Thursday, July 19, 2018

Grant Shaffer's NY See


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Here's this week's NY See, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's comic series — an observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.

A chance to see some 'Downtown Art Ephemera'



Marc H. Miller is curating a short, two-week exhibit titled "Downtown Art Ephemera, 1970s-1990s," which runs through July 25 at the James Fuentes Gallery, 55 Delancey St. between Allen and Eldridge.

There's a reception today from 5-7 p.m., which provides a good opportunity to see some of the 150 cards and posters from Miller's online Gallery 98 collection.

Per a release on the exhibit:

All the downtown New York art stars of that time are represented ... : Basquiat, Goldin, Haring, Holzer, Hujar, Koons, Mapplethorpe, Piper, Prince, Schnabel, Smith, Sherman, Warhol, Wojnarowicz etc. Sections on Collaborative Projects Inc. (COLAB), Fashion Moda, the Rivington School, Fun Gallery, International with Monument, and Mary Boone Gallery will chronicle a lively and contradictory period when art, commerce, branding, populist politics and issues of identity were all part of the mix.

Miller discusses the exhibit in an article at Vice.



Images via online Gallery 98

Previously on EV Grieve:
Life at 98 Bowery: 1969-1989

Revisiting Punk Art

Marking the 20th anniversary of P.S. 64's auction


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Developer Gregg Singer bought the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center property from the city during an auction in 1998.

And tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the sale of the building at 605 E. Ninth St. Avenue B and Avenue C.

And as these flyers posted around the neighborhood show, a group of unspecified community leaders, elected officials and residents will mark the occasion outside the Ninth Street entrance tomorrow evening at 6.

Per the flyer: "Join us to mark the 20th anniversary of the auction and ask the Mayor to take the next steps to return CHARAS to the community."

Singer wants to turn the landmarked property into a dorm called University Square, which continues in a holding pattern while the DOB maintains a Stop Work Order on the building.

You can read the previous post for more background on the ongoing P.S. 64 drama.

East Village Thai has closed



East Village Thai fans were saddened to learn that the small restaurant on Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square closed after service on Sunday.

The restaurant's owners first made the announcement on Facebook on Saturday before their last day...



EVG reader Mackenzie, who first brought this to my attention, ate there last Wednesday. The owners made no mention of the impending closure.



Back in 2012, the Daily News said that EVT served some of the best Pad Thai in the city.

9th Precinct welcomes new CO with long NYPD pedigree

Late last week, Deputy Inspector Vincent Greany turned over the CO's pin at the 9th Precinct to Capt. John L. O’Connell.

Greany, who joined the 9th Precinct in June 2016, is now assigned to the 32nd Precinct in Harlem.

O’Connell introduced himself on Twitter yesterday (pictured, right)...


O’Connell is a third-generation police officer and a fourth-generation public servant.

The Daily News featured O'Connell in an article back in November 2016:

His great-grandfather began the family's legacy in city public service by becoming a firefighter. O'Connell's late grandfather Michael Lonergan joined the NYPD in 1946 and rose to the rank of chief of operations — the highest-ranking uniformed member of the department — in 1974.

O'Connell's mom, Virginia O'Connell, 72, joined the NYPD in 1966 and was one of the first women to enter the Police Academy when the Police Women's Bureau merged with the NYPD. His father John O'Connell, 76, is a retired NYPD detective.

And O'Connell's wife, Jennifer, 37, also is an NYPD detective — not to mention scores of uncles and cousins among the Finest.

"It's an honor being a part of a family of legacy," he said. "It's a privilege."

No word just yet when he might meet with community members or what he considers the neighbor's most-pressing crime-related issues.

The Molecule Project closing next month on 10th Street



After five years at 259 E. 10th St., the Molecule Project, which offers a variety of clean drinking water alternatives, has announced that the shop is closing next month here between Avenue A and First Avenue...



Their aim, per the shop's website:

Our goal at The Molecule Project is to support good health for people and planet by promoting minimal carbon footprint, clean drinking water alternatives.

The Molecule Project offers a new model for drinking water for all, rooted in the use of the industry’s highest-grade residential and commercial water treatment, filtration and purification systems.

H/T Steven!

93 1st Ave. celebrates 24th year of waiting for minor alteration


[EVG file photo]

The Real Deal explores the world of "ALT2"s at the Department of Buildings. As they note, these are "alterations which do not affect the 'use, egress, or occupancy' of a building and are therefore considered relatively minor."

While the majority of such jobs can be completed within a year, before the first permit expires, altering buildings can often become a complicated task due a variety of complicating factors – as an analysis by The Real Deal discovered, hundreds of ALT2 permits throughout the city have had to be renewed more than 10 times.

According TRD's research, the oldest active permit on record was first filed in June 1994 — for a "temporary canopy structure in yard" at the Royal Bangladesh Indian Restaurant at 93 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

The work has been approved, though that temp canopy still awaits: City records show that the permit was renewed in May — for the 23rd time.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Wednesday's parting shot



Second Avenue this morning via Peter Brownscombe...

A mosaic Trump pothole-filler for 2nd Street

A Chicago-based artist who fills the city's potholes with mosaic art has brought his work to NYC.

Jim Bachor has adorned eight potholes around the city with tiled images of dead rats, cockroaches and pigeons, as the Post reported today.

However, in the East Village, his pothole filler on Second Street between Avenue A and First Avenue is of President Trump...



He told the Post: "It could be seen in both ways — one that you’re honoring our president or that you get to drive over Trump."



City officials see it as a nuisance, and will pave them over once discovered.

"Aside from putting himself in harm’s way in the middle of roadways, the artist’s adding of artwork in the street is a danger to all road users, which poses safety hazards should drivers become distracted by the art," said spokeswoman Alana Morales.

A point of Moxy view



An EVG reader shared these aerial views of the Moxy East Village rising on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...



... and a view from Third Avenue looking to the north...



... and a look at the property this morning. Workers appear to be up to the top — 13th — floor.



The 285-key hotel for Marriott's Moxy brand has a late 2019 opening date.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A few more details about the incoming Moxy East Village on 11th Street