“Folk City: New York and the Folk Music Revival” at the Museum of the City of New York

This outstanding exhibit focuses on the folk music explosion that took place in Greenwich Village during the 1950s and 1960s. The artists who made an impact during that creative ferment are represented: Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Judy Colllins, The Weavers, Joan Baez, Richie Havens, and Pete Seeger, as well as their predecessors, including Lead Belly, Odetta and Josh White. The show is replete with fascinating artifacts, including Bob Dylan’s penciled lyrics for four songs; concert posters; editions of folk-oriented periodicals, such as “Sing Out!”; the original sign from Gerdes Folk City, a Village club; and films and recordings of concert performances. Historical currents are evident in conservative publications and hearings that targeted folk music as part of the “red menace.” While mainstream acts such as the Kingston Trio were apolitical, folk came to reflect the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. The music’s transformation into folk rock signaled the eclipse of folk as the decade progressed. “Folk City” captures a time when folk music played a central role in social change and cultural transformation. “Folk City: New York and the Folk Music Revival” continues through January 10, 2016, at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue (at 103rd St.), NYC, 212-534-1672, mcny.org

"Mac Conner: A New York Life" at Museum of the City of New York

Ads in The New Yorker and the New York Times for the Mac Conner exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York associate him with the "Mad Men" television series with good reason. Conner, 100 years old, is an illustrator who work for ads and magazines, including Redbook, The Saturday Evening Post and Cosmopolitan, reflected the American culture of the '40s, '50s and 60s. Illustrators such as Conner played an integral role in postwar ads and in women's magazine stories (see illustration above for "Let's Take a Trip Up the Nile," This Week Magazine, November 5, 1950). Conner's art celebrated postwar materialism and reinforced traditional sex roles, yet it took a darker turn as the '50s progressed and "the age of anxiety became a familiar theme. He illustrated stories dealing with juvenile delinquency (the focus of the film "Blackboard Jungle, 1955) and troubled relations between men and women. During the '60s, images depicting an exclusively white America and happy housewives became increasingly dated with the civil rights and women's movements; however, Conner richly documented an entire American cultural period as depicted in this fascinating exhibit.

"Mac Conner: A New York Life" continues through February 1, 2015, at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue (at 103rd Street), NYC, 212, 534-1672, www.mcny.org