RIP Agosto Machado

Photo from Tompkins Square Park in 2018 by Stacie Joy 

East Village-based artist and activist Agosto Machado, a longtime figure in the Downtown art scene, died Saturday following a brief illness. His age was not disclosed. As ARTnews reported: "Speaking of his decision never to publicly share his birth year last year, Machado said, 'A lady never tells.'" 

Machado was known for his shrine-like sculptures honoring friends, collaborators and members of the queer community — many of whom were lost during the AIDS crisis — helping preserve stories and histories often left undocumented. 

An active participant in the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the Gay Liberation Movement, Machado described himself as a "pre-Stonewall street queen" and remained closely tied to the city's creative and activist communities for decades. 

There are many tributes to Machado on Instagram, including...

 

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Machado has a piece in the Whitney Biennial 2026, up through Aug. 23.

RIP Fred Smith

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Fred Smith, bassist for Television, died on Thursday from an unspecified illness. He was 77. 

Although Television's records never sold in large numbers, the band is widely considered one of the most influential groups to emerge from the mid-1970s New York punk and new wave explosion centered around CBGB, alongside Talking Heads, Blondie and the Ramones. 

Smith joined in 1975, replacing Richard Hell during the band's most defining period. He had started out playing with Angel and the Snake, the early group that evolved into Blondie. 

After Television broke up in 1978, Smith remained active in New York music, playing on solo albums by bandmates Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and working with The Roches, Willie Nile, Peregrins and The Revelons. He later toured with The Fleshtones.

 

His bass lines helped anchor one of the bands that defined a generation of downtown sound — music that still echoes far beyond the neighborhood where it began.

Among the tributes...

 

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RIP Philip Van Aver

Photo for EVG from May 2015 by James Maher 

Philip Van Aver, a local artist, activist, and familiar presence in the neighborhood for more than half a century, died on Jan. 23. He was 86. 

Van Aver began his career in the early 1960s as part of San Francisco's artistic and literary scene, holding his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles in 1962. For more than six decades, he worked almost exclusively in his signature small-format gouache and ink paintings on paper, creating densely layered images that fused classical references, decorative motifs and personal obsessions. 

A longtime resident of the Lower East Side, Van Aver lived in the same apartment here since 1969 and became deeply embedded in neighborhood life. He chronicled the East Village through decades of change, often sketching in and around Tompkins Square Park, where generations of neighbors came to know him.

His work blends art history, vernacular culture, and queer New York imagery, often placing figures drawn from vintage ads and ephemera in dreamlike scenes where beauty and decay coexist. 

 

That vision earned a place in the collections of MoMA, the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and others. As an illustrator, his work appeared in New York magazine, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and The New York Times 

 

Beyond his art, Van Aver was committed to Lower East Side organizing. He worked with Community Board 3 and the Landmarks Commission, supported CHARAS and other local groups, and remained active with the Coalition for a District Alternative (CoDA) and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative. 

Friends describe him as both a meticulous artist and a devoted witness to the neighborhood's cultural history. 

"He was a fine artist, activist and a fixture of Tompkins Square Park chronicling the East Village for over 50 years," a neighbor told us. "We will miss him dearly." 

In May 2015, Van Aver shared his life story for this EVG post.

Remembering Mac McGill

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A memorial celebration for Mac McGill, a longtime East Village artist, activist and homesteader, will take place tomorrow (Jan. 31) from 1–4 p.m. at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery (Second Avenue and 10th Street). 

McGill, a native New Yorker who passed away last fall, was a familiar presence in the neighborhood for decades through his creative work and long-running advocacy around housing and environmental issues.

Remembering longtime East Village resident Mary Buchen

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Mary Buchen, a 45-year East Village resident, artist, horticulturist and world traveler, died on Jan. 9. She was 77.

Known as the "Queen of the Horts," Buchen was a co-designer of the iconic "hands" fence at the 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden and a beloved friend and neighbor. 

We spoke with her husband of 54 years, Bill Buchen, who shared the following remembrance: 

Before her passing, Mary was surrounded at home by loving friends and left this world in a respectful, caring, holistic and peaceful environment. She was deeply moved by the outpouring of support and knew how loved she was. 

Mary was a uniquely kind and caring person who loved her friends, her dog and, most of all, gardening. She was a wonderful co-partner in Sonic Architecture, working in 74 locations around the world, including helping design the world's first sound parks and sound playgrounds. 

In addition, she explored the globe on more than 50 trips, traveling to India 20 times, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia and Thailand, doing things most people wouldn't dare to do and only dream of. Hiking at 15,500 in Nepal in tennis shoes and blue jeans? Tubing in Laos among water buffalo, reptiles and snakes? Traveling through Brazil, Bolivia and Peru on $1.50 a day on the worst busses possible? Check! 

She lived a vibrant full life of risk and adventure with no regrets. Gardening was her lifeforce and passion. She was a Sufi, in love with the wonder of plants and flowers.

A temporary memorial has been set up on the stage at the 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden, where neighbors may sign a book and leave flowers or notes. A larger day of remembrance is planned for later this summer.

The neighborhood feels a little less bright without Mary.

Stella Soltowska, a fixture at Ray’s Candy Store since 1977, has died

Reporting by Stacie Joy

Photos from 2024 by Stacie Joy

Stella Soltowska, a regular presence at Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A for nearly 50 years, passed away over the holidays. She was 80. 

Sources say she suffered a heart attack at her home in Queens. 

Stella, a longtime friend of owner Ray Alvarez, had been with Ray's Candy Store since 1977.

This afternoon, the 24/7 Ray's was closed during what was traditionally Stella's shift. Updated: For the foreseeable future, the hours at Ray's will be 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.

We're told that Ray is in shock over Stella's passing. 

She will be missed by generations of East Village residents, past and present, and by all those who made Ray's a neighborhood favorite over the years.

On a personal note, I will miss Stella's sweet yet steely disposition — and the way she always tried to ply me with a soft serve or an egg cream. I'll miss how she took care of Ray, making sure his meds were in order and that he ate his dinner.

It's heartbreaking to know I won't see her on my endless trips by Ray's — waving through the to-go window or smiling from behind the counter, always with style and panache, her signature blue rinse and sweater sets firmly in place.

We'll share more information as it becomes available.

Photo of Ray and Stella in 1975 via Peter Brownscombe

RIP Stanislawa 'Anna' Sulkowska

We were very sorry to hear about the passing of Stanislawa "Anna" Sulkowska on Dec. 14 — one month from her 101st birthday. 

Anna was born in Branica, Poland, and lived there throughout World War 2. She arrived in the United States in the early 1970s and became a fixture in the East Village restaurant/bar scene, dating to 1977. 

She owned The Baltyk, a Polish restaurant on the corner of First Avenue and First Street. She also owned Downtown Beirut on First Avenue. Her final venture, Oasis Lounge, was located on St. Mark's Place just off Avenue A and closed in 1997.

From her obituary: 

These businesses were built and run by Stanislawa while she was well into her 50s, 60s, 70s — a reflection of her tireless work ethic and unwavering belief in herself. Her businesses were a big part of her identity. 

More importantly, she was a devoted mother and grandmother, and nothing brought her greater joy than her family. She is survived by her daughters, Bozena and Barbara; her grandchildren, John, Robert, Diana, Kim, and Daniel; and her beloved four-year-old great-granddaughter, Kaylee, who brought her endless happiness. 

Stanislawa will be remembered for her strength and determination, and for the simple truth she shared so often with our family: "life is beautiful." 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A longtime East Village bar and restaurant owner turns 100

Remembering Yuji Umeki, owner of Search & Destroy and Kenka on St. Mark's Place

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

We were sorry to learn of the passing of Yuji Umeki, who for years anchored 25 St. Mark's Place with Search & Destroy and Kenka. He died unexpectedly earlier this month. 

There is a notice about his death on the front door of Kenka, the popular Izakaya-style restaurant on the lower level here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

Kenka, which has served unconventional fare such as bull penis for 20+ years, was closed this past week, with signs stating it will reopen today.

Upstairs at Search & Destroy, the punk-vintage emporium that opened in 1992...

... staff didn't offer any details about the owner's passing. When asked if the store would remain open, an employee said, "We have to keep going." 

Instagram tributes describe him as "vibrant" and "a true punk rocker." He will be missed.

 

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