Houdini Family Day at the NYC Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum will present a fun-filled, multi-generational family day inspired by the exhibition, Houdini: Art and Magic, on Sunday, November 14 from 12 noon to 4 pm.  Highlights of the day include two performances by Jukebox Radio, demonstrations by magician Ryan Oakes, a huge art workshop, roving magicians, and family gallery hunts.

This event is free with Museum admission.  Adults are asked to accompany their children.  For further information, the public may call 212.423.3337.

Houdini Family Day is made possible by New York City Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick.

WNET.org is the media sponsor.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER 14

12:30 pm and 2 pm

PERFORMANCE: JUKEBOX RADIO

Dance and sing with Jukebox Radio in this stage show mixing music, puppets, and more into an imaginative performance for all ages.  This unique band fuses musical genres such as pop, folk, rocksteady, and jazz.  Jukebox Radio and special guest Magic Brian will offer light and magic performance with shadow puppetry and original music inspired by the life and work of Houdini.

Jukebox Radio is a vibrant group of young performers brought together by Mark Dzula.  Mark is a freelance composer and has performed a number of puppet, cartoon, film, and music shows with his multimedia group the Magic Caravan. Jukebox Radio features Joe Ancowitz (trumpet), Geoff Countryman (baritone saxophone), Mark Dzula (guitar and vocals), Dan Dzula (drums), Devin Maxwell (vibraphone), David Steinberg (tenor saxophone), Chloe Walker (vocals), Kyle Younger (bass), Chris Rozzi (puppets), Tim Cavaretta (puppets and tech), and David Herman (tech).  Jukebox Radio has performed at the Knitting Factory, Galapagos Art Space, the DUMBO Art Festival, and other events and venues throughout the United States .

1 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm

MAGIC DEMONSTRATIONS AND SECRETS REVEALED

Magician Ryan Oakes will demonstrate sleight-of-hand magic and teach secrets of the trade.

Ryan Oakes has performed at the White House, Hollywood ’s Magic Castle and for major corporations.  He serves as a host of Comcast’s ActivityTV Magic, and is a magic consultant for Ideal Toys.

12:00 noon to 4:00 pm

DROP-IN ART WORKSHOP

Children will create original poster designs using colorful drawing materials, evoking posters on view in Houdini: Art and Magic. Children can also create optical toys and watch images they draw magically appear.

12:30 to 3:30 pm

BECOME HARRY AND BESS HOUDINI

Families can pose behind a Coney Island style cut out scene of Harry Houdini and his wife Bess.  Photos will be accessible from the Museum’s Flickr account after Houdini Family Day.

All day:

ROAMING MAGICIANS

FAMILY GUIDES – SELF-GUIDED TOURS

Families can pick up a guide to Houdini: Art and Magic.

Born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest , Hungary , Harry Houdini (1874-1926) , the renowned magician and escape artist,  was the son of a rabbi who immigrated with his family to Wisconsin in 1878.    Houdini was one of the 20th century’s most famous performers.  His gripping theatrical presentations and heart-stopping outdoor spectacles attracted unprecedented crowds, and his talent for self-promotion and provocation captured headlines on both sides of the Atlantic . The Jewish Museum is presenting Houdini: Art and Magic, the first major art museum exhibition to examine Houdini’s life, legend, and enduring cultural influence, from October 29, 2010 to March 27, 2011.  Through 163 objects, including 26 recent works of art inspired by Houdini, exhibition visitors will be able to explore the career and legacy of the celebrated entertainer while considering his lasting impact on contemporary art and culture.  Works  in a variety of media by such artists as Matthew Barney, Jane Hammond, Vik Muniz, and Raymond Pettibon  will be on view along with  historic photographs; dramatic Art Nouveau-era posters and broadsides; theater ephemera; and archival and silent films.  Magic apparatus – rarely exhibited together – handcuffs, shackles, straitjacket, a milk can and a packing trunk will be showcased in the context of their original presentation.  A recreation of the famous Water Torture Cell (much of the original was destroyed in a fire in 1995) will also be on view.  Two of Houdini’s private diaries, never before shown in a public exhibition, will be displayed.  Visitors will learn about his evolution from a fledging circus performer in the 1890s, to a stage magician at the turn-of-the 20th century, to a daring escape artist in the early 1900s, and a world-famous celebrity who commanded a mass audience.

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