Revisiting Curt Hoppe's Downtown Portraits

James Chance by Curt Hoppe via Howl! Arts 

The work of Curt Hoppe, a longtime resident of the Bowery, is getting an encore presentation at Howl! Happening starting tonight. 

Via the EVG inbox:

Howl! Arts | Howl! Archive is pleased to present "Downtown Portraits Revisited," an exhibition featuring Curt Hoppe's large-scale realist paintings and black-and-white photographs of New York City artist friends. These were first exhibited five years ago at Howl! Happening in conjunction with Frank Bernarducci Gallery. Since then, we've experienced not only the loss of some of the artists who are subjects in his series but significant changes in our daily lives due to the pandemic. 

James Chance, the no-wave saxophonist seen above, passed away on June 18. 

The opening reception for "Downtown Portraits Revisited" is tonight (Thursday!) from 5 to 8. 

Howl! Happening is at 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. Hours: noon to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Q-and-A with Curt Hoppe: Living on the Bowery, finding inspiration and shooting Mr. Softee

Celebrating the birth of the Pyramid Club at Howl! Arts

The book "We Started a Nightclub: The Birth of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge as Told by Those Who Lived It" is due out at the end of the month. (Dazed has a feature here.) 

The Pyramid, which helped define the East Village drag and art scenes in the 1980s, held forth for several decades at 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. 

In an oral history of the space, Tricia Romano noted: "[The Pyramid] served as a safe haven for freaks, geeks, weirdos, queers, and dreamers to come together and create. Sometimes it was bad; sometimes it was beautiful. But it was never boring." 

In honor of the publication, Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive is currently showing "Pyramid Pioneers," an exhibition showcasing early Pyramid Polaroids and posters by Trey Speegle; video, graphics and memorabilia from Mark Oates; photographs by Lynn M. Grabowski (Pyramid name: Baronessa); Julie Hair and Jody Kurilla's musical memorabilia from their Pyramid series, Tuesday Night Fever; clips from the documentary "Pyramid Club — The Movie" directed by Elizabeth Bouiss; and flyers and photos featured in the book from Howl! Archives' Brian Butterick Collection. 

The exhibit debuted last Thursday (and included a sold-out party at Baker Falls, which opened last July in the former Pyramid space). 

"Pyramid Pioneers" is up through May 19. 

Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive is at 250 Bowery, 2nd Floor, near Stanton Street. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Find more book info here.

P.S. update

Thanks to Bill in the comments... I hadn't seen Alex's post yet at Flaming Pablum, which includes some Boss Hog and Cop Shot Cop clips from the Pyramid.

Scooter LaForge's T-shirt extravaganza

Image via @scooterlaforge 

A collection of T-shirts created by East Village-based artist Scooter LaForge is the subject of a new exhibit at Howl! Happening. 

The opening reception of "Tee Hee Hee" is tomorrow (Thursday!) evening at 6. The show is up through Dec. 17 at the gallery, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

And the T-shirts will be for sale. Per Howl!: "On the spot block printing and painting will replenish the stock throughout the 'Tee Hee Hee' exhibition." 

Howl! Happening is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Celebrating downtown nightlife legend Brian Butterick, aka Hattie Hathaway

Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive is celebrating the life of downtown nightlife legend Brian Butterick, aka Hattie Hathaway, in a new exhibit that opens tomorrow. 

Here's more via the EVG inbox: 

Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive is is pleased to present "Brian Butterick {Hattie Hathaway} and all they loved" — the first exhibition celebrating the life of Brian Butterick, also popularly known as Hattie Hathaway, his performance drag persona. 

Drawn from Butterick's personal archives in Howl's collection, on view will be documents, images, and writings by Brian as well as artists and performers in his orbit, including many never seen before objects. 

A publication with additional content will be published later in the year alongside a Brian Butterick/Hattie Hathaway portal on www.howlarts.org. 

The opening reception is tomorrow (Thursday) evening from 6-9 at Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive, 250 Bowery between Houston and Stanton. 

"Brian Butterick {Hattie Hathaway} and all they loved" will be on display through July 30. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Butterick died in January 2019 from lung cancer at age 62. 

Image via Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive 

'Low Fidelity' features the iconic photos from Bobby Grossman's downtown milieu

Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive on the Bowery has a new exhibit titled "Low Fidelity," a selection of Bobby Grossman's photographs of 1970s-1980s downtown icons. 

Some background via the Howl! website:

Grossman arrived in New York in 1976 after receiving a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he studied alongside friends Chris Frantz and David Byrne of Talking Heads. 

His first job was assisting Richard Bernstein, the artist responsible for the covers of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. At Bernstein’s studio in the legendary Chelsea Hotel, Grossman found himself at ground zero in the early days of punk and the downtown scene. 

Taking photographs of friends and newfound acquaintances — including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, the Ramones, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and the milieu around Andy Warhol's Factory — Grossman became a regular fixture at CBGB, the Mudd Club and other downtown haunts.

And a little trivia: His first photo credit was the cover shot for Talking Heads' 1977 single "Psycho Killer."

You can check out "Low Fidelity" through May 29 at Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive, 250 Bowery at Stanton. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission.

You can also read about the "Low Fidelity" book project here.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• A visit to Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive on the Bowery

A visit to Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive on the Bowery

Photos by Stacie Joy

In September, Howl Arts debuted a 7,000 square-foot facility at 250 Bowery. (Howl! Happening, which opened in 2015 at 6 E. First St., will remain in use as a gallery.) 

The new space goes by Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive, which "expands upon Howl! Happening's innovative exhibitions and public programs and focuses on the thriving multi-dimensional artistry and history of the East Village/Lower East Side." 

Earlier this fall, EVG contributor stopped by the space between Houston and Stanton for a look around... courtesy of Jane Friedman, Howl Art's founder and executive director ...

East Village-based artist Scooter LaForge was also on hand...

The space includes three exhibition galleries, a library as well as screening and reading rooms. It also serves as the headquarters for Howl Arts, which purchased the commercial space here in 2018.

Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can check out their website for a list of exhibitions and other info.