Events

The 13th Annual Panorama Challenge

Friday, April 12, 6-9:30 pm at the Queens Museum

General Admission: $20 in advance/$25 at the door

Members of the City Reliquary, Queens Museum, or MAS: $15

Doors 6 PM, Game 7 PM (free shuttle between the Queens Museum and the Mets‐Willets Point 7 stop from 5:30-7pm and 9-10 pm)

After a four-year hiatus, the City Reliquary Museum returns to the Queens Museum to host the 13th Annual Panorama Challenge. The event, the largest NYC-themed trivia game, will take place at The Panorama of the City of New York, a scale model of the five boroughs.

The event will be co-hosted with the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), the organization that teamed up with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to save Grand Central Terminal from being demolished. MAS advocates for the preservation of New York City’s historic public art and architecture while fighting for livable and equitable urban planning and design today.

Ticketing is open now! Buy online in advance for a discount ($20 vs. $25 at the door). Members of the City Reliquary, Queens Museum, or MAS get an even deeper discounted admission of $15.

City Reliquary members will be able to purchase $15 tickets after logging into their Withfriends account.

This exciting evening of trivia puts the whole city at your feet. Teams of Panorama Pros and Panorama Challengers get quizzed on all things NYC using the Panorama as a massive game board. The winning Pro team will join the ranks of past winners when its name is etched on the Panorama Challenge Trophy housed at the Queens Museum.

MC Gary Dennis will preside over the evening. Jonathan Turer, long-time tour guide and founder of KnowItAllNewYorker.com, returns for his tenth year as Quizmaster with a new batch of mind-bending questions. This year’s trivia topics include “Awkwafina,” “SNL & Staten Island,” “Fame,” and more NYC-centric minutiae.

Think you have deep NYC knowledge? Register your team now and show us what you’ve got!


With a special halftime performance from the City Reliquary’s 2023 Miss Subways and 7 line lover, Harmony Hardcore, and the ever-popular Halftime Quiz. DJ Frankie Teardrop will play 64 Fair-era doo-wop, soul, girl group, and British Invasion tunes throughout the night.

This marks a triumphant return for the City Reliquary, which first launched the Panorama Challenge at the Queens Museum in 2007 and last presented it in 2019. This year’s event will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, where the Panorama debuted as an exhibit celebrating New York’s municipal infrastructure and built environment.



About the City Reliquary Museum

The City Reliquary Museum & Civic Organization preserves the everyday artifacts that connect visitors to the past and present of New York City. Established in 2002 as an apartment window display at the corner of Grand and Havemeyer Streets in Williamsburg, it relocated to 370 Metropolitan Avenue in 2006. The Reliquary also hosts public events that invite neighbors and visitors to meet, exchange ideas, and celebrate the diversity of our city. Learn more at www.cityreliquary.org. Follow us at @cityreliquary.

About the Municipal Art Society of New York

The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) lifts up the voices of the people in the debates that shape New York’s built environment and leads the way toward a more livable city from sidewalk to skyline. For over 130 years our advocacy efforts have led to the creation of the New York City Planning Commission, Public Design Commission, Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the Tribute in Light; the preservation of Grand Central Terminal, and the lights of Times Square; the conservation of more than 50 works of public art; and the founding of such civic organizations as the Public Art Fund, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, P.S. 1, the Historic Districts Council, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, and the Waterfront Alliance. Learn more at www.mas.org. Follow us on Instagram at @mas_nyc on Instagram and on Facebook at @masnyc.

About the Queens Museum 

The Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows – Corona Park presents contemporary art, events of hyperlocal and international impact, and educational programs reflecting the diversity of Queens and New York City. Changing exhibitions present the work of emerging and established artists, both local and global, that often explore contemporary social issues, as well as the rich history of its site. The Museum works outside its walls through engagement initiatives ranging from multilingual outreach and educational opportunities for adult immigrants, to a plethora of community led art and activism projects. The Museum’s educational programming connects with school children, teens, families, seniors as well as those individuals with physical and mental disabilities. The Queens Museum is located on property owned in full by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Visit www.queensmuseum.org. Follow us at @queensmuseum.

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Mamma Mia! A Burlesque Tribute to ABBA

Friday, November 17, 8 pm (show at 8:30)
Tickets: $20 (free for our members)

The Last Chance Dancers disco dance to GOLD by ABBA, played live on vinyl.

ACCESSIBILITY & SAFETY

Dress for the weather
Mixed seating & standing room
COVID vaccination required
Masks optional

This is a real burlesque show, with professional burlesque dancers. Anyone is welcome, but please note there will be sexually explicit performance, nudity, and language.

Other accommodation needs or questions? Email [email protected]

Midcentury Stereopanorama: See the 1950s in Astonishing 3-D

Wednesday, November 15, 7 pm
Tickets: $15 (free for our members)

Come and experience a retro-tech time-travel experience unlike any other! (Perhaps you read about it in the New York Times?) Immerse yourself in the 1950s through incredible Midcentury 3-D photographs — taken mostly by amateurs with the Stereo Realist Camera system. Emmy-winning writer and comedian Eric Drysdale has been collecting the amazing images produced by this largely-forgotten technology for 25 years and will share them with you in your own (for the night) high-quality restored vintage stereo viewer. New York City will be highlighted, but all of America is the star. Don’t miss this intimate yet spectacular trip to the past!

There are only 10 tickets available for each evening, so we highly recommend purchasing in advance to guarantee your seat (and stereo-viewer)!

Get your tickets now!

Liberty, the Tattooed Lady: Call for Exhibition Submissions


The City Reliquary seeks tattoo flash, drawings, acetates, and photos of tattoos that depict the Statue of Liberty for an upcoming exhibit and book project: Liberty the Tattooed Lady. The show, curated by Michelle Myles of Daredevil Tattoo & Museum, will run from February through June 2024.

Original art and artifacts will be hung in the show. If your object can’t be loaned, we also invite submissions of digital images of examples of Lady Liberty ink for inclusion in the book project.

To be considered for the exhibit and accompanying book, please submit your information and images of your object submissions to [email protected] by December 1.

Stay tuned for more details on this upcoming exhibition!

Daredevil Tattoo opened in 1997, when tattooing was legalized in New York City. The shop houses the Museum of Tattoo History, which features a world-class collection of artifacts focusing on the history of tattooing in New York City.

The collection features artifacts from the early roots of modern tattooing with original artwork by Samuel O’Reilly, Bert Grimm, August “Cap” Coleman, George Burchett, Sailor Jerry and many more. Antique tattoo machines, original photos, news articles and sideshow banners are also included in the collection. The shop is located on the border of the historic Lower East Side and Chinatown, just a few blocks east of the Bowery and Chatham Square where O’Reilly, Charlie Wagner, Millie Hull, and other legendary tattoo artists plied their trade. Website: https://www.daredeviltattoo.com/

Canceled–The Gatekeeper – LIVE!

This event has been canceled and will be rescheduled in spring 2024!

Join The Gatekeeper’s finest (and only) news broadcasters as we forge the news of the future and reflect on the shortcomings of present day —  a comedy variety show with standup, sketch, characters and more!

Hosted by local broadcast legends David Colton & Mo Macsai-Goren and featuring a star-studded team of correspondents: 

Maggie Crane (Soup of the Day; Sacred Heart Middle and High School Talent Show)
Vannessa Jackson (writer for Saturday Night Live; The Late Show With Stephen Colbert)
Business Casual (Hunter Saling, Cory Lane, and Jeremy Elder)
Neel Ghosh (The Comedy Store, UCB, The Hollywood Improv, The Stand, New York Comedy Club)

**The Gatekeeper is not liable for creating/ inspiring actual or fake news events, mutinies, etc.

Canceled — Capricieux’s Adventure (Double Feature with Capricieux’s Quest)

This event will be rescheduled in spring 2024.

A double feature from filmmaker C.A. Nicola of Capricieux’s Quest followed by his newest film, Capricieux’s Adventure, which won Best Experimental Comedy in the 2023 FilmFreeway Comedy Shorts Awards (First Period).

The screening will be followed by Q&A with C.A. Nicola, actress Jane LeCroy (Capricieux’s Quest), and another participant TBA.

Film Synopses:

Capricieux’s Quest
Capricieux is summoned by the Empress Ophelia to retrieve a sacred vase stolen by the malevolent Filou.
2021
Run time: 22 minutes

Trailer: 


Capricieux’s Adventure
Capricieux faces a new adversary threatening the magical forest after defeating the malevolent Filou.
2023
Run time: 10 min

Trailer: 

Planet Over Profit Halloween Fair

Sunday, October 29, 6-10 pm
Free, but please RSVP!

The City Reliquary is proud to host a Halloween Fair organized by Planet Over Profit–the climate activist group known for protesting while wearing orca costumes–on FRIDAY OCTOBER 29 at 6 pm.

Kick off Halloweekend with a fun and spooky evening of food, drinks, games, and costumes with POP and other activist groups. This is a great opportunity to participate in community building and to meet other NYC climate activists. 

Now that Halloween is approaching, you probably fall into one of two camps: you planned your entire costume months ago, or you’ll be scouring your closet at the last minute for a make-shift “costume.” Either way, dressing up is HIGHLY encouraged and there will obviously be a competition (orca costumes disqualified!) so get creative and have fun!!

City Reliquary Member Tour: “We Tried to Warn You! Environmental Crisis Posters, 1970–2020” at Poster House


Tuesday, October 24, at 6 p.m.
Open to all City Reliquary members

City Reliquary Members are invited to a tour of We Tried to Warn You! Environmental Crisis Posters, 1970–2020 at Poster House led by exhibiton curator Tim Medland. Poster House is located at 119 W. 23rd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

Not a City Reliquary member? Join today and email [email protected] to request the tour registration link.

This show charts a global history of environmental activism through posters, ranging in style from whimsical to apocalyptic. Works on display include designs by Milton Glaser, Peter Max, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Almost all of the environmental issues showcased in these posters remain or have worsened. Nevertheless, these images have shaped public debates on environmental issues, drawing attention to distinct and particular concerns.

More details about the show may be found at https://posterhouse.org/exhibition/we-tried-to-warn-you-environmental-crisis-posters-1970-2020.

Tim Medland is an independent curator who focuses on the history of visual and material culture. He holds an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, with a concentration in socially engaged practice. His research interests include environmental activism and sustainability, and the histories of transport, propaganda, colonialism, and migration.

About Poster House

Poster House is dedicated to presenting the impact, culture, and design of posters, both as historical documents and methods of contemporary visual communication.

Through temporary exhibitions, a growing permanent collection, and educational events, Poster House explores the enormous impact of posters on society and culture, and how they have been adapted to contemporary use. As the first poster museum in the United States, Poster House provides a space for inquiry for all those interested in design, advertising, and public interventions, with an aim to improve design literacy among the general public.

Masquerade: A Comix & Animation Showcase

Saturday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. (show at 7)
$10 general admission/free for City Reliquary members

Join us for a night of original comics readings and animation from local artists. We’re kicking off spooky season, so come wearing your Halloween best!

Readings by:
Oliver Nicole
Annabelle Heckler
Samuel Edme
Graham Millar

Animation by:
Amelia Johnson
John Quinn
Emily Zullo
Shane Cagney
Cam MacConnell
Kelly Emmrich
Cecily Russo
Isa Fraga-Abaza
Kitt Matthews
Alfred Thomas
Jack Henry-Lee

Carousel: Comics Performances and Pictures Shows

Thursday, September 28, at 7:30 p.m. (show at 8)
Pre-Sale $10; Day-Of $12, Free for City Reliquary members

AN OFFICIAL 2023 BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENT

Presentations of graphic novels, gag cartoons, and comics as performed by the writers and artists, with slide projections. This program will be followed by a book signing.

FEATURING
Grayson Bear (Pokey)
Alex Krokus (Loudest and Smartest) 
Amy Kurzweil (Artificial: A Love Story)
Mattie Lubchansky (Boys Weekend)   
Kimberly Wang (Of Thunder & Lightning)
Julia Wertz (Impossible People) 

Hosted by R. Sikoryak

 ARTIST BIOS: 

Grayson Bear is an Ignatz-nominated cartoonist from a smelly fishing town on the Oregon Coast. Now they make comics in New York and their life is just like Sex and the City. They’re currently working on their first graphic novel, Superfun,to be released with Fantagraphics whenever they finally finish it. Their latest book is Business Insider, published by Frog Farm. Instagram: @grayson_bear

Alex Krokus is Loud & Smart and a big, fat collection of his comics was published by Silver Sprocket in late 2022. His first graphic novel will be released with Chronicle Books in 2025. Instagram: @alexkrokus

Amy Kurzweil is a New Yorker cartoonist and the author of Flying Couch: A Graphic Memoir and Artificial: A Love Story. She was a 2021 Berlin Prize Fellow, a 2019 Shearing Fellow, and has received fellowships from MacDowell, Djerassi, and elsewhere. She has been nominated for a Reuben Award and an Ignatz Award for “Technofeelia,” her four part series with The Believer Magazine. Her writing, comics, and cartoons have also been published in The Verge, The New York Times Book Review, Longreads, Literary Hub, WIRED and many other places. Learn more at amykurzweil.com. Instagram: @amykurzweil

Mattie Lubchansky is a cartoonist and illustrator living in beautiful Queens, New York. They are the Associate Editor and contributor to the Eisner- and Ignatz-winning publication The Nib. They are a Herblock prize finalist, author of The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook (Silver Sprocket), and a co-editor and contributor to the anthology Flash Forward (Abrams). Their debut full-length graphic novel Boys Weekend is out now from Pantheon. Instagram: @mattielubchansky

Kimberly Wang is a queer Chinese-American illustrator and cartoonist based in New York. They love genre mish-mashes, the saccharine, the edgy, and the surreal. They are the creator of the sci-fi graphic novel Of Thunder and Lightning, published in 2023 with Silver Sprocket. Instagram: @kmbrlei

Julia Wertz is a professional cartoonist, amateur historian, and part-time urban explorer. Her books include The Fart Party, Museum of Mistakes, Drinking at the Movies, The Infinite Wait and Other Stories, and Tenements, Towers, & Trash: An Unconventional, Illustrated History of New York City. She does monthly comics and doodles for The New Yorker and The New York Times. Her most recent work is Impossible People. Instagram: @juliajwertz

R. Sikoryak is a cartoonist (Constitution Illustrated, Terms and Conditions, and The Unquotable Trump) and the host of Carousel. He illustrated the comic books that appear in the new novel by Tom Hanks, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. www.rsikoryak.com Instagram: @rsikoryak