Your Week Untapped: Best NYC Events for May 6-12

Our curated events picks for this week: PULSE Art Fair, Frieze Art Fair and the Untapped Cities Secrets of Grand Central tour.

MONDAY, MAY 6: The Explorers Club lecture series with Dr. Pat Wright: The Lemur Crisis in Madagasar. Join Dr. Wright as she takes you to the rainforests of Madagascar and learn about her lemur conservation work that since its beginnings in 1986 has intertwined research, education, health and economic improvement. 6pm reception, 7pm lecture at The Explorers Club, 46 East 70th Street. FREE for members / $5 students / $20 general admission. For reservations call 212 – 628 – 8383 or email reservations@explorers.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 7: Architectural historian and Woolworth Building authority Gail Fenske will present a second lecture on the great Gothic tower: The Woolworth Building: Highest in the World. This illustrated talk will explore the professional relationship between architect Cass Gilbert and client Frank W. Woolworth. 6:30-8pm at the Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place. FREE.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8: How Buildings Stand Up at the Center for Architecture Foundation. Learn about the structural systems that support buildings and how they work to resist the forces of gravity, wind, weather and earthquakes. Get the inside scoop on how new materials and technologies affect the way we build and experiment with simple structural models to gain a first-hand understanding of the push and pull at work in a building’s bones. 6-8pm at 536 La Guardia Place. $35. Buy tickets here.

THURSDAY, MAY 9: PULSE Contemporary Art Fair is the leading US art fair dedicated solely to contemporary art. Through its annual editions in Miami and New York, PULSE provides a unique platform for diverse galleries to present a progressive blend of renowned and pioneering contemporary artists, alongside an evolving series of original programming. May 9-12, 11am-8pm (except Thursday, when the fair opens at 12pm) at The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street. $25 for a 4 day pass / $20 general admission / $15 students & seniors. Buy tickets here.

FRIDAY, MAY 10: The second edition of Frieze New York, the leading international contemporary art fair, takes place in New York’s Randall’s Island Park. Frieze is pleased to present a careful selection of over 180 of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries. A daily program of presentations, panel discussions and conversations that takes place at Frieze New York, Frieze Talks features leading artists, writers and cultural commentators. May 10-13, 11am-7pm at Randall’s Island Park. One day $42 / students $26 / pass + catalogue $75. Buy tickets here.

Also on Friday: DJ Spooky: Civil War Symphony. Working in tandem with Jeff L. Rosenheim, curator of Photographs at the Museum, Paul D. Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid) presents a newly created piece for string ensemble with live-mixed electronic music and video using images from the exhibition Photography and the American Civil War. 7pm at The Met, 1000 Fifth Avenue. $30. Buy tickets here.

SUNDAY, MAY 12: Untapped Cities Secrets of Grand Central Tour led by Tamara Agins. On this tour, we will tell you stories about what once was, what could have been, and what can be; about the struggle to save and restore Grand Central as preserved icon of past, and of challenge to ensure that it serves New York’s future. We will show you what it was like in the booming age of the railroad, as a rundown embarrassment, and as a renovated jewel at the center of the city. 2:30pm at Grand Central. Buy tickets here.

SUNDAY, MAY 12: MAS Tour of Trinity Church Cemetery. Established in 1842, Trinity Church Cemetery in Washington Heights is one of New York State’s most important burial grounds and is steeped in Revolutionary War, Civil War, civic- and social history. The grounds were originally laid out by James Renwick Jr., and re-landscaped years later by Calvert Vaux; this nearly 24-acre memorial park chronicles much of New York City’s eventful past. 11am. $15 members / $20 general public. Meeting location will be released with ticket purchase. Buy tickets here.