B Scene Zine, Volume 1, Issue 10

BSceneZine

In

Editor:

by Daryl-Ann Saunders

Jim Power, the EV’s legendary Mosaic Man who for some

Marks Place with colorful and engaging mosaics his

of a terrifying encounter with Marceline

killer who befriended women, including

Square Park. Also: Renowned photographer Janette

on The B; street art legend Blek le Rat

Richard Hambleton; Optimo shows up on the

its fifth issue; and we take yet another

Photo by Daryl-Ann Saunders

O P T I M O

Well-known street artist Optimo's ubiquitous character Say No Sleep somehow found its way onto the rooftop of the derelict former PS 64 building between 9th and 10th just east of The B. No one knows what's gonna happen to the crumbling building, but its rooftop looks a little better now.

Photos by Graff Season

Jim Power: The EV's Mosaic Man

Long-time EV resident Jim Power has spent some 40 years installing and maintaining a trail of colorful mosaics on poles, planters, sidewalks and curbs along St. Marks Place from Astor Place to Ave. A. And at 75, Power is still going strong. On a lovely recent Sunday afternoon, he was working on a mosaic on the curb at St. Marks and 1st Ave., sipping his favorite Red Bull and chatting with passersby as he worked. His little red scooter stood nearby. “I love this neighborhood and I always will. That’s why I try to do my bit to make it a little more beautiful. I want it to keep its artistic flair,” he said. In 2004, Power received an official thank you from the city in the form of a proclamation by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that credited him with “beautifying the city with distinctive, artful mosaics.” And he was granted permission to continue placing mosaics on public property. Born in Ireland, Power moved to the neighborhood in 1981 living near the old Fillmore East on Second Ave. at 6th St., working as a carpenter. It was shortly thereafter that he began the Mosaic Trail, the work that would consume him for the next four decades. He supports himself through commission work, selling artworks including beautiful mosaic belt buckles like the one he's holding on the cover of this mag, and donations via Venmo at James-Power-36.

Photo by Daryl-Ann Saunders

Photos by Daryl-Ann Saunders

That Day Salt-N-Pepa Hung on The B

It was a warm day in 1986 when Salt-N-Pepa, the Queens group that was at the time just on the verge of superstardom as one of hip-hop's first all female groups, stopped for some refreshments on Ave. B. Luckily renowned punk/hip-hop photographer Janette Beckman was on hand to capture the moment.

Beckman, a long time EV resident, has a pair of books out. Rebels, which includes her iconic punk and hiphop photos from the 70s and 80s through today, and The Mash Up with artist Cey Adams and other street art legends. Follow Janette @janettephoto

Photo by Janette Beckman

Nick Savides: Keeping it Real

Nick Savides is one artist who likes to keep it real. His hyper-realistic oil paintings capture many EV landmarks. Here's his take on the Physical Graffiti building at 96 St. Marks Place. Follow Nick on Instagram @nicksavides

The New Freeman Alley

One wall of Freeman Alley has been curated since July as the Alleyry (Get it? It’s at once an alley and a gallery) by the well-known street artist Vewer. So far three major mural installations and at least one show of hanging art have been staged. Participants have included some of the biggest names in today’s NYC street art scene: 2esae, Dred, Belowkey, Degrupo, Abe, Eyesticker, Vers, ChrisRwk, Avery, Moody, Love Notes and more.

Street Art Legend Blek le Rat's EV Tribute to His NYC Inspiration Richard Hambleton

In town for a hugely successful solo show at West Chelsea Contemporary, French street art legend Blek le Rat took time to pay tribute to one of his most important inspirations, LES street art great Richard Hambleton whose Shadowman works startled and entertained passersby for years before his death in 2017. Blek installed lifesize likenesses of the troubled NYC artist on Ave A near 3rd (left), in the First Street Green (below left) and in Brooklyn. The LISA Project oversaw the Ave. A installation.

Blek: “When I saw his works in Paris, I was shocked. So I decided to make my pieces bigger.”

Photo by Daryl Ann Saunders

UP Magazine, America's most important street art publication, released its brilliant 5th issue, Icons. The NYC street art community turned out in force for the mag's launch party at One Art Space in Tribeca. Check out UP at upmag.com and @up mag.

l-to-r standing, Kito, SJK 171, Will Power, Mike 171, JEC*, l-to-r lower, Matt Eller, Kurt SBoone JK 171 and JEC* signing.

Mike 171 selling the new book

Editor-in-Chief T.K. Mills Magazine

Penny Arcade

Penny Arcade is the queen of the downtown performance scene. Her shows deliver hilarious and horrifying insights about changes to the neighborhood, NYC, and the world. New Yorkers are not the only ones who love her: Graffiti scrawled on the London theater where she recently performed 1992’s Bitch, Dyke, Faghag, Whore proclaimed that her work saves lives. Her life-affirming show Longing Lasts Longer, staged at Pangea in September and October, uses music from each decade from the 1960s into the 21st century to highlight changes the zeitgeist and the local scene. Her next show is a memoir of the summer of love with downtown NYC legends Taylor Meade, Jack Smith, Harry Smith, Patti Smith and Andy Warhol! Don’t miss the story of this Superstar Interrupted! The Art of Becoming debuts at Joe’s Pub Nov. 29th-Dec. 1st. - Melissa Ditmore

Out Now:

Calendar by Delphine Le Goff

Your old calendar is about to need a refresh. Your new one will feature this sketch (below) of the Ave. B Flea, held in October, by EV artist and raconteuse Delphine Le Goff.

THE EV SERIAL KILLER

Serial killer Marceline Harvey frequented Tompkins Square Park in the months leading up to what police said was her third murder of a woman she had become attached to earlier this year. During that time, one married EV woman in her late 30s, who did not want her name used, befriended the 83-year-old, transgender killer and became close enough that Marceline told her she wouldn’t kill again as long as the two could be together. After the EV woman found out about the first two murders and attempted to distance herself from Harvey, the killer allegedly struck again, killing and dismembering the body of someone else. In March, Harvey pleaded not guilty to charges of first- and second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and concealment of a human corpse. Police said Harvey, who spent 50 years in prison for murders in 1963 and 1985, killed 68-year-old Susan Leyden of New Jersey, a woman she befriended in Tompkins Square Park. Harvey told the New York Post that Leyden was among a “coven” of women she had assembled in the neighborhood. In a jailhouse interview, Harvey told the Post there were differences between her male and female selves: “Harvey’s not a good guy, he’s a tough guy. Marceline’s nice and gentle and loving, you know, lots of laughter, fun to be with. She’s the one who’s perfectly normal.”

“I tell them — there’s a side of me you don’t want to see… but they don’t listen.”

Photos:

"I could have been her third victim." One Ev woman's terrifying story

"I first met Marceline at an art opening on Ave C. We made eye contact. She was an older woman in her 70s or 80s. She was very warm and I gave her my card and told her to come by. She started coming by and I gave her my number and we started texting and she invited me to hang out in the park. One time she reached out and we went for drinks. I was interested in hearing her wild stories about being a transgender woman in the neighborhood in the 70s. She started asking me about love and I told her a story about someone I had fallen in love with and then I asked her “what about you?” She said she had been in love, her name was Jackie and “I shot the shit out of her.” She walked me home and I asked her if she would ever kill someone again. She said “not as long as I have you and I can stay being a woman.”...I had seen her real ID and so I googled Harvey Marceline and found out she had killed two women. When she called again, I told her we can’t be friends anymore and she said “I thought you were stronger than that.” She called me at Christmas and said I was her angel. I was scared, looking over my shoulder for months, but I never told anyone. Then, in April, I found out she had killed another woman."

Marceline Harvey pleaded not guilty in March to the murder and dismemberment of a woman named Susan Leyden she met in Tompkins Square Park.

Photo: Gregory P. Mango, NY Post