Friday, December 25, 2020
East Village season's greetings
Hello again
One last Christmas song for the season... and one we aren't tired of — the recently released "Hello Santa Claus" by the local band Pom Pom Squad.
High winds takes down the B&H Dairy awning on 2nd Avenue
It has been a struggle this year for the 82-year-old lunch counter — absence of indoor dining aside... there have been two break-ins ... and the vandalized front window... not to mention the trash mound.
B&H is currently crowdfunding to stay in business.
Christmas miracles: Joseph C. Sauer Park is back open on 12th Street
Updated: Readers report the gates were locked as early as 1 p.m.
Work appeared to have been completed several days ago, but the space remained locked, prompting questions from community members eager to have access to the Park during the pandemic.
Local Assembly Member Harvey Epstein shared the reopening news yesterday ...
Good News: The Sauer Park project on East 12th Street between Avenues A & B has been completed, and the park will be reopened tomorrow – a Christmas present to the community!
— Harvey Epstein 哈維 D. 艾普斯汀(男) (@HarveyforNY) December 24, 2020
The $4 million renovation — part of Mayor de Blasio’s Community Parks Initiative — originally had a completion date of October 2020, though that was later changed to this month, per the Park's website. The links below provide more history of the project.
Updated:
A reader shared this photo from inside today ...
... and an aerial view from a week ago...
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Thursday's parting shots
'Whoa Christmas' for the holidays
Independent music and theater venues have been among the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic.
To support one local spot, EV musician Matt Hanley recently rented the Kraine Theater on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery to film ballet scenes for a music video.
"The money is important, but there's also a need to keep its staff doing something ... that's why instead of a cash donation, I rented the Kraine Theater for a couple of hours," he said. "All in all, the effort employed a dancer, a local videographer, an editor and sent a chunk of change to the Kraine / Frigid NYC."
And the end result of this is the music video for "Whoa Christmas," written by Hanley and performed by the Bedroom Guys... described by them as "a waltz in the spirit of 'The Nutcracker' and the Replacements."
Grant Shaffer's NY See
Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC...
Sweet Generation is leaving the East Village
After nearly six years at 130 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, Sweet Generation is closing up its bakery ahead of a move to a larger location in Brooklyn.
Per their Instagram this morning:
Come by and say goodbye to our tiny little adorable shop ❤️ We are so sad to go, and also so excited for our next big step opening our beautiful new space in Brooklyn (right off the Jefferson L stop).
The shop will be open today until 3 p.m. They'll be open for curbside pickup only on Saturday, Sunday and Monday ... taking orders by phone: (646) 964-5777. Closed for good starting on Tuesday. And there are sales are elect items.
Sweet Generation partners with several nonprofit organizations and local high schools to create an internship program that teaches baking, food safety, customer service, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to teens and young adults from low-income communities.
Image via Instagram
Medan Pasar now serving Malaysian cuisine on 7th Street
They are currently open for takeout or delivery starting at 11:30 a.m. Find their menu here. Or call them at (646) 756-4006.
The Instagram account @eastvillagefoodfinds highlighted their Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang (pictured below): "Full of flavor, some nice kick and a stick-to-your ribs meal overall — perfect for keeping you warm in these cold months."
Reminders: Overthrow Hospitality to give away free meals today
ICYM our post from Monday... Ravi DeRossi's Overthrow Hospitality is serving free, plant-based three-course meals to anyone in the neighborhood who would like one today from 2-6 p.m today at Amor Y Amargo, 443 E. Sixth St. at Avenue A.
"It really just comes down to us wishing for everyone in our community to have a hot meal for the holidays," DeRossi said in a statement. "It's not much, but we hope it will bring a little bit of joy to everyone who will partake. I'm excited to spend this day with my team, cooking and serving those who would like a free meal on Christmas Eve."
The notice states that social distancing will be practiced, and masks will be available for those who need them.
Overthrow Hospitality said it has served more than 40,000 free meals to those in need since the beginning of the pandemic.
DeRossi's restaurant group includes the vegan-based Ladybird, Amor Y Amargo, Avant Garden and Saramsam.
While they are serving free Christmas Eve meals today, DeRossi's restaurants are currently closed until early 2021.
Signage reveal for Greenwich Marketplace on 4th Avenue
And we, uh, haven't learned anything else about the new business since our previous post on Nov. 25.
But this does look more promising than the previous coming-soon banner, which showed a large sandwich (large not in a good way), smoothies and cheesecake with (guessing) drizzled strawberry confit.
The previous tenant, the PokéSpot, officially closed this past summer after four years. Before that, we had a Subway (sandwich shop) here.
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
You may now drive — or jump up and down on — 1st Avenue at 7th Street again
Sadly, we missed the photo op of the person jumping up and down on the freshly filled-in hole...
Gallery Watch: Mrs. Evan Williams by Jamian Juliano-Vilan at JTT Gallery
Text and photos by Clare Gemima
The New Jersey raised and hilariously edgy painter Jamian Juliano-Villani showcases 11 paintings in Mrs. Evan Williams, her third solo show at JTT Gallery.
After getting to know Jamian through her online presence and impressive list of press, her paintings speak for themselves and indulge in her wacky sense of humor, unpredictable juxtapositions and to me establish her presence in the New York art scene — her career has only just begun.
Seeing how she works, laying down surfaces with paint, then projecting onto the canvas to compose her pieces and then repainting again and so on and so forth builds a crass narrative that’s psychologically challenging and morbidly personal.
She makes these works while getting through a pack and a half of smokes a day, another attribute to the painter that bleeds into her work. I know it sounds weird, but this artist looks and sounds like the paintings in her show — that might just be my take.
While discussing her modes of making and navigating her studio, she describes herself as a vessel. In one of her more graphic works, Replace Phosphates Without Compromising Functionality, a Relief ; I believe her diagnosis is visualized. This work is the first large scale piece you will see in the main room of the gallery and is recommended to soak in on an empty stomach.
The work depicts a slender female object crawling out of the most magnificently painted pink toilet in a pastel themed bathroom. You can put 2 and 2 together from my photography, but the stare from the subject is absolutely mesmerizing and, of course, off-putting. 
The painting has turned a private moment into a torturously grotesque, almost animated and caricatured hell-ride. It was by far my favorite work in the show and one of the few pieces that included a sculptural element, leaving a foldable step-stool in front of the canvas, presumably for the relief to be relieved of its nasty journey.
This show includes works that are intervened with, as described above, smaller paintings, non-conventionally framed works and a whole back wall of the gallery wallpapered as an office/board meeting scene. This show is mostly flat but plays with other tools to include sound, light and the internet through QR codes, suggesting that the artist is branching out with her materials and sculptural play.
Another work, Origin of the World, highlights the artist’s nod to the revolutionary Courbet work from the 1800s. Highlighting the problematic nature of the work, the painter throws shade by creating her own hodge-podge of nonsensical, penis-bearing creatures.
Jamian Julaino-Villani again places uncomfortably confronting subject matter directly in the eye line of the viewer (I am 5’4 for reference), which the gallery has described as sophomoric in nature. I, however, feel as though it is weirdly sophisticated, especially with its gorgeously decorative border and terribly calculated composition layout. Another winner for me.
This show will get you excited about contemporary painting that is graphic, bold and not shy about being absolutely vile to look at. For a giggle and gag and everything in between, Mrs. Evan Williams will be on show at JTT Gallery until Jan. 23.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com
EVG Etc.: Tracking opposition to the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project; scouting where to eat on Christmas Day
'Tis the Season, photo by Derek Berg
• Very few details available at the moment: Two men shot in a home invasion last night in the Wald Houses on Fourth Street (PIX 11 ... ABC 7 ... NY Post)
• More reasons for a rough winter for restaurants (The Wall Street Journal, registration may be required)
• Opposition to East Side Coastal Resiliency Project picks up (City & State)
• What the eviction of the Lower East Side Ecology Center and the Queens-based Big Reuse would mean (City Limits)
• COVID stimulus deal includes federal aid for independent venues (Gothamist)
• Where to eat on Christmas Day, with some local picks (Eater)
• A visit to Sweet Pickle Books, recently opened on Orchard Street (Eater)
• Kathy Yates, a longtime former EV resident, is trying to raise money for her medical bills (GoFundMe)
• News of Bay Area bar Finnerty's closing on Second Avenue (first reported here) makes it to the Bay Area (SFGate)
... and as mentioned yesterday, Dec. 22 marked the 18th anniversary of Joe Strummer's death. You can listen to his archived radio show that started in 1998 right at this link.
The Village Voice is returning, and is this a good thing?
The Times had the story:
The paper occupied several floors at 36 Cooper Square from 1991 to 2013 ... with a return toward the end of its run.
Brian Calle, the chief executive of Street Media, the owner of LA Weekly, said on Tuesday that he had acquired the publication from its publisher, Peter D. Barbey. "I think a lot of people will be hungry for this and I'm superoptimistic," Mr. Calle said in an interview.
He added that he planned to restart The Voice's website in January and would publish a "comeback" print edition early next year, with quarterly print issues to follow. On Tuesday he hired Bob Baker, a former Voice editor, as a senior editor and content coordinator. Mr. Calle said he wanted to bring back more former staff members who know the paper's tone. He has not yet named an editor in chief.The Voice website, which is still active repurposing its archived articles, ceased publishing new content in August 2018 ... this after the final print edition in September 2017 — a 176-page commemorative issue with Bob Dylan on the cover.
Early reaction around here yesterday was of cautious optimisim ... and then media watchers who had experience with Calle's takeover of LA Weekly shared some thoughts (H/T Mediagazer) ...
Nothing like the most vaunted counter-cultural publication in America bought by the former head of the Claremont Institute, the West Coast's preeminent right wing ghoul factory.
— Otto Von Biz Markie (@Passionweiss) December 22, 2020
Brian Calle makes Jared Kushner look like George Plimpton. This is a laughable disgrace. https://t.co/hSGRlxU1jD
Is this a better or worse fate than staying dead https://t.co/yTpPDIJHro
— Kris Vire (@krisvire) December 22, 2020
I am uncertain about the savvy of anybody who lived through the new LA Weekly experience and thinks, "hell yeah, more of this" https://t.co/erVQLHo1ND
— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) December 22, 2020
The good news is, the Village Voice is coming back. The bad news is, it’s a branded drop-ship influencer real-estate trust. https://t.co/Pu9Dq1riMO
— Ian Bogost (@ibogost) December 23, 2020
"The Village Voice Rises From the Dead" is an odd headline. Seems more like "Right-Wing Grifter Digs Up Decaying Skeleton of the Village Voice and Parades It Around, Pretending It's Alive."https://t.co/FOc4L7xJrK
— Zach Schonfeld (@zzzzaaaacccchhh) December 23, 2020
Hey, NYC! Former New Yorker now living in Los Angeles who's here to tell you: this news SUCKS. LA Weekly is a zombie publication now. The whole former staff formed @theLAndmagazine and it's way better. Don't get on board with this version of the Voice. https://t.co/8B3zGGCc6P
— Chris Conroy (@ConroyForReal) December 22, 2020
it would be great if the Village Voice could be revived with a nice owner who really cared about it, but... https://t.co/QVyXs13qew pic.twitter.com/kTALaRpO9v
— Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) December 22, 2020
If Calle's relaunch looks anything like what he did to LA Weekly, it will surely involve unmarked spon-con, pay-to-play coverage of the company's unnamed investors, and a complete desecration of everything the paper once stood for. RIP Village Voice. https://t.co/6JwRmH3RVJ
— Jennifer Swann (@jenn_swann) December 22, 2020
Anyone celebrating the revival of the Village Voice hasn’t done the reading of what its new owner did to the LA Weekly. https://t.co/cJTxl6tgyChttps://t.co/q5BeMTYHLphttps://t.co/qpSoch0Db9
— Monica Castillo (@mcastimovies) December 23, 2020
Both cities & their readers deserve better. https://t.co/H8b18NzPmA
I just... Well, I really wish this article would have included literally anything about Calle's unethical mismanagement of LA Weekly. I cannot imagine a worse future for The Village Voice. https://t.co/5guIblmWiJ
— April Wolfe (@AWolfeful) December 22, 2020
Headline accurate in the sense that things that rise from the dead are zombies and should be avoided at all costs unless you can lop off their heads. https://t.co/gRMhOSnYyf
— Scott Tobias (@scott_tobias) December 22, 2020
The Village Voice Rises From the Dead, says the headline. https://t.co/wCBlwNzVjC Well, it has a new owner who says he is bringing it back. There is not a word about the business model said owner has in mind, the first question I would ask. A storied past is not a business model.
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) December 22, 2020
This quote from @mshalhoup about how the quality of @LAWeekly's content plummeted under Calle is the diplomatic understatement of the year.
— Elina Shatkin (@elinashatkin) December 22, 2020
Hey NY, hope you like stories about weed and crappy bro-step bands. pic.twitter.com/YE9mKu2jae
Previously on EVG:A conspiracy theory that I believe without any real evidence is that this cretinous dingus is a cutout for much richer people who want to defile critical alternative media outlets both on principle and "for yuks." https://t.co/mjDGlYLfY5
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) December 22, 2020
East Village Loves NYC prepares 1st holiday feast; tops more than 70,000 meals made for hungry New Yorkers in 2020
This past Sunday, East Village Loves NYC — the local volunteer group that formed in the spring to feed people in need during the pandemic — prepared its first holiday meal.
At the Sixth Street Community Center between Avenue B and Avenue C, the East Village residents cooked and delivered 3,000 high-quality Mexican Halal meals to 17 organizations around the city.
The group is currently working with the crowdfunding platform ioby (an acronym for In Our Backyard) to raise money to feed low-income Black communities in Harlem and Queens that have been hit hard by the pandemic. (This project is eligible for up to $8,000 in match funding through ioby's NYC COVID-19 Just Recovery Match Fund. Find the crowdfunding page here.)
On Sunday, EVG contributor Stacie Joy documented the group's holiday food preparation ... as East Village Loves NYC has assembled more than 70,000 meals on the year...
This team of East Village volunteers formed in April (as Stacie documented in the links below). Early on, Ali Sahin, the owner of C&B Cafe on Seventh Street near Avenue B, donated his space on Mondays for the group to cook its meals ... while there, they were able to prepare up to 800 meals and 100 family-size pantry packs.
By June, they had outgrown the space, and started assembling deliveries at the Sixth Street Community Center. By the end of the summer, East Village Loves Queens expanded its operations and announced its new name — East Village Loves NYC.
By June, they had outgrown the space, and started assembling deliveries at the Sixth Street Community Center. By the end of the summer, East Village Loves Queens expanded its operations and announced its new name — East Village Loves NYC.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Tuesday's parting shot
Road repairs continue on 1st Avenue at 7th Street
For now, northbound traffic on First Avenue is being rerouted across Sixth Street to Avenue A.... causing some backups along the way. As a reader noted in the comments: "The drivers start honking around 3rd or 4th St. As if we haven't been tortured enough."
Water service was also shut off in the area, causing several businesses to temporarily close.
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