On the Towns: In Brooklyn: Sights, Sounds and Sirens Beckon; Whitney Biennial Is Winding Down; Energized Up the Yazoo, Progressives Are Getting Down to It ...

Harry Agress' "Solitude. Kangaroo Island, Australia." He is among the artists whose work is featured at the inaugural The Other Art Fair New York. The photograph is also on sale at Saatchi Art. Dimensions: 27.5 H x 39.5 W x 0.1.

JUNE 2017

AT last, it has come to these shores. A particular showcase of emerging multi-disciplinary artists that has enjoyed favor across the pond and down yonder.

It comes to New York. To Brooklyn. A borough that bustles with commerce and creativity. Said borough is the venue of a daylong festival celebrating a west African country's independence. It is also a preview of a four-day African festival next month.

Away from Brooklyn and along the uber progressive lines of the political spectrum is a gathering that attracts activists, intellectuals, economists, and this year, a material girl.

1-7 June

ART. 1-4 June. The Other Art Fair (TAOF) New York. The emerging artist showcase presented by Saatchi Art makes its U.S. debut after success in both the UK and Australia. It features the work of 110 emerging artists and an immersive features program. Brooklyn Expo Center, 72 Noble St. Brooklyn. http://www.bit.ly/2rYoobu

CULTURE. 2-4 June. Left Forum 2017. THE RESISTANCE is the theme of the annual conference that brings together thought leaders, intellectuals, activists and other stakeholders on the left (side of the political divide). Among the topics: feminism after the women's march; New Media; technology and revolution, and one titled "The Normalization of evil in the current Dark Age." Among the speakers ... Madonna. John Jay College, 899 10th Ave (b/w W. 58th and 59th streets). New York. http://www.leftforum.org

The Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater (AYAADT) will perform at Libation 2017. Photo courtesy of (AYAADT).

ART. MUSIC. DANCE. 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. 4 June. LIBATION 2017. The kickoff of the annual International African Art Festival (IAAF, 1-4 July) this year also celebrates the 60th anniversary of Ghana's independence from the United Kingdom, featuring a tribute to ancient and modern Ghana. Elsewhere, performances by musician Blitz the Ambassador, and the Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater (AYAADT. A dance party and awards ceremony are also on the program. Arts and craft vendors. Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St. Brooklyn (Bedford-Stuyvesant). http://www.Libation2017.Eventbrite.com

Hairstylist Melissa Forney (right) transforming Taraji P. Henson into Cookie on the set of "Empire." Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

FILM. TELEVISION. DIGITAL MEDIA. 7 p.m. 6 June. Designing Women. The annual awards programs organized by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) honors notable costume designers, makeup artists and hairstylists in film, television and digital media. Among this year's honorees:  hair stylist Melissa Forney ("Hidden Figures," "Empire"); makeup artist Kyra Panchenko, ("The Girl on the Train," "Kill Bill"), and costume designer Melissa Toth ("Manchester by the Sea," "The Visitor").

Kamasi Washington will be among the performers at the Northside Festival. Photo from Kamasi Washington Facebook page.

Participants and presenters include Rosario Dawson and Amy Schumer. Sasheer Zamata is the host. New York University School of Law, 40 Washington Square South. New York. http://www.bit.ly/2qViwje

MUSIC. CULTURE. LIFESTYLE. 7-11 June. Northside Festival. At nine years, the "music" festival is at the apex of its influence and importance. Over five days, scores of venues around Brooklyn will host bands, talks and content creators. Participants include New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, musician Kamasi Washington, Jane Rosenthal (Tribeca Film Institute), Yancey Strickler (Kickstarter) and Kevin Weil (Instagram). Various locations. Brooklyn. http://www.northsidefestival.com/

8-14 June

"Brainpower," curated by Diana Stomiene and Sonata Baliuckaite, is on at ArtVilnius’17.

ART. 8-11 June. ArtVilnius’17: 8th International Contemporary Art Fair. This year the work of more than 200 artists from 20 countries, mostly in Eastern Europe, will be on display. Also featuring  PATH, the intetnatonal exhibition large-scale sculptures, installations and performances. Video art, too, will be represented, including works from the venerable Videonale. Exhibition and Congress Centre Litexpo, Laisves av. 5.Vilnius, Lithuania. http://www.artvilnius.com/artvilnius17

From “Calder: Hypermobility”: Object with Red Discs, (1931). Painted steel rod, wire, wood and sheet aluminum,Overall (variable): 87 1/2 × 52 1/4 × 24 1/2in. (222.3 × 132.7 × 62.2 cm). © 2017 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph Jerry L. Thompson.

ART. 9 June-16 October. Calder: Hypermobility. In collaboration with the Calder Foundation, the Whitney Museum of American Art presents an exhibition of some of Alexander Calder's most extraordinary mobile sculptures. These works are given space to achieve the range of motions and sounds intended by their creator. The exhibit is accompanied by talks, concerts, film screenings and performances. Whiney Museum of American Art, New York. http://www.whitney.org/Exhibitions/CalderHypermobility

FILM. 9-18 June. Human Rights Watch Film Festival New York. The opening film (6:30 p.m.) is the harrowing, award-winning "Nowhere to Hide." It focuses on a male nurse who for five years captures on camera life around him in hotspot, Jalawla, Iraq ... Other notable works in this festival centered around human rights matters are "The Blood at the Doorstep" (police and black male interaction) ... "500 Years" (part of Guatemalan Resistance Saga series) ... "Complicit" (working conditions of Chinese migrant factory workers) ... and "Nobody Speaks: Trials of the Free Press" (Hulk Hogan trial: privacy rights versus First Amendment rights). IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave at W. 3rd St.; Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St. New York. http://www.ff.hrw.org/new-york

ARTS. CRAFTS. FASHION. 10 June. World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKIPDAY). On this day around the world, knitters will gather in public places and spaces to wield their needles in support of nifty creations. According to organizers, it is the world's largest knitter-run event. Visit the website to find a KIP gathering near you like the one at Slip Stitch Needlecraft (http://www.slipstitchneedlecraft.com/) in Brooklyn. Various locations. Numerous countries. http://www.wwkipday.com

ART. Through 11 June. 2017 Whitney Biennial. The 78th edition of the exhibition is the largest in terms of square footage and the first at the new downtown location of the Whitney Museum of American Art ... Sixty-three artists. From emerging to well-established individuals and collectives. Painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, film and video, photography, activism, performance, music and video game design. Whitney Museum of American, 99 Gansevoort St. New York. http://www.whitney.org/Exhibitions/2017Biennial

Sheila E. will perform at the 2017 Apollo Spring Gala Archive photo.

CULTURE. 12 June. 2017 Apollo Spring Gala.Cedric The Entertainer hosts the Apollo Theater's biggest fundraiser of the year. Honorees include Stan Lathan. Performances by CeeLo Green, Sheila E. and others. Apollo Theater, 253 125th St. New York. http://www.apollotheater.org/gala-2017/

22 June and beyond

From "The World of Emotions: Ancient Greece, 700 BC – 200 AD" exhibit. Photo courtesy of the Onassis Cultural Center of New York.

ART. Through 24 June. A World of Emotions: Ancient Greece 700 BC – 200 AD. Considering how in modern-day Western society we express ourselves and interpret the meaning of others by observing more than 130 "priceless" works of art from ancient Greece. Pieces are on loan from some of the world's most renown museums, including the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum. Onassis Cultural Center, 645 Fifth Avenue. New York. http://www.onassisusa.org/exhibitions/a-world-of-emotions