The 12th annual MoRUS Film Festival coming to a community garden near you

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) on Avenue C is once again hosting its end-of-summer tradition — its annual film fest, a four-evening event at different community gardens in the neighborhood. 

The festival, titled "Every Little Thing Adds Up," highlights "urban grassroots environmental activism — revealing how community organizing, direct action and education have led to a more sustainable city and helped to combat climate change." 

The films begin tomorrow evening at La Plaza Cultural on the SW corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C. 

In addition, on Saturday afternoon, the annual NYC Anarchist Book Fair will take place at La Plaza Cultural. That evening, MoRUS is collaborating on the Emma Goldman Film Festival, which is set for Tompkins Square Park. 

You can find more details on the festival and the featured films right here. Advance tix are available at Eventbrite. You can also buy tickets on the evenings of the screenings in the garden venues. (There isn't any admission for the films in Tompkins.)

Details on the 11th annual MoRUS Film Festival, taking place in community gardens near you

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) on Avenue C is once again hosting its end-of-summer tradition — its annual film fest, a four-evening event that will provide perspectives on urban housing solutions.

The the Brick by Brick Film Fest starts on Thursday evening at the Green Oasis Community Garden on Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

In addition, on Saturday afternoon, the annual NYC Anarchist Book Fair takes place at La Plaza Cultural, the community garden on the SW corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C. That evening, MoRUS is collaborating on the Emma Goldman Film Festival set for Tompkins Square Park.

You can find more details on the festival and the featured films right here. Advance tix are available at Eventbrite. You can also buy tickets on the evenings of the screenings in the garden venues.

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space turns 10

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) is marking its 10th anniversary over the next few days.

Via the EVG inbox...

To celebrate this landmark year, MoRUS, along with partners The Anarchist Book Fair, The Emma Goldman Film Festival, Green Oasis Community Garden/Gilbert’s Garden, La Plaza Cultural Community Garden, Nublu, and Time's Up, is set to present a four-day slate of events revisiting some of the museum's most gripping films, in-demand workshops, beloved walking tours and dynamic speakers.

There are a lot of events. You can find more info at this link. 

Originally slated to open in mid-November 2012, MoRUS was forced to push back its grand opening date by a month due to flood damage from Hurricane Sandy. In the days following the storm, MoRUS created a cell phone charging station for the community using a bike generator lent to the museum by Time's Up!

MoRUS, which chronicles the East Village community's history of grassroots action and activism, is located at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street. 

Last 2 days for the 'Rotten to the Apple' NYC punk photo show at C-Squat

Photos by Stacie Joy

There are two days left to check out "Rotten to the Apple" an NYC punk photo show featuring the work of 30-plus photographers at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space/C-Squat on Avenue C. (Previously.)

The show ends tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy recently stopped by the space...

... lots of great work here, including EVG friend Walter Wlodarczyk...

You can access the free show, curated by Destiny Mata and David Siffert, via MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street. 

Today's hours: 1-6 p.m. ... and tomorrow noon to 4 p.m.

New at MoRUS: 'Fighting Words: Political Pictures (New Voices in Comix)'

Here's info about a new group show that opens this afternoon at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS). 

Details via the EVG inbox... 

MoRUS celebrates the subversive power of comics with a group show of works by artists who participated in ABC No Rio’s Comix as Political Expression course at the museum. "Fighting Words: Political Pictures (New Voices in Comix)" will open on Saturday, March 19 with a reception beginning at 4 pm. The show will be available for viewing through Sunday, April 3 on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m., or by appointment. 

Participating artists are Yasmeen Abdallah, Mark He, Annabelle Heckler, Vanessa Glynn, Sam Johnston, Ariel Kleinberg, Adi Talwar, Seth Tobocman and Tamara Wyndham. 

Varying in focus and medium, the works were created during the ABC No Rio course led by Tobocman at MoRUS in the fall of 2021. The exhibited works grapple with and uplift contemporary social and political struggles from the climate crisis, police brutality and worker organizing to emotional and physical health and social isolation. 

MoRUS is located at 155 Avenue C between 9th Street and 10th Street.

Poster by Mark He

Doug E. Fresh highlights Day 2 of the F*ck Cancer! Benefit for Kid Lucky on Avenue C

Today is Day 2 of the F*ck Cancer! Benefit for Kid Lucky at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space/C-Squat

Per the Facebook invite:

An originator of the art of beatrhyming, musician and activist Kid Lucky will be supported by a community of musicians and deejays in his fight against cancer in a full slate of musical performances September 29 and 30. Suggested donation $20 per person.

The photo above has a list of today's performances, including Human Beat Box Doug E. Fresh, expected on around 7:15 tonight.

The benefit is at MoRUS/C-Squat, 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Liquid Denial, the 6th annual MoRUS Film Festival, starts on Thursday

Here are details via the EVG inbox...

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) will host its 6th Annual Film Fest, Liquid Denial, at community gardens in the East Village Thursday through Sunday.

Tackling the time-sensitive issue of water insecurity, Liquid Denial seeks to raise awareness and promote actions to improve access to clean, safe water and identify water-related threats to the health of humans and the environment.

A special centerpiece of Liquid Denial includes a screening of "The Man Who Fell to Earth," starring David Bowie, at La Plaza Cultural on Saturday, Aug. 18. All films will begin at 8:45 p.m. A limited number of early-bird all-access passes are available at Eventbrite, which will include a complimentary, reusable drinking straw to be redeemed either at MoRUS during regular operating hours or at the Film Fest.

This link has all the festival/film details.

MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

About the 5th annual MoRUS Film Fest, starting Wednesday

Here are details about the fifth annual film festival by the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space ... via the EVG inbox...

1971
Opening Night: Wednesday, Aug. 2, 8:30 pm
Umbrella House roof garden, 21 Ave C
**(Accessibility Note: The building does not have an elevator. Access to rooftop requires climbing six flights of stairs)
2014 – Film directed by Johanna Hamilton – Runtime: 79 min
The FBI was unaccountable and untouchable until 1971, when a group of ordinary citizens uncovered its illegal domestic spying programs.

Cointelpro 101 & Still We Ride
Thursday, Aug. 3, 8:30 pm
6B Community Garden, corner of East 6th St. and Ave. B
Cointelpro 101, 2010 – Documentary directed by Freedom Archives – Runtime: 56 min
Cointelpro 101 exposes illegal surveillance, disruption, and outright murder committed by the US government in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
Still We Ride, 2013 – Documentary directed by Andrew Lynn, Elizabeth Press & Chris Ryan – Runtime: 37 min
Still We Ride showcases how group bicycle rides in New York City faced harassment by police during a crucial growth period of the cycling movement.

The Informant
Friday, Aug. 4, 8:30 pm
Orchard Alley Garden, East 4th St. Between Ave. C and D
2011 – Film directed by Jamie Meltzer – Runtime: 81 min
The Informant delves into the life of Brandon Darby, a community organizer turned FBI informant.

Citizen Four
Closing Night: Saturday, Aug. 5, 8:30 pm
La Plaza Community Garden, SW corner of 9th Street and Ave C
2014 – Documentary directed by Laura Poitras – Runtime: 94 min
Citizen Four followed Laura Poitras as she encountered with Edward Snowden in Hong Kong before he handed over classified documents providing evidence of mass illegal invasions of privacy by the NSA.

*******************************

A limited supply of all-inclusive passes for $20 will be on sale soon through Eventbright or by visiting MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets during hours of operation. Admission to each individual screening will otherwise require a suggested donation of $6. For updates visit the Film Festival website here.

Monthly Movies @ MoRUS series kicks off tomorrow night

Via the EVG inbox...

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) will bring cinema to the people every third Thursday of the month with Movies @ MoRUS, a series of films highlighting such themes as social justice, political reform, environmental activism and Lower East Side history.

Each screening will be followed by a talk back and discussion. The first of the Movies @ MoRUS series will be held on Feb. 18. In observance of Black History Month, the first film screened will be "Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal" directed by Stephen Vittoria. The film is an in-depth examination of the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a journalist on death-row whose conviction in the case of the 1981 murder of a policeman in Philadelphia continues to raise questions about the death penalty, the judicial system and race in America.

Upcoming Movies @ MoRUS include:

• Thursday, March 17 — "1971," dir. Johanna Hamilton, 2014, 80 min.
The second film is "1971," a documentary exploring the infamous activist burglary of a FBI office. The heist in 1971 led to the exposure of unlawful measures the Bureau had underwent in surveillancing anti-war activists, and continues to provoke thought on the ethics of our government’s intentions.

• Thursday, April 21 — "Garbage Warrior," dir. Oliver Hodge, 2007, 86 min.
In honor of Earth Day, our third film is "Garbage Warrior," about U.S. architect Michael Reynolds and his mission to introduce radical sustainable housing to the masses.

• Thursday, May 19 — "Food Inc.," dir. Robert Kenner, 2008, 94 min.
The documentary examines how big corporations heavily influence all aspects of food production in the U.S.

Movies @ Morus is free to the public but a suggested donation of $5 is always appreciated. Showtime is 7 PM at MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets.

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space announces 3rd annual film fest for Aug. 1-8

Via the EVG inbox...

Building on the popular appeal of its two previous summer outdoor film festivals, The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS), an East Village history museum with a mission to archive the social activism of the neighborhood, will partner with local activist and grassroots organizations to present its Third Annual Film Fest — I ❤NRCHY: Advocacy & Anarchy Shaping a City.

This series of shorts, documentaries and features will focus on New York City and each night feature a different theme, current and historical, to explore movements on such issues as Reviewing Renewal (hosted by 596 Acres); Sustainability (hosted by 350NYC); Bio-Terror, Manufactured Fear, and State Repression (hosted by ABC No Rio); Work & Rebellion (hosted by the Tenement Museum); Community and the Arts as Resistance (hosted by Interference Archive); Bicycle Activism (hosted by Times Up!) and more to be announced.

The festival will run Aug. 1-8 with screening times at 8 p.m. in various outdoor garden locations in the East Village. A limited supply of all-inclusive passes for $20 will be on sale here or by visiting MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets during hours of operation. Admission to each individual screening will otherwise require a suggested donation of $5.

Countdown to the People's Climate March

The People's Climate March is coming up on Sunday. (Details here, if you're interested.)

Ahead of that, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) is hosting a variety of events in the neighborhood, including:

Tonight, 4 – 8 pm: Banner and Puppet Making for People's Climate March
@ La Plaza Community Garden, (9th St & Ave C)

Bring paints, props, and food to share as we make ecological puppets and props in our green space for the upcoming People’s Climate March and Ride.

Friday, 4 – 8 pm: Sign and Patch Making for People’s Climate March
@ Loisaida Harvest Festival; La Plaza Community Garden

Join in the festivities of the Loisaida Harvest Festival and make signs and patches for the People’s Climate March and Ride.

Saturday, noon – 2 pm: FREE Lower East Side Sustainable Community & Garden Walking Tour
@ At MoRUS

The Lower East Side has the highest concentration of community gardens and squats of any neighborhood in the country. Come explore these sustainable buildings and spaces on this one-of-a-kind, full-access walking tour.

Saturday, 6:15 pm: Presentation on the History of Grassroots Environmental Activism in New York City
@ At MoRUS

Come learn how sustainable grassroots community projects have ignited social change and policy change in NYC. Hear about different sustainable subjects, like how community bicycle activism changed the whole city to a more safe and sustainable design with bike-lanes, auto-free plazas and greenways. Hosted by the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space featuring a conversation and video screening by Wendy Brawer of Green Maps and Bill DiPaola of Time’s Up Environmental Organization.

Visit the Museum's events page for more info. MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.

Meanwhile, the Third Annual LUNGS Harvest Festival is happening this weekend... which also coincides with the march... Check out the LUNGS website here for details on events happening at various community gardens around the neighborhood. We'll have more on LUNGS later this week...

Open houses, gardens and cemeteries this weekend

As you may know, the 10th Annual openhousenewyork is going on this weekend ... more info is here. Among the local places open to the public — the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street, where the resident historians will be around to discuss the Cemetery's history and those interred here.

This weekend will also provide you the opportunity to take a first look at MoRUS — the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space at 155 Avenue C in the C-Squat storefront. MoRUS co-found Laurie Mittelmann said that while the space isn't finished yet, it's coming along nicely ... find more info here at the MoRUS website.

Finally, as a reminder, this weekend is the "Harvest Arts Festival in the Gardens" in community gardens on the Lower East Side. Find the list of participating gardens here.

Construction starts at the the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space on Avenue C

[Bobby Williams]

Construction started yesterday at C-Squat on Avenue C ... the building's long-empty storefront will serve as the future home to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space — aka, MoRUS.

Laurie Mittelmann, who along with Bill DiPaola, the executive director of Time's Up, is helping spearhead the project. She gave us a quick update last night.

"We're building a staircase to connect the museum's storefront with the basement — a portion of which will also be rented to us. C-Squat residents are funding the installation of a new storefront and roll gate, which will be constructed by a 6th St. squatter. Hopefully we'll have interns working in the space in a week or two (the construction is scheduled to go at light speed) and we'll be open to the public in about a month and a half."

As in The New York Times reported in March, the museum "was being established to, among other things, tell the story of how activists in the East Village took over abandoned properties and over the years transformed them into permanent housing or community gardens."

And in case you haven't seen this yet, here's a video about the museum...



And here's the MoRUS website with more information.

Tomorrow: Squat tour of the East Village

From the EV Grieve inbox...

This Saturday at 12 noon we will hold another trial-run squat tour. Longtime squatter activist Frank Morales will lead the tour and we will have a few guest speakers along the way. Please join us and bring all your friends! The tour will start at the museum's new storefront at 155 Avenue C and will visit several squats in the area. We will probably cover one mile over the course of about two hours.

The tour is free of charge...

How you can help support the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space at C-Squat

Yesterday, we posted a link to the article in the Times about the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) opening at C-Squat.

In the comments, Amy pointed us to a Crowdrise page to help raise funds to launch MoRUS at 155 Avenue C. You can access that page here. (As of this morning, they had collected nearly 20 percent of their $18,500 goal.)

Per the site, "We have a storefront location, tour guides and the community's approval, we just need your support to help open the museum to the public. With every donation we get closer and closer to preserving the neighborhood's vibrant history and opening the museum..."

And here's the MoRUS website with more information.

C-Squat will be home to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space

[Photo from Feb. 1 by Bobby Williams]

C-Squat at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street will soon be home to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space — aka, MoRUS. According to an article by Colin Moynihan in The New York Times today, the museum "was being established to, among other things, tell the story of how activists in the East Village took over abandoned properties and over the years transformed them into permanent housing or community gardens."

This is the idea of Laurie Mittelmann, a neighborhood activist, and Bill DiPaola, the executive director of Time's Up. Among the items to be on display: Past issues of The Shadow.

The Museum will pay $1,700 per month to rent the storefront here, per the article.

Here's a video about the museum...