EVENTS

See MoMA's collection, visit the summer exhibitions, and enjoy live music in the Sculpture Garden (sets begin at 6:30 p.m.). Regular Museum admission applies.

This year's MoMA Nights music series draws from local and international sources with an eye to the global cross-pollination of styles and genres. A singer from Brazil takes cues from American pop, while a Congolese guitarist forms a breakthrough collaboration in Paris. A tribute to an avant-garde avatar borrows a Japanese form of poetry and involves 100 composers, and a musical legend from Sierra Leone mixes it up with bandmates in Brooklyn. Each of the innovators in this nine-concert series started with a powerful artistic vision and has traveled the globe to realize it.

The series is the fifth organized in collaboration with Olivier Conan, programmer and co-owner of Barbès performance space (barbesbrooklyn.com).

In the event of rain, the Sculpture Garden will close, and music will take place in Theater 1, with the exception of August 9, when the rain location will be The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby (standing room only).

Please note: Sculpture Garden and indoor seating are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tonight’s Music Performance: Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang
Janka Nabay, vocals; Boshra AlSaadi, vocals; Jonathan Leland, drums; Michael Gallope, keyboards; Doug Shaw, guitar; Pat Noecker, bass

Vocalist Janka Nabay is the king of bubu—Sierra Leone’s brand of electro-pop. In his hometown, he electrified traditional bubu music by adding drum machines and synthesizers, giving it a frantic edge and making him a national hero. Now based in the United States, he has hooked up with Brooklyn musicians who call themselves the Bubu Gang and share a similar fascination with the old and the new. They mix modern beats and analog keyboards with call-and-response vocals, improvisation, and touches of 1970s psychedelia. The collaboration capitalizes on the best of all worlds; the result is musically stimulating and just as danceable as Nabay’s early hits. The group’s first full-length album will be released on Luaka Bop this summer.

Snacks and beverages in the Garden
Seasonal snacks and specialty cocktails, draft beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages are available for purchase in the Sculpture Garden on Thursday nights. The Garden Bar, located at the northeast corner of the Sculpture Garden, also sells local gelato and sorbet, ice cream sandwiches, cookies, wine, beer, and specialty cocktails. In the event of rain, a cash bar will be available indoors.

Terrace Dining (rain or shine)
The fifth floor’s Terrace 5 serves Chef Lynn Bound’s light, seasonal cuisine overlooking the Sculpture Garden. An a la carte menu is offered indoors, as well as a special "urban picnic" fixed price menu on the terrace during the summer months, which includes cured meats, cheeses, salads, sweets, and more (with optional wine pairing). Seatings are offered from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Reserve at cafes@artfoodny.com and include name, preferred time, number of guests, and phone number. The "urban picnic" menu is $32 per person (excluding beverages, sales tax, and service)—10% MoMA member discount not applicable.