Hanukkah Celebration

Embrace the spirit of the season with art, music, warmth and community. Enjoy lunchtime and early evening events with live klezmer band performances accompanied by a therapeutic art-making activity.

SCHEDULE:

12:00 – 1:00 PM: 
Shoko Nagai’s Menorahs Quartet
Drop-in Art-making Activity led by art therapist, Tova Speter

5:30 – 6:30 PM: 
Michael Winograd’s Heimishe Klezmer Band with special guest Sarah Mina Gordon
Drop-in Art-making Activity led by art therapist, Tova Speter

ABOUT THE ART-MAKING ACTIVITY:

Hanukkah is one of many festivals of light being celebrated at this time of year, and one in which we use a special “helper” candle (called the Shamash) to spread the light to other candles. Inspired by the Edith Wharton quote “there are two ways of spreading light, to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it,” the artists invites your to design a mini LED candle holder and coaster to brighten your spirit as you consider how you spread your light with others. Come for a few minutes or stay for as long as you like.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Shoko Nagai, a Japanese-born composer, pianist, accordionist, and improviser, is a versatile and accomplished musician. She collaborates with world-renowned artists and creates original scores for films and live performances. Since moving to NYC from Japan, she has showcased her mastery of the keyboard by adapting it to various instruments, such as prepared piano, accordion, electronics, and more. Whether performing Klezmer, Balkan, or experimental music, Nagai captivates audiences with her charismatic presence on stage, mesmerizing them with her intense focus and virtuosic sound. “Nagai treats every moment as an opportunity for deep synchronicity, reflecting her profound musical artistry,” wrote Giovanni Russonello of The New York Times. She created the Menorah’s Quartet with remarkable musicians whose repertoire range from rambunctious to entrancing, touching on traditional folk dance, Yiddish lullabies, and re-grooved Klezmer music for special holidays. Ljova Zhurbin on violin, Zisl Slepovitch on clarinet, Mitya Ishenko on bass, Shoko Nagain on accordion.

Michael Winograd is one of the most celebrated klezmer musicians today and is currently making his Broadway debut in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. He travels the world performing with his band The Honorable Mentshn, has released over a dozen of his own recordings, and is featured on countless more, including Vulfpeck’s The Beautiful Game and Live at Madison Square Garden. When not on stage, he produces records, composes for film, teaches lessons, and plays weddings. He lives in Brooklyn.

Tova Speter is a Massachusetts-based artist, art therapist, art educator, and arts consultant with a passion for engaging individuals and groups in meaningful art experiences. With a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy, she has over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of arts and healing. Tova offers individual art therapy services through her private practice and facilitates therapeutic art workshops focused on self-care and resilience to groups both in person and online. She is also a practicing painter, installation artist, and community muralist who travels worldwide to engage communities through artist residencies and collaborative art opportunities. Recent highlights from 2024 include facilitating art therapy workshops for caregivers in Ukraine, creating public art on display in Lexington, MA for America’s 250th anniversary, engaging participants in therapeutic art-making at an international conference in Berlin, and leading a community mural at one of the largest Jewish temples in New York City. Tova has created several large-scale art displays inspired by light, Hanukkah, and the Jewish spirit, and she enjoys the process of helping others share their voice and perspective through the layers of meaning and metaphor embedded in the art they design and create. All of her work is based on her belief that engaging in art-making is inherently therapeutic and formative.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE:

Dine at a BFPL restaurant or Hudson Eats, or start your holiday shopping early! Click here for more information on holiday happenings at Brookfield Place.

UPCOMING HOLIDAY PROMOTIONS:

HOLIDAY SPEND & RECEIVE:

Available November 29 – while supplies last

• Spend $300 and receive a $25 gift card
• Spend $750 and receive a $60 gift card
• Spend $1,500 and receive a $150 gift card

Gift cards can be redeemed at the concierge desk across from Theory on the first level. Promotion is valid for one gift card per person, while supplies last.

GIFT WRAPPING:

Available November 29 – December 24

• Show your BFPL shopping receipt and receive complimentary gift wrapping!
• Monday – Saturday, 12:00 – 8:00 PM
• Sunday, 12:00 – 6:00 PM
• The gift wrapping station is located at 230 Vesey, first level (next to the concierge desk).