If I’m being honest, I think we’ve all kind of missed a New York art crawl – where at the beginning of every season, you’d take a stroll down Chelsea or Lower Manhattan, and stumble upon galleries and galleries with new and exciting art. While this pandemic has kind of halted that spontaneous and quite magical process, a lot of galleries and museums have opened their doors, taking all the precautionary measures that make reopening feasible, and continued doing what New York does best: forge through. 

Here is a humble and exciting art guide featuring five shows to see in NYC and online this October:

Dreaming Together

This show is a part of the highly anticipated inaugural Asia Society Triennial, “We Do Not Dream Alone.” This show examines themes of protest, identity, borders, and the possibility of dreaming in our world today. The event will include a variety of other exhibitions, talks and performances that will unfold over 2020-2021 (some in person and some online).

On view from October 23, 2020–July 25, 2021 at Asia Society and New York Historical Society (by appointment only)

Feliciano Centurión: Abrigo

Americas Society brings us Feliciano Centurión: Abrigo – the first solo show in the United States of the Paraguay-born artist. The emphasis is on the embroidered and painted works on blankets that dazzle with their colorfulness. 

On view from September 30–November 20 at Americas Society (by appointment and online) 

Leilah Babirye: Ebika Bya ba Kuchu mu Buganda (Kuchu Clans of Buganda)

Leila Babirye’s sculptures, often utilizing debris from New York City streets, reference traditional African carving techniques and obscure untold histories of queerness. This is the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. 

On view from October 11–November 22 (weekends and by appointment) at Gordon Robichaux (22 East 17th Street, Gramercy, Manhattan)

Howardena Pindell: Rope/Fire/Water

The Shed is scheduled to reopen a solo show of work by Howardena Pindell with abstract paintings dealing with themes such as climate change and white supremacy. Pindell will also be revealing her first video piece which was created as a commission that pairs stories about and data on lynchings in the United States with archival photographs. There will be a physical exhibition accompanied by an online gallery.

On view from October 16, 2020–April 11, 2021 at The Shed (545 West 30th Street, Hudson Yards, Manhattan)

John Edmonds: A Sidelong Glance

John Edmonds’ first museum solo show in New York will take place at the Brooklyn Museum. A Sidelong Glance was the product of his receipt of the UOVO Prize for an emerging Brooklyn artist. Edmonds will be presenting photographic portraits of the artist’s creative circle engaging with Central and West African sculptures donated to the museum.

On view from October 23, 2020–August 8, 2021 at Brooklyn Museum

Photo via The Shed/Howardena Pindell