Make Your Own Modern Art
MoMA wants visitors to do some drawing, sculpting, and collaging of their own at its Material Lab, a new crafting space opening this week in the museum’s Education and Research Building. Museumgoers are invited to experiment with various media provided in the installation’s “discovery boxes,” stuffed with craft staples like felt and paper and not-so-traditional media like rubber and spices. The lab has a high-tech component too: computer consoles featuring a Microsoft digital art application that lets you “paint” with watercolors (4 W. 54th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-708-9400; 2/19–8/29).
A New Store for the Etsy of Antiques
1stdibs, the online marketplace for luxury home design and antiques, is debuting its first brick-and-mortar location, spanning all 33,000 square feet of the New York Design Center’s tenth floor. The loftlike showroom opens Saturday, selling the work of more than 50 American and international designers featured on the website. Highlights include Helena Rubinstein’s illuminated acryllic bed from Malmaison and rare mid-century collectibles by Wyeth (200 Lexington Ave., nr. 33rd St., tenth fl.; 646-293-6633; 1stdibs.com/nydc).
Look What the Squirrel Dragged In
The Brooklyn-based publicist and online curator, the Shiny Squirrel, is also setting up shop in a physical space this weekend, albeit temporarily. Founder Jessica Goldfond is holding a one-day sample sale in the Ace Hotel this Wednesday, showcasing the work of her local designer clients, including accessories by Wintercheck Factory and a new housewares collection by Species by the Thousands (20 W. 29th St., nr. Broadway, Room 811; 201-888-4653; theshinysquirrel.com; Wednesday, 2/23, 6–9 p.m.).
Follow That Quilt
JF & Son, boutique vendor of hand-constructed, one-of-a-kind apparel, is adding housewares to its inventory and moving its storefront from Kenmare Street to a new location in Greenwich Village this Thursday. The new pillows, rugs, and quilts are made with the same homemade sensibilities as the store’s men’s and women’s clothing lines (56 University Pl., at 10th St.; 212-343-3131; Thursday, 2/17, 7-9 p.m.)