An artist talk and celebration of iconic storefronts at the Tompkins Square Library branch

Early Thursday evening, local illustrator Lily Annabelle will discuss her current exhibit — "Goodbye to the Brick and Mortar" —  at the Tompkins Square Library branch.

Here's more about the artist talk, co-moderated by reps from Village Preservation and the East Village Community Coalition:

Lily's work is a celebration of the life and memories of neighborhood establishments and pays homage to the humans who have made a mark on the community. Enjoy a moderated discussion with Lily, as well as panelists from storefronts depicted in the exhibit: Ess a Bagel, Kim’s Video and Music and 2nd Ave Deli.

Time: 5-6:45 p.m. this Thursday at the branch, 331 E. 10th St., between Avenue A and Avenue B. You can RSVP for a spot here.

Annabelle's work, featuring an array of dearly departed storefronts, will be featured here through March 29.

'Goodbye to the Brick and Mortar' at the Tompkins Square Library

The Tompkins Square Library branch currently features local illustrator Lily Annabelle's work in an exhibit titled "Goodbye to the Brick and Mortar," featuring an array of dearly departed storefronts. 

Here's more: 

When storefronts have become an integral part of a community’s identity, it is a curious journey exploring the dynamics between the way they were built to look and the way the community saw them, the way the owners wanted them to look, and the way they stay in our memories after their departure. 

Lily's "Goodbye to the Brick and Mortar" series is a celebration of the life and memories these neighborhood establishments generously gifted us. In illustrating memorabilia from different eras and piecing them back together, Lily skillfully tells a story that defies time, lets the old meet the new, and pays homage to the humans who have made a mark on the community. 

Featured storefronts include Odessa, CBGB, Mars Bar, and DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe. 

Annabelle's work will be featured through March 29. (She had a similar exhibit at the Hudson Park Library last year.) 

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. 

The library is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Another conversation on music and music writing at the Tompkins Square Library branch

Photos and text by Daniel Efram

Photo: Jesse Rifkin (left) and Jack Rabid 

The Tompkins Square Library continued its monthly, year-long celebration of East Village/Lower East Side music, performance, and writing with a conversation between author Jesse Rifkin ("This Must Be the Place: Music, Community, and Vanished Spaces in New York City") and music impresario Jack Rabid on Thursday night. 

Rifkin's new book is a revelation. It discusses music venues that had a significant impact and delves into those that genuinely fostered a community. The book explores some of the economic conditions that made these scenes possible. 

"This Must Be The Place" is a must-read for any NYC music aficionado looking to delve deeper into the circumstances behind the mythology. Rifkin, a music historian, established his credentials by operating Walk on the Wild Side Tours NYC, which he described as "walking tours for music nerds" in 2017. During the pandemic, Rifkin unexpectedly received a call from a book publisher who suggested that he author a book based on his popular tours. 

In 1980, Jack Rabid started publishing The Big Takeover, a music magazine filling a void in the scene for independent music coverage. Along with his music journalism, he has DJ'd hundreds of punk and indie rock gigs in Manhattan since 1979. 

Rabid's punk-rock teendom led to memorable interactions at The Mudd Club, CBGB and Max's Kansas City, among others. Some of his most notable stories include having Iggy Pop ride on his back at a show, witnessing the Bad Brains record their first album at the legendary 171A studio on Avenue A, and gaining various insights into the formation of The Beastie Boys. 

The East Village in Music & Words continues on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. with a conversation between Rifkin and East Village singer-songwriter Roger Manning. RSVP here.

The library is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Surf's up for Snoopy at the Tompkins Square Library

In recent weeks, East Village-based artist Nina Bovasso has had a wall-length work titled "snoopies in the surf" on display on the second floor of the Tompkins Square Library. 

So why does she draw Snoopy? 

Perhaps reading in the news about Snuppy the Puppy, the first cloned dog, was an idea that offered numerous visual possibilities. Or that my first-ever opportunity to use my purchasing power was when Grandma Bovasso gave me $20 for my birthday, and I brought a large stuffed Snoopy plush doll. 

Today (Saturday!) is the last day for the exhibit ... and you can hear more from Bovasso this afternoon at 2 by the painting. The branch is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Image via the NYPL

'The East Village in Music and Words' series continues at the Tompkins Square Library

Last month, the Tompkins Square Library debuted a new monthly author series titled "The East Village in Music and Words" with Lenny Kaye. 

Early tomorrow evening (Oct. 26), the series continues with author Jesse Rifkin ("This Must Be the Place") interviewing avant-jazz pianist and composer Matthew Shipp. 

The event is from 5:30-7 p.m. You can register for the free talk here. 

The branch is at 331 E. 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B

The Tompkins Square Library branch reopens TODAY; a conversation with Lenny Kaye on deck

The Tompkins Square Library branch returns to service today (Monday, Aug. 28) at 331 E 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...

The branch has been closed since April 24 to — per NYPL officials — "facilitate improvements to the building, including preliminary work on a new Teen Center at the library, as well as replacing the branch's flooring and a fresh coat of paint." 

There was originally an early July reopening that got pushed back. 

Check out the branch's website for a list of upcoming activities for kids and adults. Of note on the evening of Sept. 28: "The East Village in Music and Words: A Conversation with Lenny Kaye." 

Details:

The Tompkins Square Library celebrates its grand reopening with this very special program, the first in a year-long series of programs focusing on the history of East Village music and music writing. We are thrilled and honored to kick off this series with the fabulous Lenny Kaye ... an American guitarist, composer, journalist, record producer, author, and music historian/archivist. 

He was a founding member of the legendary NYC-based Patti Smith Group and also gained widespread notoriety for producing the 60s garage rock compilation,Nuggets. Lenny will discuss his book, "Lightning Striking," as well as his extensive and influential career in music. He may even perform a song or two!

There is limited seating for this. RSVP now. 

The library first opened its doors in 1904 at this location ...

The Tompkins Square Library branch now has a late August reopening date

Photos by Steven 

Renovations at the Tompkins Square Library are taking longer than expected, and the branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B will now be closed until the end of the month...

The library has been closed since April 24. They were initially expected to return in early July. 

As previously reported, the closure will "facilitate improvements to the building, including preliminary work on a new Teen Center at the library, as well as replacing the branch's flooring and a fresh coat of paint."

 Patrons can still visit these nearby branches: 

• Ottendorfer Library, 135 Second Ave. 

• Hamilton Fish Park Library, 415 E. Houston St. 

• Jefferson Market Library, 425 Sixth Ave. 

Reminders: Tompkins Square Library branch now closed for renovations

Photos by Steven

The Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is now closed (as of yesterday) for renovations. (First mentioned here.)

According to an email to patrons, the closure, expected to last three months, will "facilitate improvements to the building, including preliminary work on a new Teen Center at the library, as well as replacing the branch's flooring and a fresh coat of paint." 

During this temporary closure, patrons are encouraged to use the following nearby branches: 

• Ottendorfer Library, 135 Second Ave. 

• Hamilton Fish Park Library, 415 E. Houston St. 

• Jefferson Market Library, 425 Sixth Ave. 

The branch opened here in 1904 and is expected to be back in service in early July.

Renovations will close the Tompkins Square Library branch for 3 months

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Beginning on April 24, the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B will close for renovations. 

According to an email to patrons, the closure, expected to last three months, will "facilitate improvements to the building, including preliminary work on a new Teen Center at the library, as well as replacing the branch's flooring and a fresh coat of paint." 

During this temporary closure, patrons are encouraged to use the following nearby branches: 

• Ottendorfer Library, 135 Second Ave. 

• Hamilton Fish Park Library, 415 E. Houston St. 

• Jefferson Market Library, 425 Sixth Ave. 

Also!: "All items on hold after April 24 may be picked up at Ottendorfer Library. Future holds can be sent to an alternative location selected by patrons using their account at The New York Public Library website."

... and thanks to all the readers who shared this news!

Details on the 6th annual East Village Arts Festival at the Tompkins Square Library branch

The sixth annual East Village Arts Festival is taking place this Saturday (Dec. 10) at the Tompkins Square Library branch. 

This year's theme is "All About the Neighborhood," and features an array of local artists, musicians and writers. You can head to the library's website here for a full list of participants. 

The free in-person events, including readings and musical performances, take place from 3-7 p.m. 

The library is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

A plant exchange at the Tompkins Square Library branch this Tuesday

On Tuesday evening, the Tompkins Square Library branch is hosting a plant exchange.

Per the invite: 

Meet your neighbors while exchanging cuttings, seedlings and plant care tips! Bringing plants to the exchange is encouraged, but not required.

The exchange starts at 5:30 p.m. at the branch, 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Longtime East Village artists bring 'Double Trouble' to the Tompkins Square Library branch

Starting tomorrow, you can check out the unique work of longtime East Village artists Ruth and Valery Oisteanu at the Tompkins Square Library branch. 

The exhibit is titled "Double Trouble: Ruth and Valery Oisteanu Illuminated Landscapes Lighter Than Air." Read more about the show, on display through May 31, right here. The opening reception is tomorrow (March 16) at 5 p.m. 

The couple has been married for nearly 50 years, living in the same East East Village apartment for almost that long. (Read more about them in this amNY feature from 2019.)

The Tompkins Square Library branch is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and B.

Images via the NYPL

Tompkins Square Library to screen doc on East Village artist Jeffrey Cyphers Wright on Saturday

On Saturday afternoon, the Tompkins Square Library branch is hosting an in-person screening of "Cuckoo O'Clock," a 30-minute documentary about EV artist Jeffrey Cyphers Wright "and the creative community he is part of." 

Per the NYPL description:

From Allen Ginsberg to John Sex. From Cover Mag to Live Mag! From the gardens to the poetry bars. From La Mama to Howl! Romance, lyricism, grafitti, tall tales… please join us for this intimate, informative, and amusing portrait of a quintessential East Village resident. 

Filmmaker Luigi Cazzaniga rejoins Wright (Cazzaniga was Cover Mag's art director and fashion editor and photographer) to create a humorous and historic portrayal. Fast paced and cram-packed with EV lore, this is haute entertainment dressed up in rowdy downtown style.

A panel discussion will follow the film, which starts at 3 p.m. at the branch, 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The screening is free, though the NYPL suggests that you register online ahead of time here.

In an email about the documentary, the library says this is "the first in a series of films highlighting East Village artists and writers." 

 

Image via the NYPL

If you are heading to the Tompkins Square Library branch

Several readers have noted that the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B has been closed since Friday...

The NYPL previously noted that staffing shortages have impacted some locations. (They also paused in-person programming until Jan. 31.) The Tompkins branch will be open today (Monday, Jan. 24) with the reduced hours of 1-5 p.m. 

You may want to check online before visiting this or any NYPL outpost. The Ottendorfer branch on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street is open during its usual hours. 

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the photos!

Corinne Neary checks out of the Tompkins Square Library branch

Photo by Stacie Joy

After five-plus years as the manager of the Tompkins Square Library branch, Corinne Neary is moving on this holiday season.

Neary is heading to the Jefferson Market branch on Sixth Avenue when it reopens later this winter. (She worked there as a trainee and senior librarian before coming to Tompkins Square in November 2016.)

Patrons of this branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B have said that they appreciated Neary's attention to the neighborhood's history ... especially its writers and artists — past and present — with events such as the East Village Arts Festival and various walking tours. Her programing was also top-notch... and she has excellent taste in classic films (a Myrna Loy triple feature!).

We talked with her during the EVG podcasting days for a session in early 2019. Find that conversation here.

A 15-year NYPL veteran, Will Hall, takes over for Neary at Tompkins Square.

Welcome, Will, and thank you, Corinne... 

An art fair at the Tompkins Square Library branch

That's a wrap on the fifth annual East Village Arts Festival at the Tompkins Square Library, a four-day event at the branch on 10th Street.

On Thursday afternoon, a group of local writers and artists were on hand with their work. EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for a visit with ...

... Eve Packer and Ron Kolm... 

... Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges... 

... Greg Masters...

... J. Scott Orr of B Scene Zine... 

 ... Ruth Oisteanu...

... Frank New...

...Delia Anne Parker...

... Carpo...

... Delphine le Goff...

... Sara Ann Rutherford...

Happy birthday to the Tompkins Square Library branch!

The Tompkins Square Library branch — one of our favorite places in the neighborhood — celebrated its 117th birthday yesterday (Dec. 1) at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The library's Instagram account shared the top photo yesterday... showing an early look at the crowds gathered after the 1904 opening. 

Here's another early look at the building... 

Daytonian in Manhattan has an excellent history of the branch from earlier this year:

The library was instantly popular among the locals. Before the doors opened in the mornings lines would form down the block. Finding a chair in the reading rooms was often no easy task, and children and adults alike competed for popular books to read at home.

On October 21, 1911, for instance, The Sun noted, "In the Tompkins Square branch of the public library...there are twenty-five copies each of 'Oliver Twist' and 'David Copperfield' on the shelves. No, not on the shelves. For even with these twenty-five copies apiece it is almost impossible to keep one on hand."

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as an individual landmark on May 18, 1999. 

Meanwhile, the fifth annual East Village Arts Festival is taking place at the branch through Saturday. Find programming details here. And find more of the library's offerings at this link. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

A visit to the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street

Details on the 5th annual East Village Arts Festival at the Tompkins Square Library branch

This week, the fifth annual East Village Arts Festival returns to the Tompkins Square Library branch with a handful of free in-person programs starting tomorrow afternoon. 

Highlights include (via the EVG inbox)

• Wednesday, Dec. 1, 3–5 p.m.

Join us in our main reading room as the Rocco John Quartet plays adventurous jazz standards

• Thursday, Dec. 2, 2–7 p.m.

East Village Arts Festival Bonanza!  

We are happy to have local writers and artists showing their work in our library. Featuring B Scene Zine, Carpo, Delphine Le Goff, Eve Packer, Frank New, Greg Masters, Kat Georges and Peter Carlaftes, Ron Kolm, Ruth and Valery Oisteanu, and Sara Ann Rutherford. 

• Saturday, Dec. 4, 3:30–5 p.m. 

Clayton: Godfather of Lower East Side Documentary: A Graphic Novel.  

For the first time, photographer and videographer Clayton Patterson ... is the subject of a biographical graphic novel anthology. Patterson will discuss the graphic novel with author Julian Voloj.

Visit this link for all the programs. 

The library is at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Tompkins Square Library hosting mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic this week

This week, the Tompkins Square Library hosts a mobile vaccination clinic outside the branch at 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The City's Test + Trace Corps will be here today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

According to the flyer, anyone age 18 and over is eligible. No appointments are necessary. And a form of ID is required.

Data from the NYC Department of Health shows that 65 percent of adult residents in all five boroughs have been fully vaccinated.

Here's a look at zip codes in this area for adults age 18 and older via the DOH's map of vaccinations...

10009 

Partially vaccinated: 76.04 percent 

Fully vaccinated: 71.72 percent 

10003 

Partially vaccinated: 74.58 percent 

Fully vaccinated: 70.3 percent 

10002 

Partially vaccinated: 86.01 percent 

Fully vaccinated: 80.56 percent

In other developments... with the delta variant driving up infection rates, Mayor de Blasio called on private employers to consider mandating employees get vaccinated.

As The Hill reported:

"I'm calling upon all New York City employers, including our private hospitals, to move immediately to some form of mandate," the mayor said Friday while appearing on "The Brian Lehrer Show." "Whatever the maximum you feel you can do."

The Democratic mayor said the vaccination system that was in place for over half a year has been effective enough to restore some sense of normalcy, but that New York City has "reached the limits of a purely voluntary system." Mandates, he argued, are the next step.

It was reported last week that just 43 percent of the NYPD's workforce has been vaccinated against COVID-19. (The FDNY said that about 55 percent of its employees have been vaccinated.) An NYPD spokesperson told the Post that the department is working to educate workers and combat misinformation about the vaccine.

Meanwhile, with the increase in positive COVID-19 cases among the unvaccinated population, some elected officials, like City Council member Mark Levine, are making a case for the return of indoor mask requirements — even for the fully vaccinated. 

Updated noon: 

• NYC Will Require Vaccination Or Weekly Testing For All City Workers (Gothamist)

A Penny Arcade 'History' lesson this Saturday via the Tompkins Square Library branch

Get ready for a career-spanning virtual session with Penny Arcade this Saturday afternoon via the Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street:

Per the Library:

We are very excited to host a performance of Penny Arcade, New York's undisputed queen of the underground, and the grande dame of downtown performance art. 

This bespoke segment created specifically for the Tompkins Square library will focus on a survey of Penny's 50-plus year residency in the East Village and her larger-than-life mentors.

The session, titled "My Life As History," is from 3-4 p.m. this Saturday. You can register here to receive the online meeting link (Zoom).

The performance is designed and directed by Steve Zehentner and Arcade, and co-hosted by the Hudson Park Library.