Monday, March 28, 2022

El Rinconcito makes it signage official at new Avenue C home

Signage is up at 73-75 Avenue C for El Rinconcito, the family-owned Latin American restaurant. 

As you may recall, El Rinconcito closed last summer at their home of 27 years at 408 E. 10th St. between Avenue C and Avenue D ... ahead of a move to an undisclosed new location. 

The restaurant later posted their updated address on social media... but it's now signage official. There is no word yet on an opening date for the space here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street.

Bar Veloce looking to open an outpost on the Bowery

Bar Veloce is looking to open an outpost at 245 Bowery, a few storefronts to the north of the New Museum. 

Reps for Bar Veloce will appear before CB3's SLA committee on April 11. Several EVG readers pointed out that public notices are posted on the Stanton Street entrance...
The questionnaire is not yet online. 

Bar Veloce got its start on Second Avenue in the East Village in 2000 before expanding to locations in Chelsea, Soho and Columbus Circle (with other outposts in the works). 

As Bowery Boogie previously noted, four applicants have kicked the tires on the space since Cata closed in 2019. 

The address is also still home to several residents of the Sunshine Hotel upstairs...

Bracing for new construction at the former B Bar & Grill space on the Bowery

Demolition continues over at the former B Bar & Grill space on the Bowery at Fourth Street.

This past week, steel braces arrived on the wall adjacent to the property — 356 Bowery...
Not sure if these are to support the adjacent building during the demo or if they are part of the foundation for the incoming 21-story office building slated for the former restaurant space.

The B Bar (b 1994) never reopened after the PAUSE in March 2020. Our previous posts have more background on this development via Bowery Hotel owner Eric Goode. 

Here's your Avenue A Deli and Grill signage on Avenue A

On Saturday, workers added the Avenue A Deli and Grill signage to the storefront at 123 Avenue A between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. (Thanks to the reader for the pic!

Early word: Kudos for the old-school "Avenue A" cursive font...
Waiting for EV Signage and Font Troll to weigh in! 

Our previous post on this new arrival has more about the glut of like-minded businesses along this Avenue A corridor.

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Remembering Taylor Hawkins as Iggy Pop in the 'CBGB' movie

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died on Friday at age 50. 

As Vulture noted, "Hawkins impressed fans and peers alike with his full-throttle style and rambunctious energy." 

Perhaps that's why, as an EVG reader reminded us, Hawkins was signed to play Iggy Pop in the 2013 "CBGB" bio-pic

We're introduced to Iggy in the clip below ... who then interrupts a Blondie performance and later duets with Debbie Harry on a rendition of "I Wanna Be Your Dog."

   

That never actually happened — outside the film, anyway.

As the "CBGB" end credits pointed out: "And we know Iggy Pop never performed at CBGB. Deal with it!"

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week included (with a photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg) ...  

• Himalayan Vision is closing on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

• What might be next for the former St. Emeric church and school property? (Wednesday

• Rest easy, citizens of 12th Street — the large animal invader has been slain (Tuesday

• A look inside the soon-to-be-demolished Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)

• A fundraiser for Noor, a cat struck by a car on 10th Street (Tuesday

• Massive film collection from the former Mondo Kim's is heading to Alamo Drafthouse downtown (Wednesday

• The Gallery Watch Q&A: Dana Robinson on 'Ebony Reprinted' (Friday

• The fruit vendor is BACK on 1st Avenue and 6th Street (Monday

• 13-story mixed-use building slated for 5th and D (Tuesday

• DeColores Community Yard collecting books for displaced Ukrainian families (Tuesday)

• FDR closure alert: City removing the last section of the Delancey Street footbridge Sunday morning (Thursday

• Sei Shin Dojo offering free self-defense classes for AAPI women (Friday)

• What's the deal? Lot Stop slated for former Duane Reade space on 1st Avenue (Wednesday

• Checking in on the USA Super Stores, opening soon on 3rd Avenue and 10th Street (Monday

• New Swan Valet Cleaners is closing on 3rd Street (Thursday

• Kebabwala eyes spring opening at 82 2nd Ave. (Thursday

• A'more Caffè coming to 2nd and A (Monday

• The former Barnyard Cheese Shop is for rent on Avenue B (Monday)

• Oh good — the turkey vultures are here (Wednesday

• Paint Puff 'N' Peace coming soon to 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)

• The white and red stripes: The new-look KFC on 14th Street (Monday)

... and Christo on a nest-egg break yesterday atop St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on 10th Street and Avenue A ... photo by Steven...
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This week in Grand Openings

Maybe we'll stop back when they are open for the day... 226 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... 

A benefit concert for trans housing at Performance Space New York

Performance Space New York, 150 First Ave. at Ninth Street, is hosting a benefit concert for trans housing on April 9. 

Details:
Join us for a night of celebration and fellowship! This will be a special evening to bring together the community as we reflect over the years with our chosen family — our sisters, brothers, and gender non-conforming siblings. All proceeds will go to two benefiting organizations: Black Trans Liberation and Bridges4Life. These organizations were founded and are led by Black trans women.
Find ticket info here.

Sunday's opening shots

Pre-dawn photos from East River Park via Felton Davis from the Second Avenue Star Watchers

There's a planet-moon conjunction taking place ... Venus, Mars and Saturn all appear close together just before sunrise ... with a crescent moon nearby.

Per Felton: "On the other side of the constellation, the 28th-day waning crescent moon will slowly process across the planets, and then slide below them toward Aquarius on Tuesday."

Click on the image below for a better view... and with captions ...   

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Saturday's parting shots

Photos by Mike Krautter

As reported earlier todayUkrainian-born artist Misha Tyutyunik (above, right) started painting a large-scale mural at the Citizens Bank branch on Ninth Street and Second Avenue.

The piece is titled "Ukraine: A History in Solidarity." From noon to 2, there was a public participation portion ...
In addition to the mural, Citizens is matching $25,000 in funds donated directly to the East Village-based Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA). 

Tyutyunik is expected to finish the mural tomorrow. 

H/T Steven!

ICYMI: Why this section of the FDR will be closed overnight

In case you missed our post from Thursday... the FDR is shutting down overnight between the Brooklyn Bridge (Exit 2) and East Houston (Exit 5) so workers can remove that last section of the Delancy Street footbridge... this route is scheduled to be out of commission from midnight to 10 a.m. ...

Last day for Himalayan Vision on 2nd Avenue

Today is the last day for Himalayan Vision, 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

As we reported this past Monday, Tenzin, who runs the Tibetan shop with his wife Sonam, said he simply couldn't make the rent anymore and decided to close after 23 years in business. 

The shop is open until 8 p.m.

Updated 12:30

Steven notes that there is a rack with free items outside...
 

Remembering Nicholas Figueroa and Moises LocĂłn

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the deadly Second Avenue gas explosion, killing two men and leveling three buildings (119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.).

There is a memorial plaque for the two men who died that day — Nicholas Figueroa and Moises LocĂłn.

Officials dedicated this plaque last MayThe Village Preservation advocated for its placement here on the new residential building at 45 E. Seventh St. 

Previously on EV Grieve


A mural ' to honor the indomitable spirit of Ukraine'

The new Citizens Bank branch on Ninth Street and Second Avenue is marking the one-month anniversary of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine with a new mural. 

Via the EVG inbox... 
Ukrainian artist Misha Tyutyunik will be painting a large-scale mural with public participation at the Citizens Bank branch in Little Ukraine, East Village. This mural was designed with the people of Kyiv during Tyutyunik's time in Ukraine during his Fulbright program. The mural is a gift from Citizens to its neighbors to honor the indomitable spirit of Ukraine. 

The bank opened branches across New York City in February with a mission to support the neighborhoods they are in. In addition to the mural, Citizens will announce a donation to UNWLA, a women-led organization [based in the East Village] that has taken extraordinary efforts to raise money to help Ukrainian refugees. 
Signage shows that the work will take place between noon and 2 today...

Saturday's opening shot

Danny Trejo-Bob Saget combo on the Bowery via SacSix...

Friday, March 25, 2022

Friday's parting shot

Photo in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Bang your 'Head'

 

Something new from the Brooklyn-based A Place to Bury Strangers. The video is for "My Head Is Bleeding," off the band's latest LP ... released on March 11.

The Gallery Watch Q&A: Dana Robinson on 'Ebony Reprinted'

Interview by Clare Gemima 
Photos courtesy of Dana Robinson 

Dana Robinson is part of a group show titled “Homecoming: Artist Alumni Exhibition” at Kates-Ferri Projects, 561 Grand St. (near Madison Street). I had the chance to talk with Dana about her work on display, “Ebony Reprinted.” 

How did your series “Ebony Reprinted” begin, and what inspired your initial intrigue into this particular research area? 

It started during the summer when I was between years in grad school at SVA. I was having a very lazy summer but wanted to create some sort of fast work in the studio that contrasted against the incredibly tedious work I was making previously. I wanted to make fun of myself and the process of painting. 

I became really interested in Ebony magazine because it was one of the only mass-produced publications I could think of that had a lot of Black women in it. I wanted to reflect back on my work and bring more Black people into art. I also love that Ebony is for everyone — it’s a family magazine that focuses on an ideal version of the Black family. 

How many copies of Ebony Magazine do you own, and how did you source the issues that you use in your making? 

I have maybe 30 magazines; I don’t really keep track. But I get them off of eBay mostly. 

Is there a specific time period that your series focuses on? What is the historical span of your source material? 

Yes. The 1950s to 1970s. Any older than that, and the magazines disintegrate. The historical span of my source material shows an interesting transition in print, from including ads for skin lightening cream to making ads about how Black is beautiful and showing women with afros. 

Can you explain the process behind each of your paintings, from start to finish? 

I put down an image from the magazine and place a piece of flexible clear plastic on it. I then paint the image and place the painted piece of plastic onto the wooden panel, making a monoprint. It’s as though I am inking a stamp. 

Does each image you choose to work with hold any personal or sentimental value? What makes you want to interact with specific pages in the magazine? 

Each image shows a version of life that I can relate to. They are not images from my life, but they are familiar. And through reproducing them in this way, I feel like I understand them more, and I start to understand life more. 

What work has achieved the best effect or finish out of the series? What piece would you mind never selling? 

I’m never selling “With a Little Help from Fashion Fair Cosmetics” (2020, below) because it was the first time I figured out that I could scale up, and I was really onto something interesting. It has also been featured in so many articles, and it feels special.
Conceptually speaking, does your process aim to rewrite, reclaim or renavigate the use, purpose or exoticization of Black or African American people/models in editorials? What can a viewer learn from your series? 

I’m giving myself the ability to reproduce images that I’m reflected in on my own terms. I’m looking in at myself and Black people and recognizing our humanity, dimension, and flaws. I am taking the time to love all of us. 

What other painters, writers, performers or entertainers do you feel most aligned with artistically? 

I love my friends’ work, especially Joselia Rebekah Hughes, Carlos Rosales-Silva, Alison Kuo, Destiny Belgrave, Stina Puotinen and Jia Sung. I love all of the work for their colors and humor. In the way they put their work together, an intense generosity and care to others carry through. I think this is really special and something I’m always working towards. 

Do you explore other mediums besides acrylic paint? 

Yes, I’ve been working with fabric a lot. Most recently, I have been using found-fabrics to make quilt-like works that I plan to stretch. I also make silk paintings, some of which were recently on display at the Wassaic Project, and I will soon have a different series at Fuller Rosen Gallery in Portland in a few weeks. I also make watercolor/ gouache paintings, collages, and do some leatherworking. 

How did you get involved with Kates-Ferri Projects, and do you feel as though your practice has expanded or become different in any way since this relationship began? 

Haha. I met Natalie Kates at the Untitled art fair in 2019. I had recently graduated, and I had worked in the SVA booth. Natalie loved my work, bought a piece and the rest was history. It truly spoke volumes that she was willing to invest in me that way. She asked me to be the first artist in residence and, of course, I said yes. My practice has grown, yes. I feel more confident about doing what feels right and making mistakes. 

What’s in store for your studio practice in the future? Any shows in the pipeline? 

So many shows! BAITBALL — a group show at Palazzo San Giuseppe in Italy. One at 92nd Street YMCA in New York — a two-person show with Maya Varadaraj through the gallery, Medium Tings. There are three solo shows: one at A.I.R Gallery, one at Haul Gallery, both in Brooklyn, and then one at Fuller Rosen Gallery in Portland, Ore. 

What co-exhibitors from “Homecoming: Artist Alumni Exhibition” excite you the most, either with their work or overall studio approach? 

I love Eric Manuel Santoscoy Mckillip’s work, especially the way it references architecture and its colors and stucco textures. It feels like you’re getting these special memories — maybe they are daydreams. 

I also grew up in Florida, so that texture is so special to me because most houses had stucco. For me, it’s literally the texture of home. I also love Ryan Brown’s sand-filled dogs, and those are works that I’d want to pick up and hug forever.
Kates-Ferri Projects is open from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. “Homecoming: Artist Alumni Exhibition” is on display through April 2.

~~~~~~

Clare Gemima is a visual artist and arts writer from New Zealand, now based in the East Village of New York. You can find her work here: claregemima.com

Sei Shin Dojo offering free self-defense classes for AAPI women

Photo from 2019 by Stacie Joy

Glenn Genovas, an East Village resident (and a third-degree black belt in American Jiu-Jitsu) and owner of Sei Shin Dojo on Avenue A, is offering free self-defense classes.

Here's more via the EVG inbox:
Since there has been a rise in violence in the Asian community toward women I decided to do a Self Protection course for AAPI women. This free course will start in April and last eight weeks. This will be held on Thursdays, one in the afternoon and the other after work hours. Both courses will be teaching the same subject.
You can find more info here, including how to register. 

Sei Shin Dojo is at 34 Avenue A (second floor) between Second Street and Third Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:

Thursday, March 24, 2022