Through the years of the 4th Street Photo Gallery with Alex Harsley's 'Entanglements'

[Photo from 2014 by James Maher]

Alex Harsley, the proprietor of the 4th Street Photo Gallery and a neighborhood resident since 1965, is the subject of a new exhibit at the Sheen Center.

Here's more what you can expect starting tonight through Aug. 4:

"Entanglements" is an ode to a community inextricably linked. For nearly 50 years, Alex Harsley has remained fixed; bearing witness to the symbiosis of life outside his 4th Street Photo Gallery. Through his classic, award-winning photography and conceptualized mixed-media pieces, time becomes textured, non-linear as the images bob between a romanticized 1970s East Village and an aged, yet still vibrant and diverse, ecosystem of present day.

Scenes revolve around the doorway and community of The 4​th Street Photo Gallery, the non-profit started by Harsley in the 1970s as a refuge for underrepresented artists, and, as Holland Cotter wrote, “he has made the city a primary subject of his classical brand of ‘street photography.’”

And...

The experience of "Entanglements" becomes a portal to the hidden connections and patterns that exist in all of our lives. It serves not just as nostalgia in remembering the past, but also as a reminder that these stories are still alive in the people, each who passed through this one East Village block, and continue to tangle themselves in love, change and community.

"Entanglements" opens tonight (July 11) at 6 in the Gallery at the Sheen Center, 18 Bleecker St. just west of the Bowery. Harsley will also be giving a "talkback" tonight at 7:30.

Meanwhile, you can read our two-part interview with Harsley, who turns 81 this year, from 2014 right here and here. And go visit his shop at 67 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

P.S.

And even if you don't know Alex, you will recognize his Dodge GTS Dart with traveling companions...


[James Maher]

After the last call: East Village photographer captures bars at dawn

[Lucy's, Avenue A]

While out on early morning walks the last two-plus years, East Village-based photographer Daniel Root began taking pictures through the windows or doors of empty neighborhood bars at daybreak. The shots became part of an ongoing #nybarsatdawn project on Instagram. He recently wrapped up the project after shooting 974 bars and walking some 1,500 miles.

I asked Root how this all came about and the joys of walking around the city in the early morning hours.

How did this project get started? Did you take a photo of a bar at 6 a.m. and think you might be on to something?

I used to walk the dog along East River Park every morning at daybreak. After she died in August 2016, I realized I wasn’t walking as much and I need it for whatever mental health I have. I decided to walk into the city rather than long the river for a change of pace.

As I passed Vazac’s I noticed the “closed/empty bar lighting” and took that picture. That little discovery got me looking into other bars, first in the East Village, such as Niagara on the next corner, then expanding to downtown in general.


[Vazac's, 7th and B]


[Niagara, Avenue A]

What is most striking thing to you about the bars at this hour?

What first struck me about seeing familiar, public places at dawn was how different they felt/looked empty and quietly lit. Some bars had “closed lighting,” a small string of party lights in the back or under counter lighting at the bar. Some were just dark, lit by the glow of the cash register, the red light of the exit sign, or a side door left ajar with the light peaking out.

While I shot some places after sunrise the lighting was much more unusual and dramatic in the predawn lighting. The other before sunrise was best.

I started thinking of them as “bars at rest,” taking a break from a long night and getting ready for the day to come. Then it occurred to me I was anthropomorphizing bars which seemed weird, but there you have it.


[Otto's Shrunken Head, 14th Street]


[McSorley's, 7th Street]


[The Library, Avenue A]

Did you think about expanding this to the five boroughs?

I kept this project mainly downtown because I wanted the walk. Occasionally I would get on my bike if I wanted to get a particular/classic bar — for instance, Jimmy’s Corner on West 44th Street — which was outside of a comfortable walking distance to get to before dawn. I played with the idea of biking across the Williamsburg Bridge to explore that area but, once again, walking is more of the pace I enjoy in terms of looking and seeing.

How often did you encounter people still in the bar?

Many places that sell booze by the glass close well before 4 a.m. On the other hand there are many bars that stay open until the 4 a.m. closing time. Then there are the bars that pull the gate half way down and keep going. Our neighbors and EV Grieve readers can probably guess which ones are the “past 4 a.m.” bars but a couple of them surprised me. One used to be going around 6 a.m. most Tuesdays.

Then there are the porters. Some arrive right at closing time, others an hour or two later, and others midday. If I saw a porter I would always explain what I was doing because some of them thought I was shooting in some sort of an official capacity.

Any profound thoughts on NYC nightlife hit you during this bars-at-dawn tour?

I always knew I liked New York when it was relatively empty but finding that emptiness seems to be getting harder. Years ago my-then girlfriend and now wife, Rina Root, and I would walk around areas like Wall Street or Tribeca on a Sunday because it was so quiet.

Now most places are fully residential with activity all day, every day. The one time it is truly quiet, except for the occasional drunk/junkie/commercial garbage truck, is between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. I highly recommend walking at those hours — you’ll experience a very different city. The people out at that hour are mainly hard-working people at work or going to work. The drunks and junkies tend to make a lot of noise — it’s easy to just cross the street if you hear them coming. So far I have had very few ugly encounters but I am certainly aware that one has to be alert to avoid problems.

Was this an Instagram-only project, or do you have further plans for this series?

This started as a personal project that lent itself to Instagram. Then the possibility of doing something more with it came about but that didn’t come to fruition. The idea now would be to have a show in a local gallery or do a book. If anyone would like to do a book or has any ideas of where this could go please let me know.


[Tile Bar, 1st Avenue]


[Manitoba's, Avenue B]


[Sophie's, 5th Street]


[Josie's, 6th Street]


[Black & White, 10th Street]


[Big Bar, 7th Street]


[2A, Avenue A]


[Mona's, Avenue B]

'The Image Is a Seed' — Celebrating the work of Syeus Mottel on 2nd Avenue

[All photos by Walter Wlodarczyk]

Thanks to EVG friend Walter Wlodarczyk for bringing this exhibition to my attention... mh PROJECT nyc, the viewing space at 140 Second Ave., is currently presenting "Mottel_Mottel: The Image is a Seed," in which Matthew Mottel is presenting his father Syeus Mottel's entire archive of 35mm color slides — 3,000 strong shot between 1967 and 1975 — with performances by artists connected to their work.

Read more about the show here.



The elder Mottel, who died in 2014 at age 83, was a theater director and photographer, notable for his documentation of Lee Strasberg and the Actors Studio, Buckminster Fuller and CHARAS.

Per mh PROJECT nyc:

Syeus defined his photography as “diaristic”: he shot the people he encountered including John Cage, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Martin Luther King Jr., William S. Burroughs, Abbie Hoffman, Miles Davis, Patti Smith, Vito Acconci, Robert Rauschenberg and Diane Arbus.

The exhibition got underway last Thursday with a performance by composer and multi-instrumentalist David Amram ...




[Matt Mottel]

Here are the remaining performances, which take place from 8-10 p.m.:

9/19 Jeff Preiss, Filmmaker
9/20 Brian O’Mahoney Performance artist and theatre maker
9/21 Cooper-Moore, Jazz pianist, composer and instrument builder/designer
9/22 Steve Dalachinsky, Poet & Daniel Carter, Saxophone player
9/23 Lary7, Artist, filmmaker and musician & Bradley Eros
, Artist
9/26 Art Jones, Filmmaker
9/27 Will Cameron, Artist
9/28 Jean Carla Rodea, Interdisciplinary artist
9/29 Cat Tyc, Writer and artist
9/30 Gil Arno, Visual artist

The space is also open for viewing Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 6 p.m. and by appointment.

You can find mh PROJECT nyc at 140 Second Ave., between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street, No. 306.

Tuesdays at Sophie's

Kyle de Vre is never without a camera. So it made sense that de Vre, an East Village resident who has worked at Sophie's for the past four-and-a-half years, would put his camera to use while behind the bar.

During his Tuesday afternoon bartending shifts, de Vre started taking portraits of patrons seated in the comfortably worn bar on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The results can be seen in a new photo book, appropriately titled "See You Next Tuesday," which he'll release in a limited edition next Tuesday, Sept. 4, at Sophie's.

As he writes about the project on his website: "All of the subjects positively impact the neighborhood in one way, shape or form. Community is important and these are the types of people that make this neighborhood special."





I asked de Vre a few questions about the book.

What compelled you to start taking photos of patrons from behind the bar?

I had brought my camera to Sophie's a few times over the first two-to-three years that I worked there. I mostly took street photography as well as photos when I travelled. I got a new camera early last year, which was great for taking portraits — something I had never really done before.

So I started taking it into the bar every Tuesday because I knew I would have subjects to shoot. There was just enough light in the bar that I could [take photos] without a tripod or flash on Tuesday afternoons.

At what point did the idea for a book come about?

A friend was on the phone and I just started taking photos of him from behind the bar. Although the images weren't the greatest, the idea and framing were there.

So the next week, [my friend] Kayla came into the bar to chat with someone. I asked her if I could take her photo from behind the bar — more so along the lines of a traditional portrait. I shot four images of her while she drank her gin and tonic. When I saw the photos, it just kind of clicked in my head — why not start taking photos of everyone I know who visits me on Tuesdays.

What is your favorite thing about - or any day — at Sophie's?

The Tuesday day shift was just my first shift at Sophie's. Every day at Sophie's is pretty much any old day at Sophie's — and that's why I like it.







The "See You Next Tuesday" book launch is Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. at Sophie's, 507 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. All photos by Kyle de Vre. Posted with permission.

Spend the day looking at more photos from East Village artist Carole Teller

[Undated photo outside Gem Spa on St. Mark's at 2nd Avenue]

The folks at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) have uploaded another batch of photos from the personal collection of East Village artist Carole Teller.

In this archive, you'll discover photos like this from the early 1960s showing the north side of First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, including (L-R) 40-56 E. First St. (For a reference point, Prune is at 54 E. First St. today.)



You can find "Carole Teller’s Changing New York, 1960s-1990s" featuring shots of the East Village, Lower East Side and some other areas right here.

And here's one more photo from this series... a look at the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place circa 1991...



This assemblage will be demolished in the months ahead for a boutique office building.

You can access the previous Teller sets here ... here... and here... and shots from when "The Godfather Part II" filmed on Sixth Street here.

All photos by Carole Teller via the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

Meryl Meisler's Lower East Side of the 1970s and 1980s

[On the Bowery in 1977]

NYC-based photographer Meryl Meisler's work will be on display starting tomorrow in an exhibit coinciding with Lower East Side History Month.

"LES YES!" showcases some of Meisler's photography taken on the Lower East Side during the 1970s and 1980s.

The opening reception is tomorrow night from 6-9 at the Storefront Project, 70 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand. The exhibit is up through June 3. Find more details here.

Meisler was born in the South Bronx and raised in North Massapequa, Long Island. After college in Wisconsin, she returned to NYC in 1975. Here's part of a recent feature on Meisler in the Times:

"I felt like I belonged," she said. "I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, even though I had a teaching degree. Maybe because the city itself was out of joint. I had just come out as a lesbian, but I felt like I belonged here. I felt safe.”

She eventually spent 31 years as a NYC public school art teacher.

Here's a sampling of the LES photos that will be on display...




[On East Houston]


[At the Henry Street Settlement]


[At Famous Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse]

In a recent interview with Bedford + Bowery, she said that she still sees some of the old LES here despite all the changes. "It’s busy and alive and yet, there are still people on the street that are true New Yorkers. New York is always changing, but I still see the essence of it there."

All photos by Meryl Meisler ... and courtesy of The Storefront Project & Stephen Kasher Gallery. Reprinted with permission.

12th and Broadway, Thursday

In the air and on the ground... thanks to Dan Efram for letting me repost the photos...

Inflight entertainment

Photo on Seventh Street and Avenue A by Colin Clark via Instagram...

A former intern revisits the summer of 1977 on 7th Street

In 1977, Bob Stewart arrived here from Alabama to spend the summer interning for the New York Metropolitan Baptist Association. He spent most of his time that summer on a two-block stretch of Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue D. He lived on Seventh and B.

He also had an Olympus SLR, and he took photos during his internship. A selection of these shots will be on display starting Sunday at the Graffiti Church on Seventh Street. The exhibit, titled "40 Years Ago," includes 20 framed photographs and a video slide show.

Stewart later returned to Seventh Street and Avenue B, where he resided from March 1978 to the spring of 1980.

Stewart, who today is the director of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, came back for a visit shortly after his granddaughter was born in 2015.

"That’s what prompted me to pull out the negatives and color slides," he told me in an email. "I realized it’d be 40 years in 2017, so I started working on the project."

The following is an excerpt about the exhibit that he shared...

"I was in college in Birmingham when I was offered the chance to go to New York City for the summer," said Stewart. He jumped at the opportunity, spending 10 weeks on East Seventh Street working alongside several other summer interns.

"Mostly, we did puppet shows and sang songs in one of the small parks between Avenues C and D," Stewart said. "We also took kids on a subway ride to one of the beaches, as well as to a Yankees game."

Stewart used his Olympus SLR to photograph neighborhood kids, as well as his fellow summer interns, who, like Stewart, came from outside the city.

"We were mostly suburban college students, mostly from the South, so entirely unfamiliar with life in the East Village," Stewart said.

One of the young interns Stewart met in 1977 was Taylor Field, a Princeton Seminary student assigned to work in Harlem. Field now serves as pastor of Graffiti Church, which will host the exhibit.

"I remember the heartache, the trashcan fires, and the friendliness of the neighborhood," Taylor said.

Amidst their daily activities, Stewart and his fellow college-age interns — like other residents of the city that summer — had to cope with extraordinary events like the citywide blackout that left entire neighborhoods looted, as well as the threat of serial killer Son of Sam.

"Looking back on that summer, I realize now that we lived through a difficult time in the life of New York City," Stewart said. He recalled seeing a guy get stabbed just down from St. Brigid's School, across the street from Stewart's East Seventh Street apartment.

But most of the weeks were filled with the ordinary, steamy days of a hot New York summer, working with about two dozen "regulars," Stewart said. As the kids got to know Stewart and the other summer interns, they became more trusting of each other.

"Whereas we probably saw each other as very different when we first moved into the neighborhood, by mid-summer we felt at home walking down the street," Stewart said.

Stewart's memories were reignited in 2015 when walking his newborn granddaughter around the neighborhood.

"I recalled having a notebook full of black and white negatives, as well as several small boxes with color slides," all taken during the 1977 summer. Stewart bought a flatbed scanner and started working his way through the acetate sleeves of negatives.

The "40 Years Ago" exhibit opens at 5 p.m. on Sunday at the Graffiti Church, 205 E. Seventh St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

The exhibit is up through Nov. 30. After Sunday's opening, the gallery hours are:

Sundays: 10 a.m. to noon, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Wednesdays: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Thursdays: 9 to 11 a.m.

Free photos on the street

[Photo outside Grand Central Terminal]

I've posted some photos by Roy Lee in the past. Like here.

Starting today, Lee, a former East Village resident, is leaving his photos around a few locations in the city free for the taking.

Here's the background:

I've made prints of some of my NYC street photos from the past few years, and I plan to share them by hanging these prints in the exact spot where i took them. (or as close as i can get.) These prints can be yours by going there and taking it. The prints are 12x18...

Lee will be leaving a handful of photos around the East Village, such as these locations...





Anyway, in case you see a photo sealed in plastic hanging around.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Found photos in the East Village from the early 1990s

The photography of Ryan John Lee at 9th Street Espresso (on 10th Street)

East Village-based photographer Ryan John Lee has a selection of his work on display at 9th Street Espresso (the location on 10th Street near Avenue B)... you can read more about this exhibit, which is up through Sept. 22, here.

He has shared his work with EVG in the past, such as here and here.

On the street

EVG Facebook friend Roy Lee, a former East Village resident, was back in the neighborhood earlier this month... he shared a few photos that he took...

















Previously on EV Grieve:
Found photos in the East Village from the early 1990s