Restaurant Opportunity Center

Start time: 5:00 pm

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: The Pantry