The local paper for Downtown wn THE POWER OF PRINT AT THE MET
WEEK OF FEBRUARY
18-24
CITYARTS, P.12 >
2016
NEW FOCUS ON CRANE SAFETY
Our Take THE MET’S BANNER YEAR
NEWS Fewer than a dozen inspectors citywide BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
City officials vowed to take a closer look at the safety of New York’s construction boom in the aftermath of the Feb. 5 crane collapse that killed Upper West Sider David Wichs in Tribeca. The collapse, which reportedly occurred when the crane was being secured due to high winds, also caused several injuries and damaged about six cars. Wichs, 38, was killed when the 565-foot tall crane collapsed onto Worth Street. Wichs, a computer trader, was walking to his job on Broadway from the Chambers Street subway station. He lived in a brownstone with his wife on the Upper West Side. In a eulogy reported in The New York Times, Wichs’ widow, Rebecca Guttman, 34, spoke of their “storybook” romance. “When I met David, I felt something I had never felt before, despite many years of dating,” she said. “I had an instant connection with and attraction to him. We had the easiest connection. When I was with David, I felt like the most secure person in the world.” Upper West Side Councilmember Helen Rosenthal expressed her condolences shortly after the tragedy occurred, and vowed to work towards increased safety measures at construction sites to protect pedestrians. “I want to extend my condolences to David’s friends, family, and congregation during this difficult time,” said Rosenthal. “As the investigation unfolds, I am committed to honoring David’s death by making construction sites more safe for passersby, particu-
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The store my daughter used to go in almost every day. It’s the kind of place that makes a neighborhood rich.
WHERE YOU CAN LIVE ABOVE A STORE STREET LEVEL The wonderful neighborhood villages that we live in. Will they stay wonderful? BY BILL GUNLOCKE
Here’s how much I like to walk by storefronts. If I see up ahead of me that the block on my side of the street is a hospital or a big housing project or a big post office or a school, I’ll cross to the other side
of the street to have shop windows alongside me. Even if I go blocks without really looking in one of them, I like the variety and the small size of the stores with stuff in the windows, off my shoulder, out the corner of my eye, as I walk along. Main Street in my small rural hometown in western New York was a block long. I liked being on it more than I liked being at home. I’d get depressed in my grade school years when 5:00 came and I had to turn the corner by the Bryant House, a long-ago hotel, then mostly a tavern,
There’s no small bookstore in my neighborhood. And as of a month or two ago, five small shops have closed, all in a row, right across the street from my building” and head the two or three blocks to my house. “I regret profoundly that I was not an American and not born in Greenwich Village.” John Lennon said. Who wouldn’t want to have grown up there? The scale of things is wonderful. When my now-Brooklyn
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 Downtowner
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In this political climate, it’s easy to moan about the coarsening of our common culture. So let’s take a moment to consider the recent attendance news out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New numbers crunched by the museum show that the Met had an extraordinary year in 2015, cementing its role as the top tourist destination in the city. Three exhibitions last year -China: Through the Looking Glass, The Roof Garden Commission: Pierre Huyghe, and Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends — generated an estimated $946 million in spending in New York, according to the museum’s visitor survey. That is the highest number ever reported by the museum -- and worth celebrating at a time when so much else of what we see has taken on the feel of a reality TV show. What it shows, in our view, is that enduring quality, curated by experts and presented with intelligence, can still win out. Some other numbers: During the 2015 fiscal year, the museum welcomed a record 6.3 million visitors, 26% of them from NYC, and 74% from outside the five boroughs. This year, for the first time, the economic impact study included a separate section for New York City residents who visit the met, asking about the importance of different factors in their decision to live in the city. Sixty-seven percent indicated that cultural attractions are important in their decision to live in New York City. All worth remembering, especially now. So turn off the TV, close out of Twitter, and head over to Fifth Avenue. Six million people can’t be wrong.
WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
9-16
MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: POLICE OFTEN FAIL TO FOLLOW STOP-ANDFRISK STIPULATIONS
City police neglected to report the reason for stopping a person and questioning them more than one-fourth of the time, in violation of department policy,
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The New York Times reported after reviewing paperwork ďŹ led for hundreds of the stops. Supervisors approved the paperwork for so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;stop-
and-friskâ&#x20AC;? encounters most of the time, even if the reason for the stop was missing, the newspaper reported. The report also noted that police seldom wrote up the stop, also a violation of policy. The Timesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; report followed the release of audits that examined stop-andfrisk activity in 2015, which were detailed in a report by a federal monitor. The report was made for a judge overseeing mandated changes to how the police conduct the stops. The Times said the audits suggest city police is still struggling to ensure standard interactions with people observe Constitutional rights. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is apparent from focus group sessions and discussions with individual officers throughout the ranks that many police officers, including supervisors, are not well informed as yet about the changes underway or the reasons for them and, therefore, have yet to internalize them,â&#x20AC;? the monitor, Peter Zimroth, wrote to Judge Analisa Torres in a letter accompanying his report, The Times said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many appear not to understand what is expected of them.â&#x20AC;?
LUXURY RETAIL WILL REPLACE WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SHELTER A real estate developerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to convert a historic NoHo building that currently houses a womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shelter into a luxury retail store received approval from the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Landmarks Preservation Commission, DNAinfo reported. The building, at 350 Lafayette St., is home to one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most highly regarded womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shelters, offering assistance to women with histories of serious mental illness, the news site reported. It was purchased last July by Aby Rosen and will be converted by architect Annabelle Selldorf into a 13,052 square foot space for a single retail tenant, DNAinfo said. Because of the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landmark status, the architect will also have to get approval from the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Landmarks Preservation Committee, as well as make an appeal to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board of Standards and Appeals to have over 10,000 square feet of retail below the second story in an area zoned for manufacturing, DNAinfo reported. The shelter will move to another site,
and the shelterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director of development told DNAinfo that they hope to close on a property soon.
SUBWAY PLATFORM SAFETY DOORS TO BE TESTED The L train platform at 14th St. and Sixth Avenue could be the location for an MTA test program to install screen doors at subway stations to prevent passengers from falling on the tracks, DNAinfo reported. MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz told DNAinfo that the agency is in the process of implementing a pilot program for one station. The goal is to improve customer and crew safety as well as reduce the trash and debris that ends up on the tracks, DNAinfo reported. While numerous deaths and injuries have occurred after commuters fall, jump, or are pushed onto the tracks, the MTA said the cost of installing these sliding doors at every station would be astronomical, the publication reported. These doors are already in use at AirTrain stations in Queens.
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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG
TRUCK DRIVER ARRESTED IN PEDESTRIAN CRASH A truck driver has been arrested after he struck and killed a pedestrian in front of the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. The New York Police Department says 51-year-old Carlos Torres on a charge of failing to yield to a pedestrian. Police said 48-year-old Elise Marie Lachowyn was crossing 11th Avenue near West 37th Street around 10 a.m. when she was struck by the dump truck that was turning left. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Witness Joe Irizarry told the New York Post that Lachowyn was wearing a hood when she stepped out into the street. It wasn’t immediately clear
STATS FOR THE WEEK
WOOSTER SHEAR
Week to Date
A visitor from New Hampshire had his car stolen faster than in a New York minute. At 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5, a 51-year-old man from Peterborough, parked his light blue 2012 Toyota Prius with electronics and other items inside in front of 35 Wooster St. When he returned to the car to retrieve his wallet about 30 minutes later, the vehicle was gone. There was no broken glass at the scene. Police searched the area but could not locate the missing vehicle or the property inside the car. Inside the Prius, which is valued at $14,000, were a MacBook Pro priced at $4,000, clothes worth $4,000, $2,500 in cash, 20 harmonicas valued at $450, portable speakers worth $250, an acoustic guitar tagged at $150 and a cooler priced at $100, making a total heist of $25,450. The car was bearing New Hampshire plates 31438. And two days later, a man had his car broken nearby. Just after midnight on Sunday, Feb. 7, a 20-year-old man parked
2016 2015
% Change
2016
2015
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
Rape
0
0
n/a
2
0
n/a
Robbery
2
2
0.0
7
4
75.0
Felony Assault
1
0
n/a
3
3
0.0
Burglary
5
4
25.0
12
22
-45.5
Grand Larceny
21
10
110.0
120
84
42.9
at 203 Spring St., removed merchandise from a store rack and tried to leave the store without paying. A 39-year-old male store employee stopped the man, at which time the suspect hit the employee in his left leg, causing substantial pain and a cut to his hand. The employee told police that the suspect appeared to be accompanied by a woman who stepped outside during the incident. The suspect then ran west on Spring. Police searched the area but could not locate the robber or the stolen goods. The items stolen were two packs of Cheetos.
Grand Larceny Auto
1
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
ANTISOCIAL MEDIA
whether Torres had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
Reported crimes from the 1st Precinct for Feb. 1 to Feb. 7
his black 2015 Infiniti Q 40 in front of 15 Wooster St. When he returned at 4 a.m., the rear passenger’s-side window had been broken and his belongings, including a Louis Vuitton bag valued at $1,500, a Michael Kors bag worth $700, a Burberry jacket priced at $400, a Michael Kors wallet tagged at $300, along with a New York State driver’s license and various debit cards, had been taken.
Year to Date
PHOTO LOOT A photographer had nearly $4,000 of equipment stolen as he worked an early morning job on Feb. 6. The man had parked his black 2011 Lexus RX in front of 6 Greene St. before heading off to make pictures at the Haus nightclub nearby. When he returned at 3:15 a.m., the rear passenger’s-side window had been broken and a Blackmagic production camera, a brown
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leather jacket, a Pentax 50 mm 1.4 lens, an Ikan monitor, and an SSD drive, representing a total value of $3,749, were missing.
CHEETO BANDITO A shoplifter resorted to violence as he tried to steal two bags of chips from a Spring Street shop. At 7:14 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3, a 25-year-old man entered the Spring Iconic Sweet store
There apparently are perils to using social media. Just after midnight on Saturday, Feb. 6, a 30-year-old man was checking Facebook on his cell phone inside 200 Broadway when an unknown man grabbed the phone and ran into the Fulton Street subway station. A search of the area failed to turn up the thief or the stolen phone. The snatched cell was a Samsung Galaxy S valued at $100.
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AT DOG SHOW, A SHORTAGE OF CITY PUPS NEWS Breeders cite difficulties of breeding dogs in Manhattan BY JENNIFER PELTZ
In the dog world, Angela Reilly is a rare breed. Like many show-dog owners, Reilly has bred her own puppies. But she did it in a Manhattan apartment. She’s among the relatively few big-city dwellers who aim to breed dogs like those at the Westminster Kennel Club show, where one of Reilly’s Cardigan Welsh corgis has won awards. With shared walls and city sidewalks instead of a country spread or suburban property, Reilly camped out at a veterinarian friend’s New Jersey home to await her first litter’s birth last fall. She covered her two-bedroom apartment in plastic wrap for the pups’ weekend visits. Now, with two adult dogs and a puppy she’s keeping, she rotates one dog at a time to her mom’s Connecticut home, since Reilly has set herself a two-dog limit to avoid antagonizing neighbors and having more leashes than arms. “Everything is more difficult” for urban breeders, says Reilly, who juggles dog care with a banking career (two of her
dogs: Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae). ”It’s a struggle to make it all work, but for me, it’s all about the dogs.” Big-city breeders say they have the same goals as their more countrified cohorts: Nurturing healthy animals that exemplify their breed’s traits and history. But city life presents special obstacles beyond the expense and work involved in conscientious dog breeding anywhere. There are space squeezes. Close quarters. Tricky trash situations. Even some who do it occasionally think they’re nuts. “Absolutely,” laughs longtime Labrador retriever owner Micki Beerman of Brooklyn. “But it’s great.” She’s bred Labs since 1987, first in a two-bedroom apartment and now in a house 13 feet wide. She and wife Linda Pensabene currently share it with five Labs, while another one they bred lives down the block. While other breeders may have acres of land and a freestanding kennel, Beerman’s pups are born (dogfolk say “whelped”) in a big, specially outfitted box in the couple’s kitchen. There’s little distance from whatever the little dogs, well, do. “When they poop, all the house stinks, so you really have to be conscious of everything
and pick up immediately,” says Beerman, a retired teacher who has sent dogs to Westminster. The quick-cleanup rule also goes for the small backyard, since neighbors are close by. There are no firm statistics on the number of dog breeders in highly urban settings, but they tend to be scant on breeder lists maintained by fanciers’ clubs. And no wonder: In Manhattan, for instance, many buildings limit the number or total weight of dogs per apartment, notes Barbara Fox, a real estate broker and dog rescuer. The American Kennel Club, the nation’s oldest purebred dog registry, urges all breeders to meet standards that include daily exercise and clean premises but doesn’t take sides on urban vs. rural environments. Nor does the Humane Society of the United States, though it urges people to adopt rather than buy dogs. To be sure, there are critics of breeding dogs in any setting. “We don’t feel that there is such a thing as breeding responsibly when there are so many animals dying in shelters,” says Daphna Nachminovitch, a senior vice president of animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Breeders such as Reilly and Beerman note that they’ve produced only occasional lit-
ters, largely to seek more show dogs for themselves. And they emphasize that it takes a major commitment of care and cash. It costs thousands of dollars for genetic and hormone tests, breeding fees, ultrasounds, vet visits and puppy inoculations. A small litter -- common for some breeds -- can leave a breeder in the red. Even with litters as large as nine pups, Beerman says she’s never made money. But urban breeders say they benefit in other ways. After buying a Chinese shar-pei with serious health problems, Maria Johnson researched breeders more carefully before getting her next puppy. He was healthy, turned out to have dog-show game and made her wonder what his offspring would be like. In breeding two litters over five years at her home with a small fenced yard in Newark, New Jersey, Johnson has learned a few lessons, such as: Don’t put the whelping box in your master bathroom if you plan on getting sleep. “You have to love it” to do it, she says, but she’s seen the rewards. So, for that matter, so did the Westminster judges. One of Johnson’s first puppies, a showman she named Deniro, grew up to win breed awards on the show’s green carpet.
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Our Perspective Grocery Worker Retention Act Provides Security in Supermarket Industry By Stuart Appelbaum, President Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW
E
CRANE SAFETY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 larly during high wind conditions.” The Department of Buildings told this newspaper there are currently 53 active tower cranes in New York City and 25 active crawler cranes. “Inspections are often done during installation, boom extensions, crane jumps and breakdown,” said a DOB spokesperson. “In addition, there are unannounced sweep inspections and complaint driven inspections.” “During inclement weather, the [DOB] will also often conduct inspections,” he added. The DOB said there are currently 11 crane inspectors operating citywide and there is currently no backlog on inspection requests. One week after the accident, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
that the city, amid a record construction boom, will be quadrupling penalties for safety violations at construction sites and embarking on a massive enforcement sweep involving 100 newly hired inspectors. The city it will raise penalties for serious safety lapses from $2,400 to $10,000, and the penalty for lacking a construction superintendent will increase from $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000. The city will now mandate construction superintendents for projects under 10 stories. According to de Blasio’s office, construction has surged more than 300 percent since 2009, which has led to an increase in construction-related injuries and fatalities. “No building is worth a person’s life,” said de Blasio. “We have a responsibility to keep the men and women who are building New York City safe. We are ramping up inspections
and oversight to make sure that our workers have added protections. We do not accept any loss of life in this business as inevitable or acceptable.” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer also slammed what she sees as lax safety oversight at job sites, particularly those involving cranes. “While [this] crane collapse appears to have occurred in the midst of prudent efforts to lower and secure the crane against winds, the fact remains that this is the second work siterelated death in as many days,” Brewer said. “This is unacceptable, and we must do better.” Brewer announced her intention to work with labor leaders, developers, construction safety experts, and other elected officials to address what she called a “spike in construction accidents though legislation, rule changes, and better city enforcement.” She said she is meeting with
the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement agencies to explore how to strengthen construction safety. Councilmember Margaret Chin, in whose district the accident occurred, also extended her condolences to Wichs’ family and thanked first responders. “This incident is a tragic reminder of the importance of coordinating an ever increasing number of construction projects in densely packed neighborhoods downtown,” she said, before calling for a stop to plans to close the Dept. of Transportation’s downtown command center, “which is needed now more than ever, as this tragedy so powerfully illustrates. I will continue to fight on behalf of downtown residents who are living every day with non-stop construction.”
arlier this month, Mayor de Blasio signed the Grocery Worker Retention Act (GWRA) into law. The new law is a victory for the 50,000 people in New York City who work in supermarkets, and it is a victory for the city’s consumers. We applaud the mayor and the city council for bringing much-needed security for workers in the supermarket industry, and for passing common-sense legislation that protects all of us. The GWRA provides for a 90-day transition period to eligible employees following a change in ownership of a grocery store. And you don’t have to look very hard to find examples why we needed this law in this volatile industry. In December, 2013, workers at the Trade Fair Supermarket in Queens found out they’d be getting coal for the holidays. The 50 hardworking men and women at the store reported Law brings to work, only to find out that much- needed the store had suddenly been sold — and that they were security for now jobless and had to leave workers in a the property immediately. The new owner was under no volatile obligation to hire them back, industry. and longtime shoppers at the store now had unfamiliar faces handling their food and tasked with keeping the store clean. And last year, thousands of supermarket workers in New York were affected when the A&P chain declared bankruptcy. Stores including Pathmark, Waldbaum’s, Food Emporium, and Food Basics —52 in all — were affected. Many of those stores closed, and many others changed hands. Thousands of workers lost their jobs in an instant. In both cases, workers — through no fault of their own, and many of them members of the RWDSU — lost their jobs without any notice. They and their families suffered because of a sudden loss of pay and benefits. And, communities were put at risk by the loss of skilled and experienced supermarket workers who knew best how to serve stores’ customers, and most importantly, knew how to properly and safely handle the food that New Yorkers buy and eat every day. The transition period provided by the GWRA will give New York City grocery workers valuable time to prepare for their future. But, there are more than 175,000 grocery store workers throughout New York State. That’s why the RWDSU supports the passage of a statewide grocery store worker retention law. The state’s grocery store workers and millions of shoppers deserve the same protection as those in New York City.
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For more information, visit
www.rwdsu.org
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FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
TAKING CARE OF THE SOUL Art installation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center inspired by late young man’s poetry BY EMILY TOWNER
“Wordfall,” a site-specific art installation inspired by Brendan Ogg’s poetry, conceived of by Francie Hester and Lisa Hill. It hangs in the lobby of the Josie Robertson Surgery Center at Sloan Memorial Kettering Cancer Center on York Avenue. Photo: Greg Staley
When Brendan Ogg, an aspiring writer on the cusp of adulthood, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, he drew on his love of writing to deal with his hardship. Now his work, and his words, will inspire countless others facing serious illness. Brendan was just 20 years old when he died in February of 2010, but his words and spirit live on through a series of art installations created using a collection of his posthumously published poetry. Brendan grew up in a Maryland suburb and graduated from Albert Einstein High School in 2007 before going on to major in English at the University of Michigan. He was always a writer, writing both prose and poetry since he was 7. It was during his sophomore year in college, when he began to have headaches, that doctors found a tumor. After five brain surgeries early in his treatment, Brendan began rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore before moving to the Smith Center for Healing and The Arts in Washington, D.C. It was there that he attended a poetry workshop, where he wrote some of his most powerful poems. “What that did for him was remind him that he has this gift,” said his mother, Jackie Ogg. “He said ‘Who knows if I have a month, a year, or 10 years, this is what I want to be doing, getting back to school, taking poetry classes.’” By the time the tumor grew back 14 months later, Brendan had impressed a number of people with his writing. Eventually, a collection of his poems, “Summer Becomes Absurd,” was published by Finishing Line Press. “In the ripple of people that he touched were two of our artist friends, Francie Hester and Lisa Hill,” said Jackie, a board member for the Smith Center and the cofounder and contributor
for the project-based community Words as Legacy. “Lisa did an abstract rendering of Brendan’s chapbook and they both created a series of art installations inspired by Brendan’s work.” “Wordfall,” the initial exhibition in New York, was installed in the lobby of the Josie Robertson Surgery Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on York Avenue and unveiled in December. “Wordfall” is comprised of more than 80,000 paper clips, hand wrapped in paper on which Brendan’s poetry is printed. Each paper clip is linked to create hundreds of black and white, amber and gold strands that cascade from ceiling to floor. “We took six of his poems and we laced the words on top of each other,” Hester said. The work symbolizes the psychological ups and downs one might encounter during illness, she said, and also echo the tone of Brendan’s poetry, which moves from a sense of acknowledged mortality to an embrace of life. “The lacing goes from dark to light, from confusion to clarity,” Hester said. Jackie said that this transition “not only mirrors the writing process, but also speaks to Brendan’s recovery after his brain surgeries and his ability to find his voice again.” It also reflects Brendan’s sentiments shortly after receiving his diagnosis. “I want the doctors to take care of the medicine, and I’ll take care of the spirit,” Jackie said he told her. Fr iends, fa m i ly a nd strangers alike got together to hand wrap all 80,000 pieces to complete the initial installation. “The wrapping circles began at [Brendan’s] high school, at local bookstores outside of D.C., and they kept growing,” Hester said, “They started to take on a greater spiritual significance. People were talking, healing, sharing their stories.” In March, a second installation, “Wordfall: Currents,” will be unveiled. It will coincide with the opening of the Teen and
Detail of “Wordfall,” a site-specific art installation inspired by Brendan Ogg’s poetry, conceived of by Francie Hester and Lisa Hill. It hangs in the lobby of the Josie Robertson Surgery Center at Sloan Memorial Kettering Cancer Center on York Avenue. Photo: Greg Staley Young Adult Lounge at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The exhibit will spiral around the staircase, showcasing Brendan’s poetry on iridescent toned links of blue and green paperclips. Nina Pickett, administrator of the Center’s Department of Pediatrics, called it a “match made in heaven by Brendan.” She orchestrated the installation of “Wordfall: Currents” after meeting Jackie Ogg. “It really resonated because we were creating this lounge,” Pickett said when told of the context of the original installation, a lounge that would cater to this isolated group of patients aged 15-30. “This poetry was so beautiful in its messaging, and there was such gravitas to it being written by a 19-year-old. I needed to connect this somehow.” Once again, “Wordfall: Currents” will draw on the therapeutic powers of art and community. “The teen and young adult lounge installation is going to be an interactive project,” said Susan Eley, who owns and runs a salon-style gallery on the Upper West Side and helped connect the dots
between the artists, the installation and the hospital. “The patients in the cancer center will be wrapping the paper clips and creating the artwork, cultivating a shared goal. We want to promote healing through art.” Starting this week, patients will begin lacing the poems on paperclips. They will work with the artists to explore themes of movement and build on the concept of words and the fluidity of time. When the installations is finished, it will resemble a shimmering waterfall of words and wisdom. “When you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, you have a stop and start, but the rest of your life gains this spirit of fluidity, like a waterfall,” Hester said. It is in this spirit, Jackie Ogg said, Brendan’s poetry can encourage and inspire others to persevere. “For me, in some ways [the installation] will be a portrait of Brendan,” she said. “It’s shattered, fragmented, and in pieces, but it transitions from him being here to keeping elements of him here, and that is really beautiful.”
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
middle daughter lived in the West Village and once ran the marathon, the little dry cleaner/laundromat on Waverly Place taped a sign in the window wishing her and a couple other neighborhood runners good luck. On the corner of that street is a small bookstore. My daughter used to stop in it almost every day. There’s no small bookstore in my neighborhood. And as of a month or two ago, five small shops have closed, all in a row, right across the street from my building. A very popular Italian sandwich place, a quirky vintage dress shop, a pizza place, a wonderfully welcoming Chinese laundry, and an Irish bar they said was a cop bar. They’re all dark now. They’re being dismantled. There’s scaffolding up. The three and four stories of great, old brick apartments are being gutted. I’ll miss looking at, or sensing at least, the different shades of brick on them and the zigzag fire escapes. There’s no look better than that to my eyes. What’s planned for the half block that’s being razed is a 20-story apartment building. That means 300-400 more people on the block with five fewer stores. I wonder what will go on the ground floor. Or will it just be another colorless
something
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building that’s advertised in the Sunday Times magazine? What if they forget the letter they meant to mail? Will they go back up to get it? I live on the second floor of my normal-size building. You can’t beat it. They might think it’ll all be worth it for the view. A friend of mine lived outside Denver where he said when he’d go to the kitchen sink for a glass of water he could often see moose out the window. After awhile, he said, you’d just get your water and not think to look. Same thing will happen in those tall buildings. But then the only view those residents really want is the one of themselves living there. Like people in an expensive watch ad. When my friends from Cleveland, where I lived after college before moving here almost 20 years ago, ask what it’s like living here, I tell them it’s like living in my small hometown. It is. More than Cleveland was, with its mall-oriented, car-driven way of life. Here it’s neighborhoods that are like little towns. Alistair Cooke once said, ‘New York is the biggest collection of villages in the world’. I, like you, want them, knowing we’re impossibly wishing, to stay busy and small-scale and familiar, like that life-giving Main Street of mine. Bill Gunlocke is the editor of the blog acityreader@blogspot. com. His Street Level column will appear here bi-weekly
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monolith like I’d normally cross the street to avoid if I were on one of my walks? ‘You swallow hard when you discover that the old coffee shop is now a chain pharmacy, that the place where you first kissed so-and-so is now a discount electronics retailer, that where you bought this very jacket is now rubble behind a blue plywood fence and a future office building. Damage has been done to your city. You say, ‘’It happened overnight.’’ But of course it didn’t. Your pizza parlor, his shoeshine stand, her hat store: when they were here, we neglected them. For all you know, the place closed down moments after the last time you walked out the door. (Ten months ago? Six years? Fifteen? You can’t remember, can you?) And there have been five stores in that spot before the travel agency. Five different neighborhoods coming and going between then and now, other people’s other cities. Or 15, 25, 100 neighborhoods. Thousands of people pass that storefront every day, each one haunting the streets of his or her own New York, not one of them seeing the same thing.’ Colson Whitehead, The Colossus of New York Kurt Vonnegut once called New York ‘ Skyscraper National Park.’ He should see it now. You wonder who wants to live in one of those Cape Canaveral buildings. Is their vanity so driving them that they’ll wait for the elevators to the 50th floor just so they can live in a
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FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Voices
Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.
DEFENDING THE AMNH
To the Editor: Comparing the Museum of Natural History to Exxon (Voices Op-Ed, Jan. 21), is quite odd and extreme point of view. I grew up and lived in the Upper West Side for 40 years and for 22 years I lived on the Upper East Side. All these years I have been visiting the museum and I still delight in all it has taught me. I can honestly say the museum sealed my love for nature and its preservation. And as a
Poem THANK GOD FOR NEW YORK CITY BY DAVE SWEENEY
When it snows hard it makes me witty I see there is no respite which is quite right Too much slush and we become like a lush Because order is gone and we are no longer strong Fortunately this is not prolonged Because our government is good Yes, even in the hood City streets are cleaned for our walking feet Our cars can drive; and not just the elite We are treated like stars and the response does not come from Mars by taking days putting us in a skeptical haze No, City Hall does not stall and let us fall Their reaction is action galore hitting every neighborhood door to door Seeing what is needed to restore life as we expect before the winter gives us more than a pain in the neck So, what the heck! We’re all in this train wreck together because of the adverse weather So much was done right to minimize our fright We didn’t lose power; that could have been torture hour to hour No one missed taking a hot shower; or else there would have been a collective holler So there’s no need for self pity Because Thank God for New York City
UNLEASH YOUR INNER POET Do you have a poem you’d like to share with your neighbors? Email it to us at news@strausnews.com
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great gift to New Yorkers the AMNH has Central Park as its front yard. I don’t understand the logic or reasoning Dr Goodman uses in forming this opinion and comparison. I detect not a shred of objectivity in it Dr. Goodman, am I to believe this AMNH activity is driving the coming social, racial and ecological breakdown of the UWS? Frederick Michel W. 103 Street
THE HIGH SCHOOL HAMSTER WHEEL HIGH SCHOOL DIARY BY ZEKE BRONFMAN
As I write this article, I am on a train to Harvard University for a Model United Nations Conference. This is not my first conference; I have been to four in my first two years of high school. But for the first time I find myself dreading the long committee sessions, the late nights, and the perpetual cloud of boredom that will surely follow me around all weekend. I originally joined the Model UN club because I was fascinated by geopolitics, loved debating policy, and enjoyed coming up with comprehensive solutions to real life problems while learning the important skill of diplomacy. I still love those things, but for a variety of reasons, I no longer love Model UN. If I don’t enjoy the club anymore, why don’t I simply stop attending? It is not required; I choose to be a part of it. The truth is, I did think about dropping the club and I decided against it. Here is why: Having already dedicated hours of work as well as weekends over the first two years of high school, quitting now would feel like a waste. It feels as though the benefit of being in the club when college application time comes outweighs the burden of spending a few days a year less stimulated than I
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would like to be. Too often we forget that the purpose of high school is not to get into college. Indeed, I am disappointed with myself for remaining in a club knowing that the main motivation is how it might look on my college application. It definitely isn’t the advice I would give to a friend. But, as an ambitious 16-year-old who wants to keep pace with my peers, I feel as though I almost don’t have a choice. I was scrolling through Facebook today, and I was taken by a video in which one jellybean for each day of the average person’s life was piled up into a huge mound. A jellybean for each day a person spends sleeping over the course of their life was taken away, then one was taken away for each day an average human spends working, driving, eating, commuting, showering. And suddenly that incomprehensible mound of jellybeans transformed into just a handful. This video, especially when coupled with a long train ride where I can look out the window and pretend I am in a movie, as well as the conference I am about to reluctantly attend, have made me reflect on the last two years. I realized that if I could go back and change one thing, it honestly wouldn’t have been to study more for that test I did badly on, or to spend a little more
President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope editor.ot@strausnews.com Fred Almonte Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com
time writing that one essay. It would have been to live more in the moment, to not get caught up in the artificial and persistent grind of daily life. If I could impart one piece of advice on a rising ninth grader it would be just that. This probably isn’t the advice a parent or college advisor would be giving, but from one high-school student to another, trust me. The reason we are so caught up in all of this schoolwork is because it is the only way to quantify the personal growth that we spend our lives seeking. But personal growth is about so much more than getting a 99 on a test, or getting into Stanford. It is about when you don’t get into Stanford and you have to make the best of plan B. Or plan C. I am not saying that personal accolades aren’t important, because I believe that they are. All I am saying is sometimes it pays to to put down the textbook, accept a lower grade, and live your life. Zeke Bronfman is a high school student in Manhattan.
ARE YOU A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WITH A STORY TO TELL? Email it to us at news@strausnews. com
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Block Mayors Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
“THERE MUST BE SOMEONE WHO CAN GIVE MORE KIDS THE CHANCE TO GO TO COLLEGE.”
Photo: Marcel Oosterwijk, via flickr
SOMETHING HAPPENED, SOMETHING CHANGED SENIOR LIVING BY MARCIA EPSTEIN
Just as my 12-year-old granddaughter will have to get used to the new body she will inhabit for the rest of her life, so I will have to get used to my new body (and brain; a wee tad of memory problems anyone?). Neither of us has acquired this body overnight, and its changes haven’t occurred in leaps and bounds. Rather, they are small and incremental, until one day both of us have realized that something has happened, something has changed. In my granddaughter’s case, it is puberty creeping up quickly. In my case, it’s old age and its much less exciting ramifications. I haven’t had a cataclysmic event like a fractured hip or a heart attack. I count myself lucky. The worst surgery I’ve had so far is the removal of two cataracts. But new things hurt every day, new areas are stiff and sore and thus bring again the realization of what I was once able to do and can’t anymore. I once liked to play tennis. That’s out! I can hardly run to catch a bus. My knees won’t cooperate. The doctor tells me I’ve shrunk almost 3 inches. Holy cow, three inches? I must sit down every 3 or 4 blocks to let my back unkink. I find I am taking afternoon naps. I used to laugh at my father when I found him snoring in the easy chair after dinner.
My children are middle-aged. Inside, I still feel middle-aged, or even younger. As someone once said, “I still feel like the young me, but no one else sees it.” So true. And yet, not true also. I’ve lived through enough to know that my life has been long and full, good and bad, full of events and decisions that my older self rues. Am I wiser? Perhaps. But some poor decisions led to what I have now, such as my two wonderful children and four delightful grandchildren. So who’s to say that being unwise when young is always bad? A friend of mine said she was searching for role models on how to grow old. We are the same age, and I fully understand what she means. What kind of old lady do we want to be? I think I’d like to be like Ruth Bader Ginsburg; wickedly smart and accomplished and not afraid to say what she thinks. I’ve never been a fashionista, never was one of the pretty, popular girls, so in a way old age may be easier for me. The words “elective surgery” don’t register in my brain. I don’t want to recreate what I had because I never really had it and I never really cared too much. In my brain I might see myself in a silky evening gown, but in my life I still wear jeans and sneakers. And I prefer it that way. My role models are strong women who speak their minds and have an individual look which is not one of youth but of intelligence, feistiness
and individuality. There is no such thing as “an old person.” We are each individually old, as we were individually children, teenagers and adults. We don’t experience old age identically. Germaine Greer said that “Nobody ages like anybody else.” What do we really have in common except an accumulation of years and ailments. Although we may (or may not) be wiser as we get older, I think we remain pretty much who we always were. Though invisible to youth, we don’t feel that much different from the people we once were. Our bodies might, but go to any high school reunion. Don’t we see the Bobby or Johnny we knew, rather than the balding guy with the nametag Bob or John? Oh, at first we’re shocked by the change, but it doesn’t take long to revert to who we once were. At my own reunion, I was still wary of the popular girl, though I told myself I was being ridiculous. Getting old is a process, unless one has a big event, such as a heart attack or stroke, which catapults one into old age all at once. I’ve heard it said that after 70 it’s patch, patch, patch. A new ache here, a new pain there. If you’re lucky, aging is gradual, with incremental physical, and perhaps mental, losses. There’s no getting around it; it’s going to happen. But what the hey, say I. Aren’t I just myself, who happens now to be old?
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New York Public Library, 9 Murray St. 1-1:45 p.m. Free Scientific studies show that just 10 minutes of meditation a day relieves stress and improves your health and well-being. Take time out of your busy schedule to to learn meditation. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2016/02/18/ moment-zen-meditation-group
BLUES, SWING, AND BOOGIE WOOGIE PIANO ► Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza 7:30-9:30 p.m. $29 Spend an evening recapturing the early American Art form of the blues, swing and the boogie woogie style of piano playing. 212-346-1715. www.pace. edu/schimmel
Sat 20 ADRIAN KNIGHT + TIGUE: DAY TRIP
crime news, real estate prices - all about your part of town
The Wild Project, 195 East Third St., at Ave. A Noon-10 p.m. Free, noon-4 p.m.; $8, 4-7 p.m.; $16, after 7 p.m. Day Tripis a ten-hour performance/installation by Swedish composer Adrian Knight and the percussion trio TIGUE. 212-352-3101. www. thewildproject.com/
Cultural Events in and around where you live (not Brooklyn, not Westchester)
ART EXHIBITION
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The Wild Project, 195 East Third St., at Ave. A Noon-6 p.m. Free In conjunction with AMF 2016, an exhibition of works by Kathleen White, created in dialog with the traditions of musical notation, will be on view in Wild Project’s gallery space. 212-352-3101. www. thewildproject.com/
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ZANELE MUHOLI EXHIBITION ▲ Gallatin Galleries, 1 Washington Place, at Broadway 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Free An exhibit of photographer Zanele Muholi’s work in the Gallatin Galleries. events.nyu.edu/#event_ id/92272/view/event
HANS TAMMEN & THE THIRD EYE ELECTRIC BAND RESIDENCY South Street Seaport, Pier 17 8 p.m.-Midnight. Free Unsettling, frantic and antisentimental, Hans Tammen’s Third Eye Electric Band. www.outtosee.org/
Greenwich House Music, 46 Barrow St. 4 p.m.-6 p.m. $20 GENIUS #CHOPIN is a theatrical concert about the genius of the celebrated composer and the genius within us, with six scenes in six different times & places with 13 characters telling the story of one composer. www.geniuschopin.eventbrite. com
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
FAMILY FUN: KIDS SECRET AGENT 23 SKIDOO
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Abigail Disney. www.events.newschool.edu/ event/armor_of_light_film_ screening_qa_session_with_ filmmaker_abigail_disney
Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza 3 p.m.-5 p.m. $20; students, $10 Combining the excitement of hip hop with the magical world of childhood, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is a one of a kind, stand out star in the family music scene. JUDE TRAXLER: 212-346-1715. www. schimmel.pace.edu/events/ BLOWBACK (AND secret-agent-23-skidoo-family- OTHER MISHAPS) fun-performance The Wild Project, 195 East Third St., at Ave. A 8 p.m. $12 World premiere of composer/ percussionist Jude Traxler’s virtuosic Blowback (and other mishaps), for percussion quartet and “roaming click track,” BEHIND THE SCENES performed by Mangobot. 212-352-3101. www. OF FIDDLER ON THE thewildproject.com/ ROOF
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Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place 6:30 p.m. $15; $12, members and students Rediscover the joy of one of the greatest American musicals at a special evening of conversation and songs from the Broadway revival. www.mjhnyc.org/calendar_ feb16.html#fiddler
ARMOR OF LIGHT FILM SCREENING Arnhold Hall Room I202, 55 West 13th St. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Free Abigail Disney’s directorial debut follows the journey of an Evangelical minister trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. Q&A session with
DANGER AND DESIRE ON THE SAVAGE MOUNTAIN NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place 7:30 p.m. $35-$70 NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts and National Geographic Live are pleased to present Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, the first woman to scale the earth s 14 highest mountain peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen, in an adventure-packed multimedia presentation www.nyuskirball.org/calendar/ natgeokaltenbrunner
MALCOLM LOW/ FORMAL STRUCTURE Gibney Dance, 280 Broadway, at Chambers St. 8 p.m. $20; seniors/students/ members $15 Malcolm Low’s new work draws upon his experience of growing up gay in a religious black family. Speakeasy imagines a utopian environment where the challenges of confronting race, homophobia, shame, and loss give way to clarity and candor. www.gibneydance.org/ performance/making-spacespring-2016/malcolm-lowformal-structure/
GLOBAL/LOCAL 1960– 2015: SIX ARTISTS FROM IRAN NYU’s Grey Art Gallery, 100 Washington Square East 11 a.m.-8 p.m. $3 Global/Local 1960–2015: Six Artists from Iran features works by three generations of Iranian artists born between 1937 and 1982. The exhibition presents some ten works each by six artists examining their individual artistic practices through shared aspects of their Persian heritage, such as ornamentation, poetry, architecture, and Sufism. 212-998-6780. www.events. nyu.edu/#event_id/83919
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
FALL UNDER THE POWER OF PRINTS AT THE MET Religious scenes, baseball cards, Moulin Rouge ads, some rarely seen, among the museum’s now centuryold collection BY MARY GREGORY
“The Death of the Virgin” is part of a wall full of Rembrandt’s etchings at the Met. Photo: Adel Gorgy
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s “The Photographer Sescau.” Photo: Adel Gorgy
The Metropolitan started collecting works on paper 100 years ago. To commemorate the anniversary, the museum has put together a collection of their highlights, “The Power of Prints: The Legacy of William M. Ivins and A. Hyatt Mayor.” Boasting hundreds of thousands of works, from medieval manuscripts to subway posters, no other collection has the depth, breadth and unique flavor as the one begun by two early, avid and idiosyncratic curators who are paid homage in the exhibition. Three large galleries are filled with the profoundly beautiful, the oddly curious, and the occasionally funny. William Mills Ivins, the founding curator of the department of prints, and Alpheus Hyatt Mayor, his successor, collected certain works for their importance, others for their beauty, some for their historical relevance, and many for the sense of American culture they were able to convey. The show, organized by associate curator Freyda Spira, covers works from the Medieval and Renaissance through Impressionism, up to the mid-20th century, with pieces as diverse as religious scenes and baseball cards. Some of the earliest pieces fill an extraordinary bookshelf. Manuscripts from the 1400s and 1500s open onto pages adorned with images from early texts on medicine, botany, mathematics, astronomy, travel and artistic techniques. A book on military strategy suggests disguising your battering ram as a dragon to terrify your enemy. A medical volume from 1493 even offers a how-to picture. It’s more than a display of books; it’s a glimpse into the history of human knowledge and ingenuity. Throughout, this is a show made up
Mary Cassatt’s “The Letter,” from 189091. Drypoint and aquatint is both delicate and powerful. Photo: Adel Gorgy of show-stoppers. Three versions of Rembrandt’s 1653 powerful crucifixion scene hang side-by-side, allowing us to follow the changes he made in details, highlights and shadows and see how his vision and the work evolved. Take a look at “The Death of the Virgin” to witness Rembrandt’s ability to employ composition to express deep meaning. The picture is roughly built of two triangles — a dark one on the bottom, filled with people, pointing upwards, and a light filled triangle above, pointing downwards, populated by heavenly beings. The plane on which they meet is where Mary, who belongs fully to neither world and to both, lies. It’s not hard to find images of Albrecht Durer’s “Adam and Eve” (1504) on the web. It’s not easy to find a chance to stand in front of it. Full sized, placed at eye-level, it draws the eye into a paradise of imagery. There are delightful creatures — a mouse and cat, a snaily looking snake with four antennae, a lushly plumed parrot — and the most gorgeous apples imaginable. Mary Cassatt’s “The Letter” looks lovely despite how radical it was when she made it. Next to it, a piece by her good friend, Edgar Degas, shows Cassatt as the subject. In a nighttime scene in Venice, with just a few
scratches of line and washes of shadow, James McNeill Whistler builds a sense of fog and damp so palpable you might look down to see if your feet are wet. An Edward Hopper street scene and a lone figure in an empty bedroom hint of 20th century realities, through that artist’s eyes. The third gallery bursts into color, as though we’ve landed with Dorothy in Oz. Toulouse-Lautrec’s bold pinks and Moulin Rouge advertisements bring us to Belle Époque Paris, while in the States, a posters craze was raging. Magazine and chapbook covers and calendars designed with eye-catching graphics and intense colors passed modernist visions to the masses. One of the points the exhibition tries to bring across is that even these early printed works influenced our current information age. Precursors of the never-ending stream of images coming at us from unexpected sources can be found in two delightful cases filled with carefully preserved objects that were never meant to last. Many were given away to reward or tempt customers. Trading cards, paper toys and memorabilia from events like the 1934 World’s Fair are bright, fun and appealing even today. Pitchers and catchers poised against glowing orange Maxfield Parrish-style skies give baseball a gorgeous allure. What kid wouldn’t have loved finding beautiful pictures of Snow White tucked into a loaf of Donald Duck bread or lithographs of snazzy cars hidden in a cookie box? There’s even a series of cards of movies stars distributed by the Koester Baking Company. Could a young Andy Warhol have been collecting them? It’s interesting to imagine. Seeing 550 years of collective thought expressed in glorious line and brilliant colors reminds us that art is indeed long. But the exhibition, and the chance to see this many masterpieces that, due to their fragility, spend much of their lives out of sight, only runs through May 22nd. Catch it.
TOP5
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
MARBLE COLLEGIATE CHURCH
ORGAN CONCERT SERIES
FOR THE WEEK
Thursdays at 12:30pm in the Sanctuary FREE ADMISSION
BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
February 4 Gregory Zelek organ student, The Juilliard School February 11 David Hurd concert organist February 18 James Kennerley organist/choirmaster, St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
OUR ARTS EDITOR
MUSIC
“THE SYMPHONY OF A THOUSAND” Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 8,” dubbed “The Symphony of a Thousand” for its use of more than 1,000 musicians during its debut, incorporates both medieval hymns and parts of Goethe’s “Faust.” This performance of the 1910 work, which the composer considered his most outstanding feat, features a large orchestra and three choirs, including a children’s choir, along with eight soloists. “The Symphony of A Thousand” Feb. 24-25 The Cathedral of St. John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Ave., at 112th Street 7:30 p.m. Tickets $25-$65 To purchase tickets, visit https://www.stjohndivine.org or call 212-316-7540 for more information
NEW MUSIC FROM IVÁN FISCHER Conductor and composer Iván Fischer presents his new work music “Präludium und Fuge,” a cocommission from Netherlands’ Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and New York’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Feb. 24 and 26 The Morgan Library and Members of St. Luke’s Museum Chamber Ensemble Photo: 225 Madison Orchestra of St. Luke’s Ave., at 36th Street 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10-$48 To purchase tickets, call 212-594-6100 or visit oslmusic.org
THEATER ST. JEAN’S PLAYERS WINTER ONE ACT PLAY FESTIVAL Neighborhood theater group St. Jean’s Players presents five one-act plays, including Anton Chekhov’s “The Brute” and other classics, along with two original plays. Playwright Pamela Robbins’ “The Running” follows two couples as the husbands vie for the same job. In Eugene Lefkowitz’s “Two Fifths,” a retiree applies for a vacant room in a Williamsburg apartment. Feb. 19-21 St. Jean Baptiste High School Auditorium 167 E. 75th St., between Third and Lexington Avenues Feb. 19-20 at 8 p.m.; Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. Tickets $20 Tickets at the box office 30 minutes prior
13
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
February 18 James Kennerley organist/choirmaster, St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church February 25 Mark Jame Pall organ student, Westminster Choir College March 3 Christopher Creaghan associate organist, The Riverside Church
Take a 30-minute lunch break for your soul
FILM AKIRA KUROSAWA’S “RAN” Director Akira Kurosawa conceptualized his 1985 film “Ran,” an adaptation of “King Lear” set in Japan, using his original watercolor paintings as storyboards. The film, newly restored and screening for a week at Film Forum, stars Tatsuya Nakadai, who starred in other films by Kurosawa and director Masaki Kobayashi, as Lord Hidetora. Chris Marker’s documentary about the making of the film also screens, from Feb. 19-25. Feb. 26-March 3 Film Forum 209 W. Houston St., near Varick Street Assorted show times Tickets $14 To purchase tickets, visit filmforum.org or call the box office at 212-727-8110
1 West 29th Street / New York, New York 10001 / 212 686 2770 / MarbleChurch.org
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Behind the Scenes of Fiddler on the Roof
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND, 6:30PM Museum of Jewish Heritage | 36 Battery Pl. | 646-437-4202 | mjhnyc.org
MUSEUMS
Raise the roof, as Fiddler lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and stars of the current revival Danny Burstein and Jessica Hecht, discuss the show and perform a number or two. ($15)
OPEN PLAN: ANDREA FRASER’S “DOWN THE RIVER”
Karen Finley
In her installation “Down the River,” artist Andrea Fraser contrasts the growth of museums with that of prisons using sound recordings from Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. The installation is the first in the museum’s new series “Open Plan,” in which artists take over the museum’s 18,200-square-foot gallery. Feb. 26-March 13 Whitney Museum of American Art 99 Gansevoort St., near Washington Street Museum hours: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; closed Tuesday Admission $22 For more information visit whitney.org To be included in the Top 5 go to otdowntown.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, 6PM NYU Bookstore | 726 Broadway | 212-998-4667 | bookstores.nyu.edu Legendary performance artist Karen Finley comes downtown to discuss Shock Treatment: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition. (Free)
Just Announced | Race for the White House: 1960–Kennedy vs. Nixon
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29TH, 6:30PM N-Y Historical Society | 170 Central Park West | 212-873-3400 | nyhistory.org Catch a celebration of a new CNN series, complete with ’60s music, CNN anchor John Berman in conversation with Professor Timothy Naftali, and a screening of episode one, which tells the story of one of the most memorable of campaign seasons. (Free)
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
14
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS FEB 3 - 12, 2016
Caffe Bene
816 Broadway
A
The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page.
Sweetgreen
8 E 18Th St
A
The Spotted Owl
211 Avenue A
Grade Pending (22) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Augurs Well
115 St Marks Place
A
Raclette
195 Avenue A
Grade Pending (39) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Baker’s Pizza
201 Avenue A
Not Yet Graded (5) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Great Taste Bakery
3335 Catherine Street Closed by Health Department (53) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
Just Salad
98 Maiden Lane
A
Starbucks
130 Fulton Street
A
Rosella’s Pizzeria
164 William Street
Grade Pending (27) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.
Sarabeth’s
339 Greenwich Street A
Combina
330 West Broadway
Tribeca Taphouse
363 Greenwich Street A
Original Puglia Ristorante Italiano
189 Hester Street
Grade Pending (21) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Khe-Yo
157 Duane Street
A
M & W Bakery
85A Bayard Street
A
Gotan
130 Franklin St
Grade Pending (18) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
The Broome
431 Broome St
A
United Grocery & Deli
177 Hudson Street
A
Thalassa
179 Franklin Street
Grade Pending (23) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
A
Smith & Mills
71 North Moore Street
A
Cornerstone
327 Greenwich St
Not Yet Graded (4)
Aux Epices
121 Baxter Street
A
Mon Cher Market
339 Broadway
A
Break Room
83 Baxter St
A
Num Pang Sandwich Shop
200 Water St
A
Black Tap
529 Broome St
A
Dunkin Donuts
132 Nassau St
A
Maison Kayser Bakery
355 Greenwich St
A
Amorino
60 University Place
Shanghai Cuisine
89 Bayard St
A
Grade Pending (20) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Woops! Bakeshop
93 Worth St
A
Tortaria
94 University Place
A
Wong Kee Restaurant
102 Mott St
Grade Pending (25) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
Gong Cha
209 E 14Th St
Not Yet Graded (38) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. No facilities available to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and/or equipment.
Blossom Du Jour
15 E 13Th St
A
Grade Pending (24) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Fraiche Maxx
213 Park Ave S
A
Om
204 Spring St
Not Yet Graded (19) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
No. 142 Bar
142 Sullivan St
Grade Pending (18) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
Noho Star Restaurant
330 Lafayette Street
A
Bruno Ravioli
282284 1 Avenue
Au Za’atar
188 Avenue A
A
The Roost
222 Avenue B
A
Mizu
29 East 20 Street
A
Ray’s Pizza Bagel Cafe
2 Saint Marks Pl
A
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
15
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VOL. 1, ISSUE 40
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VOL. 1, ISSUE 40
WEEK OF OC TOBER
t, Simcha t Torah, Sunday Oct . 4Oct pre exis ting flam . 5 - after 7:12 6:16 PM ww w.c habadu e. For more info PM from a pperea rmation stside.c visit om
VOL. 1, ISSUE 40
FINDIN G STARS IN TH SUBW E AY < CITY AR TS,P.12
Nicole at her Miller fashio spring month n show last Clarks at Skylight Photo on Square. McMu ©Patrick llan
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FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
BUILDINGS CONVERT TO CLEANER FUEL Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Dept. of Environmental Protection announced that all registered buildings have converted from No. 6 heating oil to cleaner burning fuel, resulting in an annual reduction of 1,200 tons of particu-
In Brief NEARLY 800 APPLY FOR SEATS ON MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARDS Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer announced that 785 New Yorkers have applied for membership on Manhattan’s 12 community boards in the 2016 appointment round. The total represents a 9 percent increase in applications over 2015. Of this year’s applications, 527 were from applicants not currently serving on Community Boards, a 12 percent increase over 2015. “It’s thrilling to see so many New Yorkers are ready to volunteer their time, their energy, and their skills to help our borough and our city,” said Brewer. “Community boards are the front line in the fight for affordable housing and quality of life in our neighborhoods. When our boards’ applicant pool grows larger and more diverse, all our neighborhoods benefit.” Applications from those not already serving increased for 7 out of Manhattan’s 12 community boards, with the most dramatic jumps occurring in Community Boards 9 and 10. The applications will be reviewed by the Borough President’s staff and a panel of independent screeners. In February and March, the borough president’s office will host multiple group interview sessions, evaluating applicants in group discussion and problem-solving exercises.
CITY ACCEPTING VISA APPLICATIONS FROM IMMIGRANT CRIME VICTIMS The New York City Commission on Human Rights announced that the agency is now accepting requests for U and T visa certifications, making it the first and only anti-discrimination agency in a major U.S. city to provide the certification. U and T visas allow undocumented immigrant victims of human trafficking and other crimes to remain in country during the investigation process, and provide pathway to legal permanent residence. The U visa allows undocumented immigrant victims of crime to temporarily remain in the U.S. for up to four years while assisting law enforcement in investigations and prosecutions, and provides them with a chance to legally work, integrate into their communities and get on a pathway to lawful permanent residence. The T visa, which applies only to undocumented immigrants who have been trafficked into the United States, allows victims to remain in the U.S. for up to three years to assist in the investigations or prosecutions of trafficking crimes, and also provides a pathway to lawful permanent residence.
late matter emissions – which the city claims will prevent 210 premature deaths and 540 hospitalizations annually. De Blasio and DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd announced that all 5,300 buildings that were
Property
registered as burning Number 6 heating oil in 2011 have converted to a cleaner fuel as of December 31, 2015 – in keeping with their goal of an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the cleanest air of any large U.S. city by 2030. “Climate change is one of the greatest threats we face – and the most vulnerable New Yorkers
are disproportionately impacted,” said de Blasio. “Fully eliminating No. 6 heating oil – the most polluting heating oil – from our buildings is a vital step toward those goals, and we’ll continue to move toward renewables and away from fossil fuels.”
BUILDER IN DEAL WITH FEDS OVER ACCESSIBILITY NEWS Glenwood forced to rebuild parts of Liberty Plaza BY LARRY NEUMEISTER
The first Manhattan highrise residential rental building constructed after the Sept. 11 attacks is promoted online as offering “well-thought out” luxury one-, two- and threebedroom units to accommodate a comfortable and sophisticated lifestyle. But federal prosecutors say the real estate development company that created it left out some important details that would exclude some disabled tenants. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced that Glenwood Management Corp., as part of a consent decree, must reconstruct parts of its 287 units in a building built in 2004 in Manhattan’s financial district. The upgrades would allow people in wheelchairs to maneuver through bathrooms and kitchens, over now-obstructive thresholds and reach mailboxes that are placed too high. The work to be done during the next three years at the 45-story Liberty Plaza and two other residential rental complexes in Manhattan will settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by the federal government to bring Glenwood into compliance with the federal Fair Housing Act. The changes will occur in apartments where one-bedrooms can go for about $3,500 monthly and two-bed-
rooms can cost about $7,000. As part of the deal announced at the same time as the lawsuit, Glenwood also agreed to set aside up to $900,000 to compensate people affected by the lack of accessibility and to pay a $50,000 penalty. The agreement will make 2,500 apartments wheelchair accessible. It also will require Glenwood, one of the city’s biggest residential developers, to inspect six other residential rental complexes it controls in Manhattan and make improvements to accommodate disabled people. Glenwood said improvements already have begun and that the agreement resulted from its extensive cooperation since 2008. “The agreement underscores Glenwood’s commitment to designing and building housing in which all New Yorkers can feel at home,” the company said in a written statement. Glenwood said Liberty Plaza was “seen as a symbol of the rebirth of lower Manhattan.” The company most recently attracted attention when one of its executives testified in Manhattan federal court that he put Adam Skelos, the son of former New York State Senate leader Dean Skelos, in touch with an Arizona company for potential work after he was repeatedly badgered by the Republican senator to help the son. Skelos and his son were convicted in December on extortion charges and are awaiting sentencing.
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
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FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
RESIDENTS DECRY CROSSTOWN BIKE LANE PLAN A contentious Department of Transportation plan to install a protected bike lane on Amsterdam Avenue was approved by 28 to 13, with two abstentions, by Community Board 7 on Feb. 2. The head of an Upper West Side block association said two board members should have abstained from voting because of their association with a bike advocacy group. Photo: Melody Chan
CB7 MEMBERS’ BIKE LANE VOTE QUESTIONED Resident says two should have disclosed affiliation with advocacy group BY MELODY CHAN
The head of an Upper West Side block association has questioned the voting process of Community Board 7’s ultimate approval of a contentious Amsterdam Avenue bicyclelane proposal. Joseph Bolanos, the president of the West 76th Park Block Association, said that two members of the board who voted in favor of the plan, Howard Yaruss and Ken Coughlin, should have disclosed their affiliation with Transportation Alternatives, a bike advocacy group, and abstained from voting. The Department of Transportation’s proposal to install protected bike lanes from West 72nd to West 110th Street, remove a car lane and make other traffic changes passed 28 to 13, with two abstentions on Feb. 2. Yaruss and Coughlin both sit on the board of directors of Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit whose mission is “to reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile” and promote biking, walking and public transit, according to their website. Bolanos, who has lived on West 76th Street for about 40 years, compared their support to that of a real estate developer voting on a development project involving his company. He called the voting process “horrible and broken.” Community Board 7’s bylaws state that members with a business or financial interest in a matter that the board is voting on shall recuse himself
or herself from voting on that issue. The bylaws also note that members “shall not be instructed by, or responsible to, any other organization with which they may be affiliated or to any elected official.” They also say that board members who are officers, directors or employees of “an organization having a matter before the Board, where the Member has discretionary decision-making responsibilities for that organization shall disclose his/her relationship with said organization before speaking or, if not speaking before voting on that matter.” According to a Transportation Alternatives blog post the day after the vote, about 250 TransAlt members and activists attended the meeting at the Goddard Riverside Community Center, including dozens who were told to leave the building because the number of people trying to squeeze into the conference room exceeded fire code regulations. Before the meeting, TransAlt representatives handed out stickers in support of the proposal while others held TransAlt signs inscribed “Safety is the #1 Priority.” The board’s chairwoman, Elizabeth Caputo, declined to comment specifically on Bolanos’ claim but did say that the board took care to ensure a fair and meaningful meeting regarding a divisive issue. Caputo, though, opened a December 2013 board meeting at which the Amsterdam Avenue proposal was to be discussed by asking board members to disclose any affiliation with groups supporting any topic coming before the board.
The Manhattan Borough president, Gale Brewer, who appoints community board members, deferred the matter to the New York Conflict of Interest Board. An advisory opinion from that board states that a member may not vote if they have a business or financial relationship with the organization with a matter before the board. They do not have guidelines for whether or not a member should disclose their affiliation with an organization for the sake of transparency if there is no financial stake. Yaruss and Coughlin both said that they did not think there was any need to disclose their connection to Transportation Alternatives, with Yaruss saying that it was not necessary to disclose since there was not a conflict of interests but, rather, a “consistency of interests.” “Everyone was aware I’m on the board of Transportation Alternatives,” he said. “I’m someone who advocates for safe streets.” Coughlin, referencing the board’s by-laws, said that it was the Department of Transportation, not Transportation Alternatives, that had a matter before the board. He also stressed that board members may have been appointed to CB7 because of their ties with other organizations. Yaruss and Coughlin were affiliated with Transportation Alternatives prior to their respective appointments to CB7. “There is no private vs. public interest,” Coughlin said. “It’s all about what I believe is best for the community.”
BY MICKEY KRAMER
A proposal to install crosstown bike lanes on several Upper East Side streets has provoked an outcry from some residents who say the Department of Transportation plan neglected to account for already heavy traffic along the proposed routes. Pronounced opposition to the plan was heard at a meeting of Community Board 8’s transportation committee earlier this month, with several residents calling DOT’s plan misguided and for more accountability from both cyclists and police regarding traffic laws. Susan Siskind, who lives in the East 60s said the proposal — which would install painted lanes across 67th, 68th, 77th, 78th, 84th and 85th Streets from those thoroughfares’ near easternmost points to Fifth Avenue — “ignores reality.” Speaking last week, she noted that, among other things on 67th street specifically, the M66 bus, which runs along 67th and 68th Streets, “won” the Pokey award last year for slowest bus, school buses park and drop-off at Julia Richmond between First and Second avenues, and Fox News trucks frequently double park between Second and Third Avenues. In addition, ambulances, and police and fire vehicles travel along several of those streets. Michele Birnbaum, who sits on the transportation committee, called the DOT plan shortsighted. “With the selection of these streets, it was evident that the DOT only took into consideration the needs of the cycling community, while completely disregarding the needs and opinions of the residents, institutions and businesses,” Birnbaum said last week. A DOT spokeswoman said the agency is “reviewing the community’s concerns” before its next presentation to the board.
East 67th Street, just west of First Avenue, where the Department of Transportation is proposing installing a crosstown bike lane. Photo: Susan Siskind The spokeswoman, Bonny Tsang, noting that there is currently just one pair of crosstown routes, on 90th & 91st Streets, said DOT wants “to expand the bike network and close an existing gap in the network.” “Implementing bike lanes calms traffic, makes it safer for cyclists and pedestrians to travel, and better organizes the roadway. The current proposal we presented would not remove any parking or any travel lanes,” she said. Joe Enoch, who calls himself an avid cyclist, commuting daily from the Upper East Side to the Upper West side, said he is disappointed the proposal doesn’t include protected bike lanes, but he nevertheless called the painted lanes an enhancement. “Painted bike lanes are an improvement: they legitimize bicyclists’ presence on the street, remind drivers to share the road and to be on the lookout and provide the NYPD greater authority to clear the lane so bicyclists can traverse safely without weaving between cars,” Enoch said. But Betty Cooper Wallerstein, the president of the
East 79th Street Neighborhood Association, suggested that before more bike lanes are installed, application and enforcement of traffic laws need strengthening. “There should not be one more bike lane, dedicated or painted, until all cyclists, and drivers for that matter, are obeying all the rules of the road. The people who are not being considered are the pedestrians,” she said. Birnbaum, like Wallerstein, wants to see more enforcement of traffic laws when they are flouted by bicyclists, and has long advocated for their licensing. “If they are part of traffic, and we are getting more of them, then they need to be held accountable, responsible and liable just as any other road vehicle is,” Birnbaum said. “Any cyclist that wants to use a city street needs to be licensed and have a license plate on his bike. A licensed biker will more likely obey the rules of the road.” This latest skirmish for safe streets, and how they should happen, will continue March 2, when CB8’s transportation committee next takes up the matter.
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
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Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com
Sports
Be Seen
ASPHALT GREEN SWIMMERS IN QUALIFYING MEET
in Manhattan’s Premier Arts Section where...
Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics swimmers took the pool this past holiday weekend competing at the qualifying meet for the 2016 Eastern Zone Championship. Eight swimmers made the Zone Team, giving AGUA one of the largest single-team contingencies of the Metropolitan Swimming federation. Congratulations to the swimmers who made the Zone Team: Justice Carrenard, Taiyo Dejong, Beth Embrahimpour, Abdelraham Ibrahim, Lara Jones, Alexander MacLennan, Abdel Sabovic, Delilah Skaistis, and Kai Yamamoto.
Neighborhood Scrapbook INTERFAITH FOOD DRIVE
87%
of readers say they visited a museum in the past 3 months
72%
of readers say they attended a concert in the past 3 months or readers say they attended a Broadway performance in the past 3 months
68% RY 12-18 ,2015
n FEBRUA
12 Our Tow
E, EGON SCHIELSP REBEL ON DI LAY
12
of public k 1912 on a charge with Peacoc cerated in ed in Self-PortraitStanding, 1911Gouache, immorality. oat, on paper, r style soften onment, Waistc olor, and black crayon His edgy, angula Vienna ath of his impris ngs waterced on board Ernst Ploil, the afterm t is rife with painti mount artists. to very strong but the exhibi of elongated, emaand fellow tribute ngs Responding Neue Galerie has to family s resembling and drawi d, decorative ts demand, the first-of-its-kind show ciated, trippy figure-Portrait with voted gold-bronze sister, it presen A its (“Self r ed est artist an ntial, extend Mick Jagge Above Head,” 1910) to his young in an existe lastic Austri ed er (“Self- yet another figure toned. of the iconoc Arm Twist n’s monst one silverNOVO this enstei many CASTRO iscent The space, BY VAL or Frank Head,” 1910). himself, an emptywork is eerily remin it Portrait, , golden portra hair The lines that portraits of the artist iconic cur’s great and s with of Klimt I” (1907), review block, Neue egotist and a dandy Peacock Waist- “Adele Bloch-Bauer 2nd floor and After rave e around the g on the ng Portrait with a testawrapped given its Egon12Schiel residin are openi (“Self1911), rently show its Ou to t of a new Standing,” self-referGalerie has ve and extended r To coat, wnto his fondness for ough it the subjec e on April 2, timed film, show a reprie 20. The exhibit, with ’s ment Down tionism—th him at Neue Galeri the upcoming run until Aprilfocus on the artistat ence and exhibitow ce saved n O coincide with starring Helen ive CTO the practi an exclus is the first of its kind s. BER 23- “Woman in Gold,” is true that lds. Not surmodel Reyno 29, hiring iture, the 2014 and Ryan of the portra the cost of ortraits, many in Mirren museum. e’s emulation i, who a major U.S. cative, are prisingly, Schiel The self-p inspired ndra Comin quite provo the his early years Curator Alessa al thesis at Colum ” nude and a room alongside master in doctor silver Klimt. with ssionist’s ed in wrote her ns, and to- the moniker “the filled Austrian Expresome 125 groupand Lovers sectio gallery is tton nt s red bia on the hot-bu adjace patron and The has gathe ures Eros form the exhibit’s sitters and endea ring d maportraits, and sculpt portraits of ially paintings m, a getherBut with all the X-rate gallery, it includes an espec boy in striped drawings, floor of the museu an core. on display in this it of a young on the third German and Austri (“Standterial bland portra the painting of for ed trousers A paper with is a tame, rather steals showcase , most on shirt and rumpl d Shirt,” 1910). Edith that art. The works ngs, are organized Boy in Stripe Schiele’s wife which the painti music of it is a ing side room, from given over just 11 oil is , with the g in the show. is not just because small tes, of tically full thema nberg emana , with reproducAnd it nberg waftin ng in a room it, Schoe Arnold Schoe very explic s, to his time in prisonzed watercolors large oil painti . b of Viagoni his t-sized, albeit Harm background in a subur tions of the eted while serving r, modes on paper. Edith Born in 1890was a rebel painte e-class girl e compl e the works table, middlin 1915 after Schiel sentence. in respec ant enna, Schiel Dean of his age,” married art- the and 24-day Edith became pregn w “the James states about the al whom Schiele me model the mello After physic le painted s with ding his longti audio tour naked a striking y”, charm 1918, Schie in discar y,” with a ist, who boreto Dean (both died at live-in lover “Walland prim, finely trio, “The Famil ring a nt father shelte e could d collar years resemblance only three my of her ruffle striped dress, a garme ’s mother and pictur After the ated their 20s). child. (Alas, been res of Joseph rvative Acade y deline es up vision t an small until April and has months Vienna’s conse he precociousl that conjur colors. Set agains stay six not But where .) sevlooks its lender iele and of many Fine Arts– contractage 16–Sch Schiele’s wife like a turned to free coat ancy, Edith e enrolled at iconoclasts broke -white void, into her pregnh flu and died. Schiel ppe off ke and awkward, rather ufellow nstgru eral be manip doll-li later of the ed the Spanis d the Neuku waiting to three days same day as and forme marionette ). perished the a Seces- lated. (New Art Group hated the same malady—on 31, 1918. of the Vienn her family l, October A protégé v Klimt (1862-1918), y, with Edith and her sister Adele prowife’s funera his show his was only 28, a prodig sion’s Gusta d, Schiele made n, painting, with a decade. He he have to lasted just , Weber the g, “Why did ” But the porwhom he idolize a career that heralded as one of y age of Freud nstein. testin dumb? ssion is Wittge mark in the looking so is now centur expre he her and last But othe Loos, vapid , of ex, psych with the Hoffmann e’s finest. pe and adgreatest artists onally compl s, with their trait ered one of Schiel likeness ng the envelo nism. His emoti consid d image for pushi rful female of moder nal use of sexually charge Another masteearly stages of his vancing the causewith a cause. unconventio rebel of masturba- painted in the of Gerti Schiele” brilliant line, Make that bedepictions , “Portrait room deand lewd color and n couples and career, is displayed in the tion, lesbia art world on fire (1909) the y incarhavior, set ed and briefl , 1915 Oil on got him arrest in Striped Dress) lands Schiele Nether The (Edith Hague, Standing Den Haag, The Artist’s Wife, Portrait of the ion Gemeentemuseum canvasCollect
Our Tow
n OCTOB ER 16, 2014
EXHIB ITION S
SET IN THE CITY: RECL A
STR EET ART
Photogr complet apher Justin Bett e room sets on man builds city stre ets
ENCOURAGING BAD THEATER
THEAT ER
Alongside comedy writer Wickens starte d a festiva Gavin Starr, this judgment l that is a year. zone” “no submit videos in show busine Minim of shows they’ve ss. People show al selection require the chance ments that brings written for to finally perform surprises with make for a formed in mance slot. or have each front the only selecti of an audience. Considit per- game show Last year, the audience perforBY NICOLE watched a that allotte ering dildo. DEL MAURO chance is quite on requirement is CHELSEA Comed d the winner They also time, this a golden y writer Shawn watched a knows that piece about “If the artist great. dramatic dance some people Wickens the Troma Films, think his work to try,” Wickenis willing to try, we are rican Americ prevalence of HIV in the Afwilling s said. Central have Blue Man Group and is bad. artistic stew an community. The festiva The Bad Theate Comedy all rejected r l, an haven for variou Fest, as it is known his submis Wickens is wrenching, of the outlandish and sions. , is a safe the heart the s types regarding thenot ashamed of this. First time is interesting meaningful and the His actors, playwrof creative misfits. random, becaus to perform matter is simple: when theory ducers call e you never know you’re going ance, nothin it comes the festiva ights and film proto see. what will always g l home. Experi writers take “It’s be someone is universal. There part, enced and totally accepting of is bad. remain tucked too, submitting works that thinks develo the ping artists a thing that O’Neil risks they want to is an opport away in drawers for But Wicken take,” Jonath l, a repeat unity to perform years. It submitter of rejection s also knows the stiflin it, build confi said. to the festivaan performance dence or simply for the heck of g l, face when presen writers and fear York City stage. Starr and work on a New Wicken’s work actors ting their his theater Starr is showin “The festiva is no except peers, he createdwork. So, to assist l is to g a 15 year-ol ion. give people dissolves perfor creativ in college a d piece he wrote a chance to mers’ pressu showcase that find e and be on stage, which be sation . Wickens, who is a solving their with less and re by first weekly improv performer is harder audience’s dis- city,” less small iexpect “It turned into Wickens theaters in to nizing an improv at Magnet Theater, is a festival whereations. orgathe topic skit very low,” Wicken Submissionssaid. of depression for the festival. With the bar is set s said. its within the New York City. are not limited to munity, the comedy compeople shows from Bad Theater Fest is presen in issue long-fashow will be a sort of tribute Washington, ced D.C. and Pittsbuting relevant now in the entertainment to an in the tragic world, rgh supers wake of comed tar Robin Williams’ improv style suicide. Its y is a tribute Bad Theate to the r Fest “I think improitself. v
A comedy writer has created to showcase performance a festival s with no expectations
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IF YOU GO
The festival spans over the weeken 17, 24 and Nov. ds on 154 W. 29th1 at Chelsea’s Treehouof the Oct. se Theater, within a 90-min Street. Four or five plays are $15 availab ute time slot each night. are shown BadTheaterFesle on EventBrite through Tickets Pioneers Bar t.com and knock $3 off the website a drink at festival will down the street from the where peoplealso host a Halloween partyvenue. The will compete at Pioneers, the bad costum for e competition. the worst costume in
actors feel red-headed like the step dren of the chilcomedy and theate worlds,” Wicke r ns said. “There improv actors,is, for a very ‘root for the under dog’ mentality, and that’s what we’re all about as well.” Right now, merely fun the Bad Theater Fest is for viewer s The three-y ear old event and actors. ing out its kinks; organi is still irona challenge zing skits is and between sets smooth transitions are never teed. But Wicken guarans said can be seen he hopes it by a pool of untappfuture audiences as ed talent.
otdowntown.com Approximately 60 teenagers representing UJA-Federation of New York, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, and the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies packed 4,000 pounds of kosher food donated by Goya into 432 tote bags equaling 3,333 meals for the Food Bank for New York City at UJA-Federation of New York’s Manhattan office. Each tote bag included kidney and black beans, corn, vegetables, rice, lentils, quinoa, tortillas and a recipe for vegetarian chili. The teens also discussed issues surrounding hunger, and wrote advocacy letters to their congressman about food insecurity and why it needs to be addressed. This initiative was through Feeding Our Neighbors: An Interfaith Response, which is a united effort to fight hunger.
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PATROLLING THE MEAN STREETS OF LEXINGTON AVE. BY CAROL RIAL
“Checking in?” the guard asks. “I just need the vest.” Eager to do my bit of patrolling the streets around my daughter Maya’s school and get to work, I leave my briefcase, pick up the almost-red mesh vest, and head out for the mean streets of the Upper East Side. Out on the sidewalk, I don the vest, velcroing the two halves of it together. It’s neon yellow reflector material reads: Campus Parent, School Control. It is when I get to Lex and 94th Street that I realize the vest looks a lot like the Department of Sanitation vest worn by a group of workers busting up frozen, black curbside snow. It is now 10:35 a.m. and my patrol partner is clearly not going to show on this half-day of school. That means I have one and a half hours to go. I will time my circuit so I am close to the school when the high schoolers are heading out while not being seen by one kid in particular, who would rather hide in a snowdrift than have her friends see her mother at school wearing The Vest. Patrolling Lexington Avenue, I gaze at the brownstones with teak doors, the glassy shop selling high-end tubs, and a furry woman tugging a leashed dog. I circle back toward school. A guy across 94th Street is zipping up his pants. I’m thinking, “What are you doing, chump?” He walks on. Stops.
Walks again. Only four minutes into my patrol, and I am seeing people as if they are up to no good. But I take a mental note, keep him in mind. A guy who looks like he did a little time, a scar on his forehead shaded by hood, eyes me in my vest. Maybe my hyper-vigilance is because for the last two years I’ve been writing a murder mystery set in New York.I wonder as I wander how cops keeps themselves in check when they’re trained to look for trouble and start seeing signs of it everywhere. As a rookie you must have to go against instincts: when you think a guy’s on the brink of criminality, you have to question if you’re right. When you have an urge to rush toward trouble, you slow down unless you’re certain. I head over to the stretch of Park Avenue that students often walk to get to the 96th Street station. The NYPD patrol cop on duty on this cold sunny day says good morning. I say hello, feeling part of the club. Four middle schoolers come around the corner from the school. I have an urge to follow them, make sure they don’t get mugged. They head to the corner candy shop on 96th Street. The big danger there may be Kim Kardashian or Trump, separately or together, gracing the front of a tabloid. On Park Avenue where the sun is shining, an old woman wearing sneakers too much like mine and a long blue
down coat hurries toward the meridian. I hurry after her. Will she make it all the way across before the light counting 5, 4, 3 reaches 0? “I’ll walk with you,” I say, my voice sounding authoritative. The high schoolers are still not out. And it’s only 11:15. By now I have given up on the security desk’s map that dictates parent patrollers do a specific figure-eight loop around the neighborhood. Instead, I am following my own street savvy by walking streets most traveled by high schoolers. I round the patrol cop again, send a casual wave. Same team. A manbunned man riding his bike on the sidewalk. A mom in yoga pants talking to a doorman, it seems flirtatious. A couple speaking Russian. Just when I’m thinking the best thing I could do to promote safety for these teens getting a “specialized” education would be to go into the local Starbucks and stop them from sugaring up on vanilla cremes and grando caramel macchiatos, I run into a momfriend who tells me that last fall some kid “got punched in the face” on this block. I have a renewed sense of purpose. As I walk down Madison Avenue, however, I wonder what I could have done to prevent the attack. The last time I took a women’s self-defense class it was 1985, and I still weight 100 pounds.
School’s out. I shadow my first prey of sorts--a short middle schooler-all the way from Park Avenue to the train. His is the vulnerable walk of the pigeon-toed. Once I see that he’s descended the subway stairs, I head back towards school. “Hey, that’s Maya’s mom.” A trio of kids who’ve known me since they were five walk toward me. Clearly they’re about as impressed by me in uniform as the traffic cop on Madison Avenue who doesn’t even look up when we cross paths. In front of the school are four high schoolers throwing icy snowballs at each other. Finally! They see me and hesitate a little. I have an urge to tell them to take it to the park. I switch to something more rational and say: “Be careful if the elementary school kids come out, okay?” They cheerfully agree. It is now 11:30. This is interminable. I wind around the school building, which takes up an entire block and about four minutes. Can I leave early? High schoolers are now pouring out of the building and all around the streets. I notice which kids I’ve known since kindergarten are getting thinned out as they grow, which girls cluster with the ones who look like them, and the ninth grader I’ve seen around school protesting one injustice or another. When I return to the front of the
building, I see that pedestrians are nervously darting around the snowball kids. I do my job: “Would you guys pause when there are others walking the block?” It is now 11:45. Since Maya should be coming out soon, I text her that I’m “still patrolling.” She texts, “LOL. Going to Shake Shack with friends.” I text, “Do you want to take a picture of me?” “You can take a selfie.” So I do, standing in front of a children’s French clothing shop, a dubious smile on my face, the vest I will soon have to return looking surprisingly misshapen and worn.
A GOOD YEAR TO BUY ON THE U.W.S.? BY ZARA AMOR
For those of you in New York who have been debating whether or not to purchase a home, 2016 may be the right time to buy. NYC real estate was intense in 2015. Buyers got outbid left and right. It was a challenge to get contingencies written into contracts. And price per square foot records were set. Things seem to be settling down now. This is a very subjective question. At any given time, it will be a good time for some to buy and a good time for others to stick to renting. It’s all about opportunity cost and your unique situation. But, from an overall market perspective, let’s see what’s in store for 2016 real estate in New York City.
Lower Price Growth Home prices are finally falling down. If you have been stuck behind the wave of rising prices, you may finally get the chance to jump in. Prices reached record highs in 2015 in both Manhattan
and Brooklyn, but buyers and sellers can expect lower price growth this year, according to new projections from StreetEasy. In Manhattan, the median resale price is projected to grow just 0.8 percent to $1.01 million. That’s way down from the 7.1 percent growth experienced between 2014 and 2015.
units. According to Rent.com, in the last 12 months, 88 percent of property managers have raised their rent prices and 68 percent predict their rental rates will rise again at some point this year. Plus, with dropped mortgage rates, it seems like the better deal.
First-Time Home Buyers Magic Mortgage Rates Real estate hopefuls can breathe a little bit knowing that their buying power has increased in the past 10 years as mortgage rates have dropped. At the end of 2006, mortgage rates were about 6 percent. At the end of 2015, they were about 4 percent. Because of how mortgage rates have dropped, if you could afford a $400,000 home back in December of 2015, today, you can afford a home for $411,000.
Considering all of these predictions, 2016 might be the ideal year for first-time home buyers to take the plunge. This year we will also see an uptick in the number of condos being sold – a great first option for property virgins. We’re seeing more and more of them being built around the Upper West Side and its neighboring communities. Today, most buyers prefer the idea of a condo, and will tend to move in that direction assuming they can afford the price tag.
Buying Could Be Cheaper Than Renting
The Rise & Fall
Rental rates are continuing to rise due to the on-going low supply and high demand of rental
Many people hit themselves over the head for not buying 10 years ago, and they should. For
the most part, prices have gone up since 2006. A townhouse on the Upper West Side 10 years ago was in the $2.7 million range. Today, the median Manhattan townhouse price hit a record $5.25 million, a jump of more than 94 percent over the 10 years. This same pattern went for coops and condos too. Although the market is not exactly easy to predict, we’ve been hearing a lot about an economic bubble that’s either in progress or on the way. And history would lend the belief that after the highs, comes the lows. New York City real estate is surely it’s own economy, but will the apparent nationwide collapse hit our city? I think it’s safe to say that the market will definitely be a lot less competitive this year. So, as I said before, if you can swing making the big purchase, go for it. Don’t let history repeat itself and miss out on another great investment opportunity. Who knows where New York City real estate will be in another 10 years… Zara Amor is a licensed real estate salesperson for Love Where You Live Realty
FEBRUARY 18-24,2016
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
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TAKING THE STAGE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE Artistic director and co-founder of Girl Be Heard on her theatrical mission
BY ANGELA BARBUTI
Gun violence, sex trafficking, rape in war zones, domestic violence and bullying are some of the topics Ashley Marinaccio mentioned when asked to outline the subjects Girl Be Heard has tackled in its ever-growing repertoire. What makes the nonprofit theater troupe, co-founded by Marinaccio, stand out is that its all-female cast tell their own stories or those of women they’ve interviewed. This brand of theater aspires to evoke a real sense of truth, and audiences respond favorably. Its honesty regarding issues of social justice has even taken the company to the White House and the United Nations. Their newest show, “Embodi(ED),” which runs until Feb. 21 at HERE Arts Center in SoHo, is based on the realities behind eating disorders. “There’s a lot of personal shame around body
issues, eating disorders and relationships with food,” Marinaccio explained. “I think something the show really touches upon is that we’re part of a system that makes a lot of money on keeping women down and making us feel bad about our bodies … and sometimes there’s no way of avoiding it, but this really puts the blame on looking at a much larger system as opposed to an individual.”
strung those together into a show and that was the very first “GirlPower” show. And it evolved from there. We create new “GirlPower” shows each year through our weekly Sunday workshop programming where girls, ages 12 to 21, meet to write, perform and discuss social justice issues. We help them weave their work into a cohesive theatrical piece at the end of the season in May.
Explain how the idea for Girl Be Heard came about.
What’s the audition process like?
Girl Be Heard came about through the EstroGenius festival which is a festival of women’s voices done at the Manhattan Theatre Source each year. I was hired to direct and write a show for teen girls and once I got the girls in the room, it was clear that they should be empowered to write their own stories. They were all super capable, smart and really great writers and actors. So I put it into their hands to write their own stories about the issues that they cared about and we
Auditions are held annually. We get about 1,000 submissions and we’ll see about 50 girls. And we always say that they pick us more than we pick them. It’s very clear if somebody’s a good fit and they want it and they would do well in this kind of atmosphere. It’s not for everyone. We’re helping girls realize that they are artists and don’t need to rely on anybody to give them work because they have stories to tell and they can have a stage and a platform for themselves.
Ashley Marinaccio. Photo: Dirty Sugar
Explain your role at the United Nations. We’re an NGO [non-governmental organization]. Our work at the UN has included presenting and performing at conferences and events in addition to advocating for issues pertaining to women and girls across the world. Other NGOs enjoy working with us because they find theater and art put names and faces on statistics of the issues that the UN is dealing with every day. Additionally, we teach our company members how to be advocates for correcting human rights and social justice issues. Michelle Obama invited you to perform at the White House. We were invited to perform our show “Girl Be Heard: Congo” which was made in collaboration with Congolese activists about the race epidemic in the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo]. And it coincided with Michelle Obama’s trip to South Africa to work around access to education. She asked us to come and perform that piece to raise awareness of what’s going on in other countries.
Tell us about some of the stories told in “Embodi(ED).”
The cast of Girl Be Heard’s “Embodi(ed).” Left to right, back to front, are Jordan Fleming, Nina Tandilashvili, Annalise Wedemeyer, Dinae Anderson-Guano and Veronica Lowry. Photo: Ashley Marinaccio
Some are the stories of the women performers, some are stories based on people in their communities and some are stories based on interviews. There’s a story where one of the women speaks about her life acting and getting parts and feeling like she needs to be skinny and struggling to land roles. And there’s another story about a girl who, growing up, felt that the Cover Girl campaign framed her view of herself and how she thought that that’s what she needed to be.
There’s a lot on how family has an impact on how we view ourselves.
I’m sure it’s hard to choose, but what’s one play you did that really affected you? They all do that in a way because they’re all different. One of the shows that really had an impact on me was when we did a tour of our show “Traffic,” which is on sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of children, and we brought it to Dallas. Following the show, we had people lined up, men and women of all ages, saying things like, “I was incested when I was young. I’m a survivor of sexual abuse and I’ve never told anyone and this really inspired me to tell my story and go back into my community and see how I can make a difference for people there who’ve been through this.”
What feedback do you get from male audiences? Men love it. They identify with it. These stories might be coming from young women, but they’re universal in that people identity with them. People come forward and say, “Hey, me too. I’ve struggled with that. That’s been something that’s in my life.” We haven’t had bad feedback from men at all. We’ve haven’t had anything but positive feedback from men of all ages. To learn more, visit www.girlbeheard.org
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“I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP THAT HOMELESS MAN.”
BE THE SOMEONE. Sam New York Cares Volunteer
Every day, we think to ourselves that someone should really help make this city a better place. Visit newyorkcares.org to learn about the countless ways you can volunteer and make a difference in your community.
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