'A Singular Vision' opens today at The Ukrainian Museum

From the EV Grieve inbox ... via The Ukrainian Museum at 222 E. Sixth St. ...

A Singular Vision: Ilona Sochynsky, Retrospective of Painting, a comprehensive exhibition of more than 50 paintings, including many large-scale works from all phases of the artist's development, will open to the public today. Curated by Jaroslaw Leshko, Professor Emeritus at Smith College, the exhibition will be on view through October 7.

Ilona Sochynsky’s painting career, entering its fourth decade, presents an oeuvre of visual beauty, intelligence, intensity and complexity. At its core, it is a profoundly personal journey of discovery. Her earliest paintings explore the imagery of Pop Art (she was especially drawn to the works of James Rosenquist) and Photorealism, a movement prominent in the 1970s. She responded to the latter’s hyperrealism and its subject matter of cars, motorcycles and street scenes, which she reinterpreted in her work to extraordinary effect.

Fetish in Black & White
2008, oil on canvas

Street fair! Street fair! Street fair! (plus, Best Pickle on A-Stick)

In case you missed yesterday's street fair on Second Avenue ... there's another one today on Broadway, from Union Square to, oh, maybe Astor Place. Didn't actually look ...

...and cliffhanger ending...

Meanwhile, after yesterday's Second Avenue street fair...

We don't know what it is either.

Wedding party pub crawl?

Seventh Street and Avenue B.

Today

An anti-fracking protest that drew the attention of the NYPD...

...Spring Fling in Tompkins Square Park...

...and the ping-pong table photo shoot...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Spring Fling in Tompkins Square Park this afternoon

Workers set up the temporary stage in Tompkins Square Park... it's the Spring Fling concert this afternoon...

Bands appearing (in alphabetical order)
Crosshatch
Charetta
Demilitia
Fall of the Albatross
Kore Rozzik
Nevereven
Risk/Reward
SOS

SET TIMES
SOS 2
NEVEREVEN 2:30
CROSSHATCH 3
RISK/REWARD 3:30
KORE ROZZIK 4
CHARETTA 4:30
FALL OF THE ALBATROSS 5
DEMILITIA 5:30

[Updated] Breaking: Hostage situation on East 12th Street

Sources say that it's at 514 E. 12th St. ... also from the Gothamist news map...

NYPD on scene say that four shots were fired.

Photos via EVG reader Rick V.

Updated: 11:01 a.m. People on the scene say that it's over... NYPD has left... We'll see if we can any details on what happened.

Street fair! Street fair! Street fair! (plus, Bouncy Castle!)

Woo! Street fair season is heating up ...

And look — two butterflies on the M15 sign. (And what does that mean when two butterflies land on an M15 street fair notice? You won't catch a cold all summer?)

Just before 9, workers were setting up starting at East 14th Street, heading down south to Cape May County maybe Fifth Street. Or Sixth? I didn't walk down to see.

There are balloon arrangements...

...and the usual variety of food stands...

... and entertainment...

Bouncy castle! Bouncy castle!

Avenue A, 8:44 a.m., May 12

Reader reports: DOA on Avenue B

Several readers have told us that emergency responders are/were on Avenue B and East Sixth Street. Readers say that there was a DOA male in a wheelchair near Sunny & Annie's. We don't know more at this point. We'll head over that way and see if we can find out any more information.

B-Side turns 9 today

EV Grieve reader Michael notes the above sign... B-Side on Avenue B between 12th Street and 13th Street... celebrating an anniversary today... always a solid bar... and one that we haven't written about too much.

Oh, and hurry on that happy hour...

Get Down on it

fIREHOSE with "Down With the Bass" from 1991.

People now petitioning in favor of a 7-Eleven and Dunkin' Donuts on the LES

On second, second thought. Earlier this week, the Seward Park co-op board agreed (for the time being) not to lease space to a 7-Eleven and Dunkin’ Donuts. Among other things, a group of residents started a petition drive opposing the franchises from setting up shop on Grand Street. But! Another group of residents just launched a petition in support of the two businesses. (The Lo-Down)

Neighbors rallying to oppose new hotel on East Fourth Street

[Click to enlarge]

Residents and and various preservationists are rallying to oppose plans for a nine-story hotel next door to the landmarked Merchant's House on East Fourth Street.

Plans call for demolishing the one-level garage/repair shop adjacent to the circa 1832 Merchant's House.

Per the petition:

The proposed building, at 9 stories tall (twice the height of the Museum) and without any setbacks, would overwhelm and detract from the special architectural and historic character of the Merchant’s House Museum. Its excessive size and bulk is not respectful of the historical context of the Museum and does not relate to its small scale.

We also request that the strictest of construction standards be applied to any proposed building on this site so that the structural integrity of the Merchant’s House is not in any way compromised. Given the antiquity of the Merchant’s House and the extreme narrowness of the lot at 27 East 4th Street, this is critical.

Find the petition here.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation laid out the next steps here. The applicant is presenting their proposal for a second time at CB2's meeting on Monday at 6:30 p.m. (at the Our Lady of Pompei Church, 25 Carmine St., Father Demo Hall).

BoweryBoogie wrote about the planned hotel here.