The local paper for the Upper East Side
WEEK OF FEBRUARY CHICAGO IN NEW YORK ◄P.12
15-21 2018
PRESERVING HISTORY ANCESTRY Colonial Dames of New York seek landmark approval for East 71st Street headquarters BY SHOSHY CIMENT
Amid the skyscrapers and megatowers on the Upper East Side, a remnant of American architectural history is affirming its Colonial roots. The National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York, an institution devoted to preserving relics of America’s past since 1891, has begun the process of attaining landmark status for its New York Museum House Headquarters on 215 East 71st Street. If approved by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, the designation would essentially preclude alterations and new construction without the commission’s approval. But even without landmark status, the Society’s colonial revival structure stands apart from the scaffolds and skyscrapers in Lenox Hill. The building, completed in 1930, was a product of the wave of appreciation for America’s colonial roots that characterized the end of the 19th century. Wanting to “create a popular interest in our Colonial history” the Dames of America commissioned architect Richard Henry Dana Jr. to design a colonial-style house replete with historically significant artifacts. “The building holds more than eight decades of Society of Colonial Dames history and, therefore, New York City history,” Tom Miller, an author and historian specializing in the vintage architecture of Manhattan,
Rendering of a 47-story tower to be built on the grounds of Holmes Towers, a public housing development off East 92nd Street. Courtesy of NYCHA
DEVELOPER DETAILS HOLMES TOWERS PROJECT HOUSING Developer outlines plans for open space around new mixed-use tower on NYCHA property BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
National Society of Colonial Dames’ headquarters on East 71st Street shortly after it was built in 1931. Photo: Samuel H. (Samuel Herman) Gottscho (1875-1971) / Museum of the City of New York. 88.1.1.1861 said by email. “Its elegant architecture and interior appointments and furnishings reflect the exclusivity of the members at the time as well as their intense focus on preserving and understanding American history.” The Landmarks Commission defines a building with landmark status as one that possesses “special historical, cultural, or aesthetic value to the City of New York, state or nation.” In
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a first step toward designation, the commission voted on December 12 to calendar, or schedule, both the exterior and interior of the Headquarters Museum House “for consideration as an individual landmark and interior landmark,” a commission spokeswoman, Zodet Negrón, said.
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The private developer set to build a controversial mixed-use tower on the site of what is now a playground between two Yorkville public housing buildings presented new details last week about plans for open space around the development. Last spring, the New York City Housing Authority announced that Fetner Properties would build a 47-story mixed-use tower on the grounds of Holmes Towers, a public housing development at East 92nd Street and First Avenue. The new building, which will feature half market-rate and half affordable housing, will stand between the two existing 25-story
Holmes Towers buildings. The new building will be built on the footprint of what is a children’s playground. In its agreement with NYCHA, Fetner agreed to build new playgrounds for children and will add new seating areas and walkways to the open space around Holmes Towers. The new building will also feature a new 18,000-square-foot community center to be administered by Asphalt Green, which will include a rooftop athletic field and an indoor basketball court.
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CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE DOG HOLIDAYS An infusion of Chinese culture on the streets of the Upper East Side BY CARSON KESSLER
Dogs (and their owners) watched as the dragon dancers performed outside each participating retailer. Photo: Carson Kessler
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Cymbals clashed, drums boomed, and dogs barked as dragons of green, red, and gold paraded up and down Madison Avenue on Saturday to celebrate Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year. The Madison Avenue Business Improvement District, along with the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation, East Midtown Partnership, The Grand Central Partnership, and Confucius Institute for Business at SUNY, hosted their third annual “Madison Street to Madison Avenue� Lunar New Year celebration. To commemorate the Year of the Dog, the 2018 celebration welcomed a furrier group of New Yorkers — the dogs. The festivities began with
Matthew Bauer, President of the Madison Avenue BID, accompanied the dragons on their parade route. Photo: Carson Kessler a traditional Chinese dragon troupe traveling from 42nd to 86th Street. Outside each of the fifty participating retailers, two golden lions reared their heads and uttered their eyelashes to invite shoppers and their pups inside stores like
Etro, Giorgio Armani, and Lululemon. Many retailers offered discounts, specials, and dog treats in support of the Animal Medical Center. Despite the rain, owners and their dogs showed up to support the infusion of Chinese
culture on the streets of the Upper East Side. Wennie Chin decided it was the perfect event for her and Gogi, a rescue from a puppy farm in South Korea, to attend. “I thought the inclusion of our dogs in the celebration of the New Year was so beautiful,� she said. “They are a big part of our families.� After attending last year’s celebration, William Nachtrieb wanted to bring his Pomeranian, Kingsley. “We wanted to see the dragons, and this year he can participate!� But there was more than just shopping for attendees and their dogs. Various tents along East 54th Street held free family and dog-friendly activities such as face painting, calligraphy, a lunar-themed photo booth, and a doggy health tent with free oral exams for the four-legged attendees. “I hope that there will be more dog-friendly events in the future,� Chin said. Chinese New Year begins on February 16, 2018.
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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th district for week ending Feb. 4 Week to Date
Photo by Tony Webster, via Flickr
JEANS JONES
FIT TO BE TIED
BURN OF THE CENTURY
Police collared a shoplifter with an apparent liking for Gap jeans after the thief returned for an encore visit. At 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 4, a 32-yearold man entered the Gap store at 1988 Broadway and made off with two stacks of jeans worth a total of $1,398. Just two days later, at 1:50 p.m. on the following Tuesday, the same man returned to the outlet and grabbed 32 pairs of jeans valued, worth $1,350. Authorities, though, were able to detain the man and he was arrested on grand larceny charges.
A senior learned the hard way why you should NEVER bring more than workout clothes to a gym. At 2:30 p.m. on Friday, February 2, a 69-year-old man returned to his locker in the New York Sports Club located at 23 West 73rd Street to ďŹ nd that someone had taken a number of his belongings, including credit cards and checks. He put his losses at $3,026.
After getting hit by shoplifters twice in one day, it would appear that a local Century 21 store needs to beef up their security. At 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, a 36-year-old man went into the store located at 1972 Broadway and snatched clothing valued at $1,010. Then at 8 p.m. the same day, a 26-year-old man entered the same location and helped himself to $2,500 worth of clothes.
Year to Date
2018 2017
% Change
2018
2017
% Change
Murder
0
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
Rape
0
0
n/a
0
2
-100.0
Robbery
3
0
n/a
15
6
150.0
Felony Assault
3
6
-50.0
14
18
-22.2
Burglary
2
1
100.0
25
15
66.7
Grand Larceny
31
28
10.7
160
130 23.1
Grand Larceny Auto
2
0
n/a
7
0
n/a
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amazing is seeing the color green for the first time. at 64. NewYork-Presbyterian removed Mariaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brain tumor. And, unexpectedly, her color blindness. Get the story at nyp.org/amazingthings
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An emotional crowd of roughly 300 people — many of them shocked and scandalized, some with voices raised in anger — packed a West Side auditorium on Thursday, February 8 to denounce a sudden move by the city to place 150 homeless men in the heart of their neighborhood. The flashpoint was the unexpected, but already underway, conversion of the Park Savoy Hotel, a discount lodging at 158 West 58th Street, into a longterm shelter, one block from “Billionaire’s Row,” in the latest attempt by Mayor Bill de Blasio to grapple with soaring homelessness. Neighbors, workers and local business owners said they felt blindsided by the secrecy of the planning and site-selection process — and appalled that the community had virtually no notice that a homeless shelter was being placed so close to Central Park, where children and tourists frolic. Carnegie Hall, the uber-luxe
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Deputy Commissioner of the DHS Jackie Bray answered questions posed by members of the community. Photo: Ashad Hajela condo One 57 and the swath of West 57th Street that’s filling up with slender towers for foreign billionaires is just around the corner to the south, while the Essex House, the New York Athletic Club and the horse-drawn carriages are just around the corner to the north. Billed as a “Community Conversation on Transitional Housing,” the briefing, sponsored by the city’s Department of Homeless Services and DHS’ nonprofit social-services provider, Westhab, quickly became a forum for booing, screaming, hissing — and repeated cries of “Set up! Set up!” and “Not in this neighborhood!” “Why was there no discussion before tonight?” demanded David Achelis, president of the West 50s Neighborhood Asso-
“I came here tonight to share some of Carnegie Hall’s very positive experiences working with homeless services,” he said, noting that DHS makes a point of encouraging shelter residents to engage in culture and the arts. Community members didn’t want to hear any plaudits. Freudenthal was interrupted and shouted down. Other supporters got the same heckling treatment. The scene was a community question-and-answer session in a jam-packed space in the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at 524 West 59th Street, where Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who moderated the event, struggled to control the unruly crowd.
ciation. “Why was the community ignored?” Fears of a possible rise in crime from the presence of single adult homeless men was a paramount issue for the audience. “My concern is for the safety of our residents ... the children, the seniors,” said Andrew Warren, a resident of 152 West 58th street, which immediately adjoins the Park Savoy, and he called for screening to determine if the new tenants have records for sexual offenses and other felonies. Not everyone in attendance was opposed to the shelter’s presence. Indeed, David Freudenthal, the director of government relations for Carnegie Hall, started to make the case that the need for such a facility was imperative.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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SAFE TRAVEL FIRST, DOGGONE IT! BY BETTE DEWING
Of course, the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics are amazing, and the latter brings nations together — and don’t we need that. But neither brings about the everyday life changes we need — like, say, safe travel. Indeed, these games are all about who’s the speediest, and what safe travel needs most, is to slow down — really slow down — yup, worldwide. Ah, and if only safe travel got a fraction of the attention that the games, or sports in general, receive, like just one regular sports section column, or an editorial or column in the dailies. And on radio, the traffic announcer would regularly insert a “Now do be careful out there” gentle reminder, and never take collisions matter-offactly. But the current concern is only
about how collisions impede traffic flow, and how to avoid being delayed, not about staying safe. And yes. Obviously, more safeguards are needed for Amtrak and passenger train travel, but despite the three recent tragic collisions, trains are still the safest land-travel mode. And this must be stressed to avoid cutbacks from an administration which doesn’t much like Amtrak or even mass transit. But back to everyday five-borough transit, and traffic conditions never so congested and dense. And about my favorite mode of city transport, the bus, my first concern is a safe ride and not the so-called “pokeyness.” That’s the consuming concern of the Straphanger group and government officials who don’t even know the bus experience. Any safe-
ty-first person should protest traffic light changes to allow speedier passage, Incidentally, my heart’s in my mouth when buses too often barrel through the winding Central Park transverses. I believe they’re required to slow down there. And my other safe-ride concern means drivers pulling to the curb, which they often don’t do. Yes, that’s an ordinance, but one often ignored to the rider’s stress if not actual peril. And the population is aging and other riders may be disabled and/or coping with children and strollers. And we don’t hear about the actual injuries incurred, such a friend’s who still suffers a serious disability from when she stepped down into a pothole between the curb and the bus step. And, of course, there is unprecedented traffic congestion and not only in the Big Apple. We hear a lot about the great influx of Uber-type cabs but far too little about the enor-
mous delivery truck volume, thanks to the online shopping trend (or tsunami?). And I am slow to realize how online shopping also destroys both large and small retail places which bring people together and help dispel loneliness which is now considered an epidemic. Online shopping has also created a cardboard box tsunami condition. Inperson shopping mostly requires only paper bags. Attention must be paid. And in this nation’s walkingest city, careful walkers (yes, we exist) are still at risk from speeding vehicles, of course, but even more from drivers and bikers who fail to yield to walkers when turning into a crosswalk. And this could be a Lenten repentance related to the “Thou shalt not kill commandment.” For example, I learned quite by chance that a Madison Avenue Presbyterian church minister narrowly missed being struck by a car failing to yield — and at the same corner a week later, she was nearly
struck by a turning bike. Maybe this primary cause of pedestrian injury and death experience should be included with other social wrongs addressed from the pulpit. And St. Monica’s Church should join Patricia Banks’ frustrating effort to have a plaque installed to honor Mano (Sr y manean Maniekam), the beloved local deli manager killed by a taxi turning into his York Avenue crosswalk. Remember how there was standing room only at Mano’s memorial service at St. Monica’s? Mano was Hindu, by the way. But shouldn’t this church help get that memorial plaque installed outside the deli he managed for twenty some many years? Even local school kids needed grief counseling after his wrongful death. Ah, but above all, remember and emulate Mano’s Olympian “love one another” ways. dewingbetter@aol.com
PAUL SIMON’S AFFECTION FOR HIS ‘LITTLE TOWN’ BY JON FRIEDMAN
Paul Simon has always had affection for New York City. In “My Little Town,” he sang nostalgically about his upbringing in Queens. “The Only Living Boy in New York” made his feelings plain. “The Boxer” — my favorite Simon-penned song — was about a ragamuffin struggling to find a place in the urban jungle (was it Simon’s saga or the story of Bob Dylan? Did “the whores on Seventh Avenue,” refer to their Columbia Records label?) In “Overs,” he mused wittily, “There’s no times at all — just The New York Times.” Simon made headlines the other day when he announced that he would no longer be touring, noting that he wanted to stay close to home with his family. It makes sense. After all, the man is going to turn 77 years old in October and it can’t be easy (or much fun) going any more from town to town. Simon made it clear that he still loves making music so, happily, he is not retiring completely, When I read the news, I thought about my relationship to Paul Simon’s
Paul Simon onstage in 2016. Photo: Louise Palanker, via flickr music over the years, both when he sang with his childhood pal Art Garfunkel in the 1960s and then after he went solo in the early 1970s. The records hold up magnificently. I listen all the time to their album “Bookends” and continue to marvel at Simon’s brilliant songwriting and their harmonies. Simon reinvented himself as a soloist and achieved worldwide adulation for his landmark album “Graceland” in 1986. Musically, Simon and Garfunkel impressively found room between The Beatles and Bob Dylan in the ‘60s for their brand of smart, sophisticated
rock and roll music, starting with the enigmatic chart-topping hit “The Sounds of Silence” and continuing through “I Am a Rock,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “The Boxer,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” From the start, the media — needing a snappy journalistic peg and not wanting to play up the easy hook of Simon’s New York Jewishness — projected him as an intellectual rock star. You could picture his groupies presenting their Ivy League transcripts for his consideration (“Paul, I aced AP English, then I went to Brown University and I love Alice B. Toklas’ work!”). On stage, you’d never confuse Simon with Prince or Mick Jagger. But I found him to be a charismatic performer, nonetheless. One of my favorite concerts of all time took place in November 1975 when Simon performed solo at Avery Fisher Hall. His terrific album “Still Crazy After All These Years” had just come out. A banner in the hall said, “Welcome Home, Paul!” And there was a feeling that our favorite son had come back in triumph. So strong is Simon’s place in my life that I immediately conjure up memo-
ries to the shows I’ve seen. On Sept. 19, 1981, Simon and Garfunkel sang together in Central Park before a crowd of more than 100,000 ecstatic fans. (Make that 99,999 — after the show, I got my heart broken by a woman I was crazy about). In August 1991, Simon appeared solo in the Park and it was a magical show. The most interesting Simon concert that I ever attended took place in July 1999. I’d always wondered what a Bob Dylan/Paul Simon bill would be like. When they picked and sang together that night at Madison Square Garden, it was epic. Apart, with their respective bands, the contrast between the two performers was noteworthy. Simon appeared in jeans and a baseball cap and, if I recall correctly, there was something of a light show during his set. Dylan came on in a dark suit and hardly connected with the audience. On a personal level, it seems fitting that the only time I met Simon occurred in 2011 — during a rain delay at Yankee Stadium, the home of our beloved baseball team. And for the record, this tough, worldly journalist had a minor meltdown in Simon’s pres-
ence. “You’re Paul Simon!” I practically shouted. “Yes,” he replied, smiling. His deadpan reply made perfect sense. He knows who he is and what he has accomplished. He doesn’t have to promote himself or stage contrived events for the media. Like all true success stories, Simon made his mark on his own terms. Simon has stood up for New York when it needed his quiet dignity the most. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Simon went on “Saturday Night Live” to sing “The Boxer.” His calm, moving music particularly resonated during that scary time. David Bowie, fittingly, performed a version of Simon’s “America” to open the big post-9/11 Concert for New York City at Madison Square Garden. Now that he is (literally) leaving the stage, we should celebrate him anew. He has made lots of artistic, timely, brilliant music. He has shown respect and love for his little town. Jon Friedman teaches journalism at Hunter College.
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West End Secondary Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green Team poses with their oyster research equipment and an exhibition chart. Photo: Ashad Hajela
MAKING MARINE LIFE ENVIRONMENT West Side students help to rejuvenate Hudson River BY ASHAD HAJELA
Three times a year, members of the Green Team at West End Secondary School go down to the West 79th Street Boat Basin and give the Hudson River a checkup. They do this by scrutinizing oysters. The students, seventh and eighth graders at the West 61st Street school, evaluate the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health by seeing how many of the marine mollusks are dead or alive, taking account of the larvae growing on shells, and measuring salinity. Shells, the students are learning, are useful organisms for both assessing and enabling the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well-being: They ďŹ lter seawater, provide a habitat for other species and cleanse water of pollutants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We learned how dire the state of the Hudson is and how useful oysters can be,â&#x20AC;? said Jacqueline Lovci, an eighthgrader. The West End students have been monitoring oysters for a couple of years as part of a Green Team elective. WESS is one of several schools citywide partnering with the Billion Oyster Project (BOP), which recycles oyster shells by putting them in the river to rejuvenate a once-thriving river and New York harbor befouled and contaminated by industrial and or-
A student measures an oyster shell and looks for attached larvae. Photo: Layla Shaffer ganic runoff for a good portion of the 20th century. According to the BOP, oyster reefs once blanketed more than 220,000 acres of New York Bay. To reestablish what it calls â&#x20AC;&#x153;a sustainable oyster population,â&#x20AC;? BOP, an initiative of the New York Harbor Foundation, is working with community organizations, restaurants and schools throughout New York City to take stock and improve the river. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We set schools up with research stations,â&#x20AC;? said BOPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic director Jennifer Ballesteros. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We give teachers
a curriculum to support the research the students are doing.â&#x20AC;? Ballesteros said the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner restaurants collect and divide the shells, which are collected by Lobster Place, a seafood supplier, and Earth Matter, a city-based nonproďŹ t promoting composting in the city. The shells are taken to curing sites on Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Island and Staten Island where they are laid to cure for up to a year. The shells are then seeded with oyster larvae (â&#x20AC;&#x153;spatâ&#x20AC;? on) and released into the harbor. The WESS students have other environmental projects in the works, including converting WESS into a zero-waste school. But oysters are their world, and the Green Team students have been lobbying state legislators to pass a bill that would give restaurants a tax break of 10 cents for each pound of recycled oyster shells, up to $1,000. The students travelled to Albany last year to try and secure support for the legislation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They listen to us and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just discard it,â&#x20AC;? WESS student Layla Shafer said. The billâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s author, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, did not respond to requests for comment, but the legislation was referred to the Assemblyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ways and Means Committee in January, as it was last year following its initial introduction. Despite the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; strides in Albany, another city beside the Hudson, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in New York City where theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having the most impact.
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Discover the World Around the Corner
FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
Discover the world around the corner. Find community events, gallery openings, book launches and much more: Go to nycnow.com
EDITOR’S PICK
Fri 16 RECITAL SERIES: NADINE SIERRA Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Ave. 8 p.m. $60 212-616-3930 armoryonpark.org
Get the best Neighborhood Arts & Culture newsletter emailed to you each week Free wine tastings
The youngest winner ever of both the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition, Nadine Sierra performs a program of art songs and arias that showcase her wide technical ability and musicality.
Photo: Larkoak, via Wikimedia Commons
Exclusives at the Met, Guggenheim, and other East Side institutions Music performances at local bars
Thu 15
Fri 16
Group exercise classes
‘A PLACE TO CALL HOME’ WITH GIL SCHAFER
◄MASAMI MORIMOTO: AN EVENING WITH THE ARTIST
Seasonal events Lectures
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New York School of Interior Design, 170 East 70th St. 6 p.m. $15 Award-winning architect and author of the new book “A Place to Call Home,” Gil Schafer opens the doors to his world of comfortable classicism, sharing some of his firm’s most exciting projects from around the country. 212-472-1500 nysid.edu
Albano building, The United Nations, 305 East 46th St. 6 p.m. Free Calligrapher and textile designer Masami Morimoto’s intricate ink paintings are inspired by nature and incorporate traditional Japanese motifs. Come for the art, stay for the live entertainment, including Morimoto’s performance on the koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument. masami-morimoto.com Photo: Ayu Nabila, via Wikimedia Commons
FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
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We invite the community to join us for
NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH Come and Sample Healthy Treats Each week we will cover a different topic and provide prizes and healthy food samples to participants. Photo: IQRemix, via Flickr
Sat 17 Mon 19 Tue 20 ▲FAMILY DAY: MOON OVER MANHATTAN Asia Society, 725 Park Ave. 1 p.m. $12 Celebrate the lunar New Year and ring in the Year of the Dog with performances and traditional craft activities inspired by traditions across Asia. Events will include a lion dance, kung fu demonstration, musical performances and more. 212-288-6400 asiasociety.org
Sun 18 WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY BALL Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, 421 East 65th St. 1 p.m. $15 adults, $10 children Celebrate Washington’s birthday by learning and performing traditional country dances. Festivities include toasts to Washington, historic refreshments, a museum tour and a family scavenger hunt. 212-838-6878 mvhm.org
Photo: Tony Hisgett, via Flickr
CALVIN TRILLIN. JANE KRAMER AND GAY TALESE IN CONVERSATION 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. 7:30 p.m. $40 Join three literary titans in conversation as they discuss their lives with interviewer Budd Mishkin. The legends will talk about their recent work, including Talese’s “The Voyeur’s Motel” and Kramer’s “The Reporter’s Kitchen.” 212-415-5500 92y.org/events
GUGGENHEIM STROLLER TOURS The Guggenheim 1071 Fifth Ave. 3 p.m. $25 Enjoy a special strollerfriendly tour for children and their caregivers. Led by museum educators, this interactive exploration of current exhibitions includes touchable objects, art-making and adult conversation. Designed for children up to 24 months. 212-423-3500 guggenheim.org
Wed 21 ◄CRUCIFEROUS: UNEXPECTEDLY BEAUTIFUL CABBAGE Grace Building 1114 Sixth Ave. 8 a.m. Free Artist Sarah Fairchild drew inspiration from cabbage which, once harvested, allows for a second harvest of multiple new heads of cabbage to bloom. “Cruciferous,” adapted from two of Fairchild’s original paintings, is a reminder of the coming season, full of renewal and growth. Through March 9. 212-978-1698 artsbrookfield.com
“NE
OBLIVISCARIS”
Wednesdays March 7, 14, 21 and 28. 12 noon - 2pm
Location Main Lobby, Gracie Square Hospital 420 East 76th Street between First and York Avenues
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FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
CHICAGO IN NEW YORK The groundbreaking feminist icon and artist at Salon 94 Bowery BY MARY GREGORY
New York has art from every culture and epoch addressing every issue and topic, but there’s a distressing dearth of one major voice. It’s been almost 40 years since Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party,” the monumental sculptural installation now on permanent display at the Brooklyn Museum, created a feminist tsunami that’s still rippling. Yet, the work of this mighty artist, writer, educator and activist is not often seen on the walls of museums and galleries in New York. It’s a shame. Her current exhibition at Salon 94, on view through March 3, is filled with wisdom and bite expressed through masterful paintings and seductive beauty. The works are rainbowhued reactions offering moments of contemplation, and, like all of Chicago’s work, balance gravitas and grace. Female art lovers have experienced countless cringe-inducing moments standing in front of everything from Sabine women to nubile nymphs to vacuous Odalisques to de Koon-
ing’s ape-toothed harpies. Whether it’s a #MeToo moment, the swing of the pendulum or just the right time, Chicago’s series of monumental and small-scaled paintings from the PowerPlay series fill the downtown gallery with color, potent images and important questions. The paintings focus on male aggression and dominance and open conversations about the impact on women, on other men, on society and on the environment. Chicago, who’s as abundant in her laughter as in her outrage, shared thoughts about her work. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Why are you re-examining these works now? It’s [Salon 94 founder] Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn’s decision to show PowerPlay. There are many aspects of my work that are still unfamiliar to a larger audience, and PowerPlay is certainly one of them. It hasn’t been shown in New York since when I did it in the 1980s. One of the things Jeanne is doing is slowly introducing other bodies of my work into the contemporary art discourse. I think PowerPlay is incredibly
Judy Chicago’s monumental triptych spans more than 20 feet in her Salon 94 exhibition “PowerPlay: A Prediction. “Rainbow Man,” 1984. Sprayed acrylic and oil on Belgian linen, 108 x 252 inches. Photo: Adel Gorgy. pertinent right now.... Something that is just beginning to be discussed and that PowerPlay anticipated is the recognition that masculinity is as much a social construct as femininity. And masculinity — men — are way behind in coming to understand their behavior through a gender lens as women have been doing for 30 years…. Concepts of gender and sexuality have changed throughout history, and in terms of our own times, the discourse around gender is fairly recent. As Jonathan Katz said in his catalog essay, it starts, “Judy Chicago has lousy timing. She introduced PowerPlay before queer theory, gender studies, or masculinity studies.” So it will be interesting to see how it’s received and what kind of discourse it might create.
How did you come to the subject? I became interested in the gender construct of masculinity in the early 1980s after I made a trip to Italy and saw the great Renaissance paintings that I had studied. I thought, then, that if the Renaissance ushered in modern society, it also ushered in our concept of the heroic and the masculine. And so PowerPlay, which is a very large series of paintings, drawings, cast paper pieces, weavings and bronzes some of them in monumental scale, examines questions like why do men act like this, and what are the consequences of power as men have wielded it for other people, for the planet and for themselves?
Chicago presents images of male aggression and power, and where they have led, in works like “Driving the World to Destruction,” 1985. Sprayed acrylic and oil on Belgian linen, 108 x 168 inches. Photo: Adel Gorgy.
from Al Franken groping women to Harvey Weinstein’s predatory criminal behavior. It’s all getting swept up in one big rug, and they’re not all the same. Some of it’s just unpleasant behavior, and some of it is really criminal. So I think there needs to be a higher level of discourse about the differences between that kind of behavior. Not that any of it is acceptable, but some of it is just obnoxious and some of it is really, really dangerous and needs to be stopped. But whenever a wound bursts, all this pus comes out and I think that’s what we’re seeing. I’m hoping that gradually there will begin to be greater insights brought to bear. Also, I really hope PowerPlay contributes to an understanding that sexual harassment and sexual predatory behavior is part of a global system of male terrorism that is intended, consciously or unconsciously, to protect male privilege.... So I hope that my work can contribute to the beginnings of understanding, awareness and change, because I believe men can change.
Yet, you’ve said it’s not fair to define men as a body that’s all the same, any more than it is to define women that way. Of course not. But just as we
What conversations are you trying to open with the PowerPlay show? I just
women, for the last 30 years, have been looking at the way in which the construct of femininity intersects with and shapes us as individuals, that conversation is just in the beginning in terms of men…There is a huge range of behavior among women in terms of their relationship to the construct of femininity. There’s a huge range for men, too.
hope PowerPlay can contribute to the discussion that’s just in very early stages.... There is all this range of abhorrent male behavior, everything
Your work is about empowerment. The same way that you’ve been able to empower women to see themselves dif-
Judy Chicago and her “The Dinner Party” from the 1970s. Photo: ©Donald Woodman
ferently, are you trying to empower men to have that ability also? Absolutely. In fact I met my husband, the photographer Donald Woodman, right at the time I was finishing PowerPlay and he said something really interesting.... He said I had made, by that time, 15 years of images of alternative images for women that showed women in terms of history, and in terms of biology as powerful, active agents in contrast to some of the mythology about what we are. He said men never see alternatives, it would really great if you could fashion some. So, it was out of that I made an image called Woe-man… It kind of inverts the Freudian question. What do women really want from men? For men to be as vulnerable as a woman and as strong as a man. Judy Chicago, “PowerPlay: A Prediction,” at Salon 94, 243 Bowery, through March 3.
FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
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BEYOND BROADWAY - EAST SIDE The #1 online community for NYC theater:
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RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS JAN 31 - FEB 6, 2017 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 www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/services/restaurant-inspection.shtml. PJ Bernstein Deli & Restaurant
1215 Third Avenue
A
Green Bean Cafe
1413 York Ave
Not Yet Graded (50) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. No facilities available to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and/or equipment. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Good Health Cafe
1435 1st Ave
Grade Pending (3)
Reif’s Tavern
302 East 92 Street
A
Thai Peppercorn
1750 1st Ave
Grade Pending (21) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
Tarallucci E Vino
9 East 90th Street
A
Fika
1331 Lexington Ave
Grade Pending (22) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. 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.
Effys At The 92Y
1395 Lexington Ave
A
Bareburger
1681 1st Ave
A
Maroo
1640 3rd Ave
A
Le Pain Quotidien
1592 1st Ave
A
HISTORY
Thai @ Lex
1244 Lexington Ave
A
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Pitchoun
241 E 81st Street
Not Yet Graded (27) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. 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. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
Subway
1661 1 Avenue
A
Putawn Local Thai Kitchen
1584 1st Ave
A
Lloyd’s Carrot Cake
1553 Lexington Avenue
A
Mamagyro
165 E 106th St
A
Wimpys Restaurant
23 East 109 Street
A
Judy’s Spanish Restuarant
1505 Lexington Ave
A
Although the Society requested the landmarks evaluation in September, Negrón said, the Society now wishes to slow the process because of what a Society official described as a transitional period at the institution. “Right now, the organization has thrown the brakes on its landmarking at the moment,” Billy Higgins, a member of the professional staff at Museum House, said. He declined to provide further detail. Higgins, though, said he believes landmark status is still the end goal. The calendaring, though, will remain on the books since a property cannot be withdrawn from the landmarking process once it is underway. “The process has begun,” Negrón said. “Now that it’s calendared, it’s just about setting a date for the public hearing.” After calendaring, the LPC determines a property’s status through a public hearing that is followed by a commission vote. “Ultimately, this decision lies with the commission,” Negrón said. “We strive to work with the owners and to get their
The dining room at the Colonial Dames Museum House on East 71st Street. Photo: New York Landmarks Preservation Commission consent but their approval is not necessary.” Miller, whose book “Seeking New York: The Stories Behind the Historic Architecture of Manhattan One Building at a Time” tells the backstories of about 50 buildings in Manhattan, pointed out that the building is unique in the way it has been preserved. In its almost 90-year history, the Museum House, between Second and Third Avenues, has never been remodeled, altered or restored, he said. Rather, it is the product of delicate preservation. “That alone makes it a property of distinctive architectural importance,” remarked Miller. The recent wave of construction on the Upper East Side, partly a byproduct of the introduction of the Second Avenue subway line, provoked a response from those bent on preserving the quaint quality of life in the area. “The rampant rise of mega-towers not only threatens historic structures; it can destroy the fabric of entire neighborhoods,” Miller said. Still, Negrón cast doubt on any definitive relationship between gentrification and preservation. “There are no studies that show a direct link between gentrification, or avoiding it,
and landmark designations, although we have heard from some communities that when they advocate for designation of their neighborhoods, they do so hoping to preserve their neighborhood from the forces of gentrification,” she said. Organizations like Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, who seek to curb larger developments, have led and contributed to efforts to check development in the area. In May, the Friends group, along with the Municipal Art Society, held an advocacy workshop titled “Attack of the Killer Megatowers.” “Friends of the Upper East Side supports increasing landmark designation for important sites in our neighborhood,” said Rachel Levy, Friends’ executive director. The Friends group submitted a request for landmarks evaluation of the Museum House in 2016 as part of a larger request to evaluate buildings in Yorkville. Although Levy said the Friends group were not party to the Dames’ recent request, they are supportive. “We haven’t been directly involved in this,” said Levy. “We heard that it was in the pipeline and we were excited about that.”
FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
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Huge Selection of Bibles Fiction/Non-Fiction Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Books Greeting Cards .VTJD t (JGUT Original Art Events and More! )PVST . 5I BN QN t 'SJ BN QN 4BU BN QN t 4VO QN QN
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JOHN KRTIL FUNERAL HOME; YORKVILLE FUNERAL SERVICE, INC. Dignified, Affordable and Independently Owned Since 1885 WE SERVE ALL FAITHS AND COMMUNITIES Best in show winner Elizabeth, Mason and Joanna Colon with models. Photo: Chris Dastoor
PAWS FOR THE CAMERA PETS Canine models take the spotlight for the Pet Fashion Show BY CHRIS DASTOOR
Country couture for animal rescue was the theme of the 15th annual New York Pet Fashion Show, held February 8 at the Hotel Pennsylvania Penntop Ballroom. The eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emcee was the animal behaviorist and celebrity pet expert Harrison Forbes, dressed in his own cowboy getup in the spirit of the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a testament to pets and animals, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no language barrier, people just like to see the fashion all over the world,â&#x20AC;? said Forbes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My favorite moments are the heartwarming ones, like the woman who two years ago had found a pug almost dead in the Coachella desert. Now here it is walking down the runway in New York City, completely healthy. Those rags to riches stories for some of the animals involved are special to me.â&#x20AC;? The highlight of the evening was the contest for best in show, won by Joanna Colon, her sister Elizabeth Colon, her niece Mason, and her dogs Chuchi, Tobi and Izzy. Joanna designed the costumes, and
this was her ďŹ rst award since she ďŹ rst started participating in the show in 2013. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a designer most of my life: architect, interiors, fashion, jewelry. I love to create. I started doing dog costumes to keep my chihuahua warm and then just went crazy with it,â&#x20AC;? says Colon. Over 700 people attended the show, with more than 80 contestants making their way down the catwalk (or dogwalk), including 25 entrants for the best in show competition. Chairman Greg Oehler says the show was reaching 3 million viewers internationally as of the weekend, and is expected to reach tens of millions soon. Ada Nieves has been co-chair of the New York Pet Fashion Show since its inception. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The concept is keeping the industry and community together by networking, coordinating and helping create awareness on the issues,â&#x20AC;? Nieves says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People here have their own social media with a lot of followers and friends that will listen, so it raises awareness in a chain reaction.â&#x20AC;? The central issue this year was dog flu. Merck Animal Health was one of the sponsors of the event and works to raise awareness on the issue, which people can learn more about at dogďŹ&#x201A;u.com. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dog flu is a big epidemic happening around the United
States, not only are we getting the ďŹ&#x201A;u, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so bad the viruses are passing to the dogs and they are getting sick,â&#x20AC;? Nieves says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are trying to educate the public to save as many as animals as we can by vaccinating before they get sick, to prevent it,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop them from getting it, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to help it not be as bad if they do get it, so they can survive.â&#x20AC;? Forbes notes that the fashion aspect of the event is a particular draw. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pet charity comes in a lot of forms, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fundraisers for shelters, but when you have the fashion side to it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just another niche element of the pet industry where everybody can come together for a good purpose,â&#x20AC;? he says. Although dogs dominated the show, Nieves says other creatures are welcome. Cats, guinea pigs, chickens, lizards and even a turtle walked down the runway. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The pet arena is so big and includes so many animals. Right now, there are people who have tarantulas, rats, lizards, snakes, all different pets people identify with,â&#x20AC;? Nieves says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want these people to know they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t alone and to know we are an industry that caters to their needs.â&#x20AC;?
5 )/'&1 /'+$1)-,0 $2250 -+.*'1' 5 )/'&1 2/)$*0 $2850 5 4.'/1 /' *$,,),( 3$)*$%*'
1297 First Ave (69th & 70th & + # " $& )" $ " $ ) * "#( & " $ + ))) $& '" $ #! #! Each cremation service individually performed by fully licensed members of our staff. We use no outside agents or trade services in our cremation service. We exclusively use All Souls Chapel and Crematory at the prestigious St. Michael's Cemetery, Queens, NY for our cremations unless otherwise directed.
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Business
Real Estate
Pearl River’s Joanne Kwon in the store’s Chelsea Market location. Photo: Clarrie Feinstein
PEARL RIVER TREASURES FLOW INTO CHELSEA STORES Longtime family retailer’s second opening this year BY CLARRIE FEINSTEIN
Teri Tynes, via flickr
ASK A BROKER BY ANDREW KRAMER
We are selling our beautiful Murray Hill apartment on our own. We quickly received an offer that we’ve accepted. Should we continue to show the apartment?
“It’s not over until it’s over” is especially true in the Manhattan residential real estate market. I’ve seen numerous deals unravel in the 16 years I’ve been in this business ... the buyer got cold feet; the in-laws want to see the place before the contract is signed; the buyer’s buyer walked from their deal. Brokers and sellers should continue to show a property until the contract of sale is fully executed (that’s when a deal is “official”). It’s not always pretty, but sometimes you need to light a fire under your buyer’s seat and it never hurts to have a backup offer (or two) waiting in the wings! Good luck. Andrew Kramer is a licensed associate real estate broker with Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales, LLC
In 1971, Ming Yi Chen and Ching Ye Chen decided to open a store in New York City with the sole purpose of providing Chinese goods and merchandise to Americans and Chinese alike. At a time when the world knew little about life behind the Red Curtain, the Chens wanted to puncture the shroud of mystery and deliver a bit of Chinese culture to the American public — a radical notion at the time. Nixon had not yet made his momentous visit to China and trade restrictions only just begun to loosen. Importing goods was a challenge and, according to their daughter-in-law, Joanne Kwong, illegal, but they found a way. Pearl River opened its first store on Catherine Street. It became an instant hit and a New York institution. When the Chinese and the Americans eventually signed wide-ranging trade agreements, goods from mainland China arrived freely into the U.S. market — and to Pearl River.
The store would move several times — to Elizabeth Street, Canal Street, Broadway in SoHo, among other locations — but loyal customers followed. In 2015, their lease for the SoHo location was coming to an end and the rent had gone from $1 million to $5 million — a forbidding price. The family thought the store’s and their legacy were coming to an end. But the Chens’ daughter-in-law, Joanne Kwong, seized on an opportunity to keep Pearl River alive. “I was working at Columbia at the time,” said Kwong, now Pearl River’s president. “I was counsel to the president and vice-president of communications, so I knew about branding, marketing and digital development. I think when my in-laws saw what I could offer, they realized we could move forward and open another store.” When customers found out the SoHo location would close, there was an uproar from the community. “That reaction was extremely rewarding for my inlaws. They had been with this store for over 40 years.” Kwong explained. “It made them see this store made an impact.” The family opened an outlet on Broadway just below Canal Street last year. It’s a two-floor
space with an added art gallery to display the work of AsianAmerican artists. No long afterward, Kyle Allen, the retail scout for Chelsea Market, approached Kwong and asked if she wanted to open in a vacant Chelsea Market spot. “It was crazy,” Kwong said. “We had just opened our Tribeca store. But Kyle was an amazing partner to have in retail and so we jumped on the idea.” Eight weeks ago, a new, roughly 3,500-square-foot Pearl River outlet opened its doors in Chelsea Market and, equipped with a 12-year lease, will continue the store’s mission of introducing Asian, and particularly Chinese, culture into an American market. But what makes Chelsea Market a challenge is the clientele. Around 6 million tourists frequent the market annually. Kwong realizes that the goods in the store need to appeal to a much larger audience of people, unlike at the Tribeca location, which attracts more locals and loyal customers. The goods span Pan-Asian products and even some more touristy tchotchkes. The store houses traditional Chinese dress, pottery and candies only available in China. One could think the identity of the original Pearl
River is lost in the unmistakably commercial aspect of Chelsea Market. And with a recent announcement that Google would be buying the Chelsea Market building, the market’s creative mandate could be compromised. But Kwong doesn’t see it that way. “I think when hard core old timers come back and see the items they remember, they don’t care about how we’ve changed overtime. They’re just happy that we’re back,” she said. “The mission of the store has always been to introduce new cultural items, new traditions, new holidays, to New York – you don’t have to introduce Asian culture anymore. But there is still the need to have a place of cultural sharing, especially when society is really divided.” Kwong also wants to support Asian artists by selling their wares and wants to facilitate programming and workshops. She has already finalized programming to celebrate the Lunar New Year festivities, which begin February 16. “We’re bringing Chinatown to a new neighborhood,” Kwong said. “Pearl River’s mission is to discover new cultures. That’s happening here in Chelsea and that’s really exciting.”
FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
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FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com
HOTEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Passions ran deep: “In a few years, you will see the disappearance of my business and the rundown of the neighborhood,” said Sophie Shane, whose family-owned business, Apple Engraving, provides custom framing and engraving services in a shop at 120 West 58th Street.
A Spring Debut, a $63 Million Tab But DHS argues that the Park Savoy will provide shelter to the homeless in their home borough — and as close as possible to the jobs, family, schools, health care, social services and other support networks in the communities they last called home. The exact timetable for the shelter’s debut wasn’t immediately clear, but DHS says its target for an opening is “early spring.” The value of the city’s contract with Westhab is $7 million a year for five years, and it’s renewable for another four years, so it’s basically a nine-year contract term totaling $63 million, according to Jackie Bray, the deputy com-
missioner for homeless services at DHS. “But I don’t want to give anyone the impression that after nine years, the site goes away,” Bray told the audience at John Jay. Westhab leased the site directly from the hotel’s owner, at an annual rent of $2.6 million, and the city will then reimburse the nonprofit service provider for the rent, DHS said. Priority will be given to the placement of men from Manhattan and, when possible, people who hail from Community Board 5, which takes in Midtown, Midtown South, Times Square and the Flatiron and runs from Eighth Avenue to Lexington Avenue and 59th Street to 14th Street. The mission: Keep them sheltered in the communities in which they still may retain roots and loved ones and friends. Offer them an opportunity to find work and maintain hope and a helping hand to get them back on their feet. In an effort to mollify community opposition, DHS and its partner Westhab, which will manage the facility, says it will install a total of 56 security cameras both inside and
outside the facility. Recordings of any illegal activities will be provided to police in the case of arrests and prosecutions. There will be a six-person security staff on every shift, and a minimum of two security guards posted at the building’s entrance. Access will be tightly controlled, and security cameras will be monitored 24-7. House rules will be enforced and “good neighbor policies” maintained. A 24-hour hotline will be set up to encourage community feedback. Residents will also have to adhere to a 10 p.m. curfew unless they’re working nights. How does the curfew work? “This is not a jail,” said Jim Coughlin, the senior vice president of services at Yonkersbased Westhab. “If someone wants to have a cigarette at 11 o’clock at night, they’re going to have a cigarette at 11 o’clock at night.” The smoking facilities, he added, “will be outdoors.” His antagonists from the neighborhood didn’t relish the idea, and another disapproving chant echoed from the crowd, “Outside our windows!”
ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND
thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY
Exile and Creativity Series | Enrico Fermi: The Last Man Who Knew Everything
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, 6PM Italian Cultural Inst. | 686 Park Ave. | 212-879-4242 | iicnewyork.org David N. Schwartz, author of the Fermi biography The Last Man Who Knew Everything will be joined in conversation by William Allen Zajc, Professor of Physics at Columbia (free).
Einstein’s Brain: A (Gray) Matter of Dispute
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 6:30PM Temple Emanu-El | 1 E. 65th St. | 888-718-4253 | emanuelnyc.org Ambassador Ido Aharoni of NYU’s School of International Relations leads a panel of IMAX filmmakers and an expert in neurobiology. They’ll tell the odd story of the posthumous adventures of Albert Einstein’s brain and illuminate the sources of his unique genius (free).
Just Announced | An Evening with Chelsea Clinton + She Persisted Around the World
SUNDAY, MARCH 11TH, 5PM Brooklyn Library | 10 Grand Army Pl. | 718-230-2100 | bklynlibrary.org Chelsea Clinton will be reading and in conversation, joined by illustrator Alexandra Boiger, in an all-ages launch and signing for an inspirational new book (seat + copy of the book starts at $20).
For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,
sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.
FACILITATING THOUGHT AND TALK BLACK HISTORY The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center, a project of the Archdiocese of New York, features diverse and nonsectarian programming BY LEIDA SNOW
Some people think movies are add-ons, entertainments and infotainments we can take or leave; but some films have a real-world impact. The Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, on Bleecker Street, opened its Black History Month programming with Keith Beauchamp’s 2005 documentary, “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till.” The film is about the 14-year-old black boy who, it was alleged at the time, whistled at a white woman store owner in Mississippi in 1955. Till was kidnapped a few days after the supposed incident and his mutilated body was found in the Tallahatchie River. The incident galvanized the nascent civil rights movement when Till’s mother insisted that her son’s coffin remain open at his Chicago funeral, and a gruesome photo was published nationwide. Beauchamp found that there were still those alive who could be prosecuted and the FBI reopened the Till investigation as a result. Some say the 63-year-old case has parallels in current-day America. There have been two recent Till books, reflecting ongoing interest in the incident. Beauchamp’s film can be seen on YouTube and is the basis of an upcoming narrative film by producer Fred Zollo (“Mississippi Burning”), with Whoopi Goldberg making her directorial debut. In an interview after a recent screening at the Sheen Center, Zollo said that he produces movies “to make people angry and committed.” The film is a prime example of thought-provoking fare featured at the Sheen Center, which is named for the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, widely known for his popular broadcast ministry. It is a project of the Archdiocese of New York with a stated mission to present “the true, the good, and the beautiful.” The Center takes on tough, issues, such as a recent panel
Frederick Zollo, producer of an upcoming feature film based on documentary, left: Keith Beauchamp, producer-director of The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, center: and Sheen Center programming associate and moderator Kelley Girod following a recent showing of the documentary at the Sheen Center in Greenwich Village. Photo: The Sheen Center on suicide, where the Church’s well-known position was met with passionate discussion. Acknowledging that the truth is sometimes ugly, an Archdiocese spokeswoman, Mercedes Lopez Blanco, said, “The truth is always beautiful, though the journey can be messy.” Few subjects are as fraught as race, and on February 20, the Center will present “Race In America: Telling Our Stories” — an evening of conversation and readings with several authors and poets. On February 22, audiences can experience “Little Rock,” an excerpted play reading and panel discussion. The script is based on the nine teenagers who desegregated a white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Their stoicism in the face of noxious racism was televised for the world to see. The discussion will include a member of the Little Rock Nine. A full production will be at the Center this spring. The final Black History Month presentation, on February 27, will be an author’s night featuring Fox News’ chief national correspondent Ed Henry. He’ll discuss his book, “42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story.” It’s an inspirational take on the legendary player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, and emphasizes how Robinson’s faith played a role in keeping him grounded as he faced widespread and sometimes brutal opposition. The Sheen Center is housed in a Colonial Revival-style former school and rectory built in 1926. Beginning about 1945, it functioned as a shelter for homeless men. The Archdiocese was able to renovate its interior, which now includes a
270-seat theater. Live concerts can be recorded in the state-ofthe-art studio, which boasts five-camera video capabilities. The smaller, 90-seat Black Box theater has moveable seats. There are four rehearsal spaces, and an art gallery. The Center’s mission statement says “that life is worth living, especially when we seek to deepen, explore and challenge ourselves, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, intellectually, artistically, and spiritually.” In an online video, also played before presentations, the archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, says many people who might never go to a church will come to see a play, a film or a panel. That is the Sheen Center’s genius. The Center notes it is “cognizant of our creation in the image and likeness of God,” and its programming reflects that, including such offerings as a “celebration in music, dance and story of the Sisters of Charity of New York.” But there are also theatrical productions, like the current “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The Center is eclectically nonsectarian. Beauchamp, the filmmaker, said he has additional material that was not included in his original telling of the Till story. After the screening, he emphasized that Till’s mother wasn’t acting alone; there were activists and leaders organizing. “History is repeating itself,” he said, and that’s what makes Till’s story resonate today. Zollo said the people responsible for Till’s murder can still be held to account: “A movie can make a difference.” Which is exactly what the Sheen Center aspires to facilitate.
FEBRUARY 15-21,2018
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YOUR BRAIN ON BEETHOVEN’S NINTH EXHIBITIONS The Rubin Museum’s “Brainwave” festival challenges our notions of sound and time BY ALIZAH SALARIO
On a recent Friday night at the Rubin Museum, warm red light and cool hypnotic sound flooded the theater space. Bean bag chairs and yoga cushions were scattered across the floor. A handful of listeners sat upright, eyes closed; others released into peaceful savasanas on the floor as “9 Beet Stretch,” a rendition of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony stretched to 24 hours with no pitch distortions by Scandinavian sound artist Leif Inge, washed over them. The mood, to this reporter, was very TGIF. Or perhaps it’s Saturday morning? That’s the thing about “9 Beet Stretch,” part of the Rubin’s “Brainwave: The Future is Fluid” festival, which runs through April. Like the festival itself, the trippy soundscape is designed to make participants question basic premises of memory, perception, free will and even destiny. Curated by neuroscientist and author David Eagleman, the festival’s lectures, discussions and sonic experiences tap into everything from the science of nostalgia to a Deepak Chopra-
led session on the elastic mind and the healing self. But in a place where the experience of time — for many New Yorkers — is that there’s simply never enough of it, how can Brainwave help, heal and educate? “I hope for people to come into the museum with a particular state of mind, and leave with another state of mind. One that gives them a greater sense of awareness that more things are possible than they thought,” said Tim McHenry, the Rubin’s director of public programs and the mastermind behind the festival. Case in point: participants who devoted at least two hours listening to “9 Beet Stretch” were able to track the shift in their state of mind — literally — in a neuro-research component of the evening. Chris Rose, a graduate student from New York University’s C-Lab, under the supervision of neuroscientist and lab leader Moran Cerf, was on hand to test how the brain regards time differently before and after listening to “9 Beet Stretch” through the use of time-based computer games and an EEG headset. “How we experience time is also related to memory, it can also be related to our emotional experience,” said Rose. “It’s very much about where our head’s at.” Though conclusive results have yet to be tallied, Rose explained that the test looked at both objective time, or
the concrete number of seconds or minutes that have passed, and subjective time, or the perception of time, i.e. how it flies during engaging activities and drags when we’re bored. The music, which had elements of both chanting and a beautiful film score, would alter the perception of time accordingly. Abstract? Perhaps, but most people already have a sense of time’s fluidity, suggested McHenry. Activities that involve repetition, whether chanting, vocalizing a daily mantra or even a tactile practice like kitting, create a rhythm, which is a way of marking time, explained McHenry. “We’ve discovered, that, say, people go into the Tibetan Buddhist shrine room upstairs, or even if you sat in front of the Mona Lisa for more than the usual two minutes and twenty seconds, something would start working on you. But you’re doing the working. It’s not a passive experience, because we’re calibrated to reinterpret, so you start registering different types of consciousness over time.” Inge, the sound artist behind “9 Beet Stretch” has heard his piece played for audiences around the world, but this was the first time the 24-hour listening experience incorporated a neuroresearch component. For Inge, it was a way to quantify what he already understood by heart. “I’ve been inside this concert for many hours. My experience is when
Chris Rose guiding a participant after listening to “9 Beet Stretch.” Photo: Asya Danilova you go out in the city, the sound is following. You hear the ambiance of the city — are they playing “9 Beet Stretch? A car breaks, and suddenly it sounds like the piece.” Inge notes that part of what makes the experience work is that Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is so widely performed. Many listeners bring preconceived notions about
HOLMES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Fetner hosted a series of public meetings at Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center Feb. 7 to outline plans for renovations to public space around the development and to solicit community input on the designs. A proposed plan for the site showed new play areas adjacent to the mixeduse tower near the entrance to an existing community center in one of the Holmes Towers buildings, as well as a new playground and walking path near the current site of a small playground near the corner of East 92nd Street and First Avenue. Other proposals, presented at the meeting by landscape architecture firm Starr Whitehouse, included a seating area for seniors and a fitness area with outdoor gym equipment. Some residents worried that a proposed community garden could attract rodents. Despite the proposed changes, some residents of Holmes Towers and neighboring Stanley M. Isaacs Houses voiced concerns that new amenities would not make up for the space occupied by the new building.
A rendering for proposed renovations to open space around the new 48-story tower to be built on the grounds of Holmes Towers. Rendering: Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects “We don’t have enough grounds as it is,” said Angela Ramirez, a 49-year resident of Holmes Towers. The arrangement, controversial for many, to allow a private developer to build on public housing land is
part of the NYCHA’s NextGeneration Neighborhoods program, in which the Housing Authority has partnered with private sector to fund repairs of NYCHA buildings and create new units of affordable housing.
The partnership between NYCHA and Fetner has faced resistance from some residents and elected officials, who have objected to the project on a variety of grounds, including that the affordable housing in the new
what the music will sound like and then experience something sonically different when they hear the elongated choral suspensions, progressions and movements. The stretchy sound had a way of sticking to each moment, and (at least for this reporter) the unexpectedly slower pace made life feel wonderfully adagio, if only for a few moments.
building will be too expensive and that NYCHA is not benefitting enough from the program. The new building will feature approximately 330 rental units, half of which will be affordable. Affordable apartments will be available to city residents making up to 60 percent of area median income, which is $40,080 for an individual and $57,240 for a family of four. Fetner will pay NYCHA $25 million for a 99-year lease of the site. The conflict takes place against a backdrop of turmoil within NYCHA, which faces budget shortfalls, and severe infrastructure problems in its buildings, including heat outages in tens of thousands of its apartments, and a scandal over the authority’s failure to conduct required testing for lead contamination. In January, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $82 million plan to upgrade boilers in NYCHA buildings. Holmes Towers itself has about $35 million in capital needs. According to NYCHA, half of the revenue raised through the Fetner partnership will be committed to funding critical projects at Holmes Towers.
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YOUR 15 MINUTES
To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to ourtownny.com/15 minutes
THE MODEL MOTHER An Upper West Sider finds the humor in motherhood BY ANGELA BARBUTI
Birgitta Karlén was 19 when she first arrived in New York to model for “Vogue.” Born in Sweden and raised in Minnesota, she came here alone and lived in a cramped studio apartment on Irving Place with three other models. After what she calls a “culture shock,” she went on the typical modeling circuit — Paris, Milan, L.A., Miami. Although New York was always her home base, she lived out of a suitcase for 10 years. Lots changed when she had her three children. “You go from that environment where you’re completely free and there are no encumbrances, then all the sudden I had three kids under the age of five,” she said. Although extremely content with being a mother, she did find it difficult at times, and quickly came to the realization that in order to stay sane, she had to find the humor in it all. That is when she decided to write, “Ten Tips for the Frazzled Parent,” which was published in 2013. Each tip, such as “Lock yourself in the bathroom and cry” and “Bribery works,” is accompanied by an endearing illustration, designed to make parents smile even in their weariest of days. Now in her 40s, with her three children now 19, 16 and 13, she is working on a full-length version of the book
with child psychologist Elissa Gross. She also has plans to lengthen the series with additions for the frazzled parent of a teen, as well as step and single parents.
How did the book first come about? We just kind of had one child after the other. And I love them so much and they were just such beautiful little beings. And I was so happy to be a mom, but it was also just so crazy.... It’s really hard and I don’t think that you’re ever really prepared for it. And I think that was one of the reasons that I wrote the book. I was like, “Wow, this is insane.” [Laughs] And it’s kind of that thing where if you don’t find the humor it, then you’ll lose your mind.
What do you want readers to take away from it? I wanted to shine some light on the fact that people are not alone. That it’s normal to have conflicting feelings. And you love your kids, but you can be exhausted and take time off when you need it, and you should. Having lived in so many other places, I think America kind of glorifies parenting. And I think people are waiting longer, so it’s supposed to be this thing that’s so amazing all the time. And it’s just supposed to be this constant bliss and everybody’s supposed to be happy, but that’s not always the reality. You’ve got post-partum depression and it’s a big lifestyle change for many women who have been professionals.
Tip #3 of from “Ten Tips for the Frazzled Parent,” illustrated by Michael Pugliese.
What is the response like from parents? They love the illustrations. The illustrator [Michael Pugliese] that I worked with is so brilliant. Just watching him work was really a pleasure. I wanted a certain look for the illustrations, so gave him some picture books and characters that I thought were where I was leaning towards. But he created something so unique and original and I think really captured the emotions really well and people seem to really connect. And then the captions that go with them, there’s a lot of deeper meaning underneath them. And people end up really laughing out loud. I’ll give it to people, they’ll start reading and they will start laughing. One of my friends, I showed it to her when it was first published, and she started tearing up at the end and said, “Oh my gosh, you have to get this out there. This is so real.”
Highlight one of the tips and why you chose it.
Birgitta Karlén, who wrote “Ten Tips for the Frazzled Parent.” Photo: A. Parmelee
Tip number three is, “Think back on all the bad things you did when you were a kid.” So you got a mom, she’s got her cup of coffee or tea and she’s kind of reminiscing about things that she did. And she’s hanging her cat over
the balcony and left her toys on the stairs and her mom or dad is coming down with some box about to trip on a bunch of things. I think this highlights how we sometimes just forget what it was like to be a kid and that we did a lot of the same things that our kids do and to give them the space to be kids. You went back to school at Columbia in your 30s. How did you balance being a mom with your academics? That was tough. [Laughs] It’s kind of a blur. I would schedule my classes so the kids would be in school, and then I was writing a lot of papers. I was available for them, but they knew that I was studying. And I think it actually inspired them to work a little bit harder. To see their mom really focusing on something and really passionate about doing well and completing this process that I had stopped.
I’m in the composer mindset because I just attended a press event for “Mozart in the Jungle,” and read that your dad was a composer. What was that like growing up? It was a very quiet house. He studied at the Boston Conservatory with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, so he was very serious about music and it was every-
thing to him. My sister and I studied violin; my other sister studied piano. And I was in a youth orchestra and traveled to Europe. The one thing that I remember the most is that his ears were so sensitive and we always had to be quiet. He had all girls, but if he had had boys, I think he would have had a bigger problem. I have two boys and they’re really loud.
You were also in a Tupac Shakur music video. That is so cool. He was interesting to work with. It was actually right before he was killed, so it was kind of sad. The song is called, “All About You.” It wasn’t one of his bigger hits, but it was about personality and presences, like famous faces always showing up. There were four of us cast as the main characters and we came up everywhere, the same faces. So everywhere you look you see the same supermodel.
Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.
P X W W K H P Z F I Q L L A O
R A H C I P K K E U Z K E K C
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I W P F T R E R I J T Y G E X
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G M E V L Q A O A R G P S R X
B L Y T O N I V N T C A T E R
C A M U S G D T S M R U R R Q
I S K E C H R I S T I E U R R
J L Q R B R F S R F M G Z L V
The puzzle contains the following 15 words. They may be diagonal, across, or up and down in the grid in any direction.
L S X V M H K E G R I S H A M
Blyton Camus Christie Crichton Fleming Gaiman Grisham Kafka King Patterson Rowling Sartre Shakespeare Steel Tolkien
ANSWERS S
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21 14 11
2
A
P
L 3
44
S
A
G H 4
L
39
E
32
A
28
L
23
I
5
U
6
E
40
N
D
41
E
A
G O
34
E
H
R
24
R 35
R U
25
20
K
O O L
P
50
E W T
R
Z
R
A O B O O
N
12
A O 49
30
19 15
C 48
A
N
22
18
I
33
Y
29
A
56
T W E
47
L
43
E
O
55
K
46
E
38
E
27
17 1
V
N
26
I
54
E
7
T
L
O
16
A
S
R M
13
8
B
9
E
E Y D
10
4 2 8
9
6 3
8 1
7
4
1 9
2 3 7
5
7 3 1 2 5 9 6 8 4
3 9 5 4 7 6 8 2 1
8 1 6 9 2 5 4 7 3
2 7 4 1 8 3 9 5 6
9 8 7 3 4 1 5 6 2
6 4 3 5 9 2 7 1 8
1 5 2 7 6 8 3 4 9
27 Approaching 28 Yearn for 29 Survey choice 33 Pledge of Allegiance ender 35 French for gold 37 In wait 38 Holiday lead-in 40 Frequent a restaurant 41 In no way 43 Spooky 46 Hose problem 48 Sound comeback 49 Shower 50 Daddy-o 51 Woodworker’s tool 52 “The Raven” writer 53 Notice 55 Air Force ___
B V N Q L O T K D A K O F H S
5 6
57 Efficient person 58 Lodging 59 Queen Elizabeth 2, e.g. 60 End letter 61 Squeeze (out) 62 A long, long time Down 1 Emcee 2 Elbow bone 3 Motley Crue’s genre, with rock 4 Come to pass 5 Submachine gun 6 Desolate 7 Arcade coin 8 Buddy (sl.) 9 Medical emergency teams, abbr. 10 One way to change color 13 Even if, briefly 18 Breathe 20 “Charlotte’s ___” book and a movie 22 Matterhorn, e.g. 24 The Long and Winding ___ 25 Impulse 26 Very popular person
5
59
62
6
58
61
8
57
60
C R I C H T O N T O K T K S W
L S X V M H K E G R I S H A M
59
9
WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor
J L Q R B R F S R F M G Z L V
58
3 4
50
56
57
Across 1 Jackman or Grant 5 ___imatum 8 Fourposter, e.g. 11 Stew cooker 12 Animal park 13 Military group 14 Flip out 15 Ruffle 16 Give the slip to 17 The Bucs stop here 19 Amphibian creature 21 Age 23 India’s first P.M. 26 In an off the wall manner 30 Ill-mannered individual 31 Quirk 32 Green color 34 Before now 36 Clarified butter of India 39 Slight 42 Pitch 44 Thai language 45 Techie 47 Despicable fellow 51 Basilica part 54 Big Vegas poker hotel 56 Flyers’ org. abbr.
49
I S K E C H R I S T I E U R R
55
48
2
3
C A M U S G D T S M R U R R Q
54
47
2
B L Y T O N I V N T C A T E R
53
46
6
Level: Medium
G M E V L Q A O A R G P S R X
52
44
N U Q E X E S P M F P J A A P
51
3
I W P F T R E R I J T Y G E X
45
41
L T S D E S W I A Z R N N P N
43
40
1
6
W Y U T G Y S Q G R U E I S H
39
9
O W T P N J A M N O M I M E A
42
38
35
R A H C I P K K E U Z K E K C
37
34
P X W W K H P Z F I Q L L A O
36
33
1
B V N Q L O T K D A K O F H S
32
3
4
C R I C H T O N T O K T K S W
31
30
2 5
S
29
25
P
28
24
9
I
27
23
7
4
N
26
22
20
H
21
19
9
9
E O
18
4 7
S
17
1
62
16
8
E
15
2
N
14
7
N
13
Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.
K
12
10
I
11
9
E
8
61
7
R
6
E
5
E
4
E
3
SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan
by Myles Mellor
Z
2
CROSSWORD
D O
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