Some people think the cultural life in New York is over, because of the bans on live performances and movies. This is far from true. Galleries are open, from Whitney to the Met, and on a sunny, crisp October Saturday I had the extreme pleasure of going on the Madison Avenue Gallery Walk with my friend and neighbor Carol.
Our final stop was the Leila Heller Gallery. The works on display by the multi-talented Mia Fonssagrives were fun (robots!) and pleasant, especially a luminous translucent blue sculpture. But the treasure of the day was completely unexpected. I commented on a striking sculpture of elongated, twisted metal that was on the counter—part of their permanent collection—and the gallery manager, Alena Marajh, asked if I’d like to see another work by the sculptor. She led me into the back garden, where I was stricken by a majestic, alien being that seems to have descended from outer space.
Who would have suspected this beautiful alien visitor was living in a garden behind this tucked away gallery on East 76th Street? I am haunted by this beckoning into an unseen, magical world.
Like millions of others around the world, I was deeply saddened when I learned that Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18. I admire many things about her, from her fitness regimen to her incalculable contribution to equality for all people in the United States. My physiotherapist has her fitness book in the waiting area, and I had a little tin of RBG “judgemints” on my desk for a couple of years. I can’t find it now.
The morning after Ruth died, I found a strange sight in my livingroom. I keep my Judge badge from the 2019 Mermaid Parade with a collection of other little mementos on the window sill. Suddenly, the card was upside-down. I took it as a personal message from Ruth to me, but I don’t know what it means yet. Perhaps simply an honoring of her passing.
In the Tarot deck, the justice card reversed means: Law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity. This could be a portent of what’s to come, with the immediate, hypocritcal nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. I definitely felt a call to action, and wrote an article for my local paper giving people information on how to vote.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg shrine at the foot of Alma Mater statue, in front of Columbia University Library
On a cool evening, Sunday, September 20, I went up to Columbia University to see her shrine, which mourners had created in an impromptu fashion in front of the Alma Mater statue at the Library of Columbia University.
Alma Mater “nourishing mother” bronze sculpture by Daniel Chester French, installed in September 1903.
I lit a candle in her memory, and spent a few minutes wishing her peace on her spirit journey, and feeling gratitude for all she has done in her lifetime. There were students sprinkled here and there on the steps, and I envied them the chance to be starting out in life, with the tremedous opportunities that studying at Columbia will bring them. The campus is wide, open, and beautiful, with lovely architecture, and I felt inspired to study there myself! A woman walking her dog came up to the shrine, and told me it had grown a lot since the night before.
To the left (out of frame) were more yellow legal pads with messages on them. May the young folks who left these gifts be a flotilla of guiding lights in the world.
The flags on campus were flying at half-mast in RBG’s honor, and as you probably heard on the news, Justice Ginsburg received two honors that no other woman has: “She became the first woman to lie in repose at the Supreme Court Building on September 23 and, the following day, became the first justice to lie in repose for a second day. On September 25, she lay in state at the Capitol, becoming the first woman and first Jewish person to do so.” (Wikipedia)
On my way home I encountered a festive scene: people dining in bubbles at Cafe Du Soleil on Broadway! Humanity is endlessly inventive in finding ways to thrive and flourish and enjoy life.
There are two fascinating films about RBG, which I watched on Hulu:
RBG – documentary about her life and contributions.
They are both excellent films, inspiring and celebratory of a great life and humble woman who kept following the path of her own inner vision. I loved seeing her mischievous spirit at play and learning how she got the nickname the Notorious RBG, after the fellow Brooklynite rapper the Notorious B.I.G.
As many of you know, I have been writing for WestView News since 2017, and have had my monthly column, Karen’s Quirky Style, for 18 months. During this time I’ve gotten to know the remarkable cast of characters that run the paper, write for the paper, and read the paper. I love these people and want to help our community paper. It is a West Village institution, and the only independent voice left in the Village after the closure of the Village Voice and the buy-out of The Villager by Schneps Media.
Today, WestView News is launching a crowdfunding campaign in a final bid to survive. Here’s their appeal. Please help if you can. Thank you.
George Capsis, publisher of WestView News
Crowdfunding Appeal from WestView News
We are asking for help because our beloved local newspaper is in danger of folding forever. With ad revenues sinking as our local businesses struggle to survive in the face of the COVID 19 pandemic, WestView News can no longer make payroll and pay printing costs. We have distributed the paper for free to 12,000 West Village homes, year after year, and to another 500 paid subscribers. Without your help, we can’t do it anymore.
Publisher George Capsis recalls: When I started the paper 17 years ago, I found myself giving it a subheading, “The Voice of the West Village.” I wanted the readers to talk back—to ask the newspaper to use “the power of the press” to get things done. This paper has made incalculable contributions to the West Village community during the past 17 years, from holding free concerts for seniors to successfully campaigning for a Village Heart Lab at Lenox Hill Hospital—a vital local resource to save a heart attack victim in the 15-minute window from attack to medical treatment.
But the news for newspapers is not good:
The Daily News recently closed their one of their offices. Hinting at the cost, the New York Times recently announced it will no longer print their TV guide. Shortly after the Times finished their gleaming new headquarters, they found the mortgage onerous and sold the building and rented back their offices.
A major New York real estate firm contracted to buy the expensive back page of WestView when the pandemic prompted a quick cancellation. Restaurant ad sales have fallen as well: you don’t advertise a restaurant that can’t be entered. The traditional way of funding a newspaper via advertising is dead and it is very easy to predict that the bankruptcy of newspapers will continue until they will only be found in museums…
We think that some of us still like the feel of a real newspaper, and would like to try to continue WestView for a few more years and maybe even make it a little bit better.
Today, we are asking our neighbors and community to help. If you love the paper, we ask you to help save WestView News. We need community support to help us pay a backlog of bills and keep the paper printing for the remainder of the pandemic and the following year as our community rebuilds.
Your contribution will help pay our staff and our printer, but more importantly, you will help us bring the local news to the people of the West Village. Our stories, told by the people who live here. Which bird Keith Michael and his dog Millie spotted in the Village this month… How you met your husband… What the Village was like 40 years ago… The most exciting thing that ever happened in your life… This is your paper. Without WestView News, there will be no one left to tell these stories. Please help if you can.
Please support our crowdfunding campaign. Please give what you can afford, what you think the paper deserves. And please ask your friends and neighbors to give as well. Thank you. We greatly appreciate your support.
Sometimes it takes a martini. This espresso martini is the sublime ending to a pandemic-shattering brunch at Osteria 57, 57 West 10th Street.
July was one of the strangest months I’ve seen in NYC. The pandemic is “under control” but everyone is wearing masks. A necessary but bizarre and disturbing daily reality. The protests continue on. It’s been over two months since the first protest in New York, on May 30. Protestors are much more organized now. There has been a lot of legislative change and massive increase in public awareness of systemic racism, so the protestors have succeeded in their initial aims, but clearly the desire for real change has not been met yet.
Homeless man rests on church steps on West 10th Street.
Homelessness is a growing problem. An estimated 20% of New Yorkers are unemployed, and it’s uncertain whether the pandemic rent protection will continue much longer. Indeed, parts of the protection plan have ended. I am very concerned about what will happen as more New Yorkers lose their homes.
Homeless man sleeps on brownstone stoop. He is mentally ill and uses the stoop as his toilet. He blocks the passage of tenants into the building, and they literally have to step over him to enter or leave.
On the bright side, outdoor dining has taken over some New York streets, bringing a sense of unreality as people eat, drink, and be merry in the sunshine. Once seated at the table, the masks come off, and it seems like life is back to normal. I met with the brunch gang for the first time since March. Most of my friends have been in strict quarantine since the pandemic began. The company and decadently indulgent food and wine at Osteria 57 made us feel glad to be alive. The feast was capped with complementary canoli and the above-pictured espresso martinis. Almost worth waiting 4 months for.
Joyful hours with friends as we have our first meal together since March.
And in the most unusual July 4th celebration, the city shot off fireworks from the top of the Empire State Building. It was quite a symbol of our times to see the Empire exploding. A clever idea, of course, to allow a modest celebration that all New Yorkers could view, from all over the city, without crowding the streets as is the custom for July 4th firework viewing.
Moon over the rooftops of Manhattan on July 4th.
I feel a heavy dread in my heart, and it has been difficult to write anything for this blog, as I usually have something positive to share. As REM said so stirringly, it’s the end of the world as we know it, but I don’t feel fine.
Sun sets into New Jersey as I have a solo picnic by the Hudson River on July 4th. I reveled in the gooey, crispy tacos de pescado and a tart lime margarita from La Contenta Oeste on 6th Avenue. A moment of serenity as a man plays acoustic guitar on a nearby bench.
On top of the global and city-wide events, our building is mourning the loss of our beloved doorman Moss Kuqi, who died in June of a heart attack. He was a welcoming beacon of joy to many who live here, and I always felt uplifted by his warm greeting when I returned home. I miss him dearly. Blessings on your spirit, dear Moss.
Iconic opening shot from Norman Lear’s All in the Family—a show that captivated us the entire decade of the 70s
“Boy the way Glenn Miller played…,” the man sang through his open Pontiac window. “I know what you’re doing!” He yelled, as he sailed past the graveyard and pastel-colored rowhouses.
I was standing in front of a tidy, light blue rowhouse with an American flag planted in the front yard and a year-round wreath on the door. Signs gave a personal greeting of welcome to visitors. This is one of the most famous houses in television history. Can you guess the show?
All in the Family was the background track to my formative years, running weekly right through the ’70s and taking me from childhood through puberty. It showed the turning of the times, and my family was following similar themes. I’m pretty sure my “Old Country” patriarchal father identified with Archie’s authoritarian approach to running a household, while my mother was younger and didn’t take to being called Dingbat. Which my dad did try to lay on my mother, more than once…
The Bunker house at 89-70 Cooper Avenue, in a triangle where the Queens neighborhoods of Glendale, Middle Village, and Forest Hills converge. Though Archie often identified his address as 704 Hauser Street in Astoria, Queens.
As ground-breaking as it was, I didn’t know that at the time. I did know that the consciousness-raising and changing awareness the show depicted seemed utterly natural. It informed my nascent world view, and has percolated through the years as a compass showing the way forward to equality. An interesting fact I just learned on Wikipedia is that Sally Struthers was dissatisfied with how static her character Gloria was, and sued to get out of her contract in 1974. As a result, her character began to grow in subsequent seasons. Life informing art!
This house is archetypal. The image is burned in our collective brain. I used to drive through neighborhoods in Vancouver looking for rowhouses like this.
So this show had an incalculable impact on me personally, but also of course on society as a whole. It expressed the Zeitgeist, and ranked number one in the Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976, becoming arguably one of the most influential comedic programs of all time, and certainly of that decade.
St. John Roman Catholic Cemetery with sun smiting the gravestones
When I first came to New York, I wanted to see the iconic house in Queens shown in the opening credits. But it is quite a trek to 89-70 Cooper Avenue. So I didn’t get around to making the journey to Glendale via the M train until February 21 of this year. Covid was in the air, and I felt an internal pressure to see the things in New York I’d been meaning to see before it was too late. I felt that life as I knew it was drawing to a close. There was so much uncertainty politically and with this new virus. I was considering returning to Canada, so on a cool, sunny Friday, I took the M train to the end of the line.
This definitely feels like the burbs. Bushes, parking lots, drive-throughs… And a link to Canada (Toronto Dominion bank).
It felt great to break out of my routine and see a part of New York I’d never been to. Though the show was set in Astoria, the opening credit scene of the camera panning over a row of houses was filmed on Cooper Street in Glendale. Both are neighborhoods in Queens. That image had been burned in my brain and represented something powerful about a way of life and an era, but also of my girlhood and a more innocent time.
Middle Village, Queens, on Cooper Avenue, with the graveyard behind
I didn’t know what to expect, but the neighborhood near the M train station was def the burbs. Small businesses, low buildings, a sense of space and openness. The route along Metropolitan Avenue led through a large graveyard, and I looked with interest at the names and dates on the stones…
Most of the older names in the graveyard are Polish and Italian. This is the Italian section.
At the far side of the graveyard I came to Cooper Avenue, cutting off at a bit of an angle. There was a business on the corner, which I scarcely noticed, and then a small lane, and then the famous row of duplex houses. 89-70 was the second row house. I began to cry as I stood in front of it. Though Google maps says it’s just a 27-minute drive from where I live in Manhattan, in my inner map it is both much closer and much further away.
DIY Car-4-Sale in Middle Village, Queens
It’s all bound up with countless family dinners in the house I grew up in on Portland Street, in Burnaby, BC, and our ’70s living room with black-velvet flocked wallpaper and orange and green velvet furniture. All the emotions of that time, and a father who is now deceased and forever out of reach. And a mother who is no longer a beautiful young blonde, but a woman in her 70s (still beautiful in a different way) with arthritis and cataracts, who just had a stroke.
Grimaldi’s – The New York Slice
It was quite a long trip, and it seemed silly to just turn around and go home again after a few minutes of singing and being sung to at the Bunker house. I walked back to the corner and noticed a pizza place. The sign said Open, though the place had a bit of a deserted, disarrayed air to it. I walked in and there were tables pulled out blocking the aisle, and I didn’t see a soul.
“Are you open?” I called out. A woman hurried to the door and said, yes, they were just cleaning the windows. The slice is a New York tradition, so I asked her if I could get a mushroom slice. I thought it would be like most pizza places, with some premade, precut pies.
But she yelled, “David!” and a young man came up to the kitchen from the basement. To my surprise, he started building a single-slice-sized pizza just for me. The place was called Victoria G’s Pizzeria, and I found out that this is the latest store opened by the famous New York pizza family Grimaldi’s. Wow, what a fortuitous day!
Colorful ceramic bunny captivates customers at the counter at Vicky G’s
There is no such thing as a hole in the wall, in any corner of the five boroughs, it seems. Every inch of the city is connected to history. I hadn’t heard the story before, but the owner Patsy Grimaldi (Victoria G is his daughter) learned to make pizza at age ten at Patsy’s Pizzeriea, his uncle Patsy Lancieri’s restaurant in Italian Harlem in 1941.
Victoria, for it was she, the eponymous owner, told me tales of the family’s Pizza Wars tangles with other pizza empires while the pizza baked in the coal oven and I sipped on high-end organic specialty white tea. Victoria was a talkative sweetheart, and she gave me another teabag to take home.
Frank Sinatra impersonator JJ Burton, David Grimaldi, and owner Victoria G.
Meanwhile, another guy came out and resumed work on cleaning the windows. This was none other than Frank Sinatra impersonator JJ Burton, who performs every Saturday night at Vicky G’s. He warmly invited me to come back the next night to hear his tribute to Sinatra and other classic rockers. Geez what a nice bunch of people.
And OMG, this was the best pizza I’ve ever tasted! Look at this shape. Completely unique. I’ve never seen anything like it. They use a judicious amount of a home-made mozzarella that’s divine—less chewy and more creamy than the usual. The herbs are heavenly. A smear of tomato sauce, just enough to add some zing. And then a handful of thin, fresh mushroom slices. I don’t eat pizza often so it is always a special treat, but this was something else. A glimpse into a better world!
This custom built single slice is enough for two meals! And so yummy.
It is especially poignant to recount this trip to you now, as this was one of the last carefree days in New York, about a week before our first recorded case of Covid-19 on March 1.
Boy the way Glenn Miller played. Songs that made the Hit Parade! Gee our old La Salle ran great. Those were the days…
We’ve all been missing the sounds of New York bustle. The streets of the city are eerily silent these days, as non-essential activities falter and we cross the road to avoid six feet of contact. If you need your fix of New York noise, from Coney Island to Times Square, check out this YouTube playlist of one-minute soundbites: Another New York Love Affair: Audio Meditations.
The bottom photo is a video still of “New York Love Affair #11 – Times Square Busker.” The top photo is the same shot of the street scene today, with the US Armed Forces Recruiting Station in the background.
The emptiness in Times Square is enough to make a person cry. Though many of my New York friends are starting to adjust to the empty streets and enjoy the spaciousness.
With “The Pause” ending soon as New York began Phase One of re-opening, we’d better take the opportunity to visit all the spots that are usually hopping busy, while we still have a chance! Personally, I can’t wait for the new improved al fresco dining experience that will be taking over the streets of New York.
Note: Three months later, CVS still has empty shelves where the toilet paper used to be. A new shipment comes in once a week and is immediately snapped up.
Artist Karen Rempel at Shadow Play exhibit opening reception at Revelation Gallery. Photo by Dusty Berke.
What is the difference between the substance and its shape? Is it an absence of light, a reflection of light? The shadow seems to reveal new potentials for the object. New possibilities, alternate realities. A hint of magic, hidden within the ordinary.
The Heart Sutra in Buddhism includes the statement “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.” A shadow is empty, yet it has form. Perhaps a single shadow or pixel is a doorway into experiencing deep universal truths. What happens when you blow up a pixel? What is inside it?
The tiny images invite the viewer to step close and immerse in the feeling-world of the different possible manifestations of the form.
The creation of this series was a playful act, form arising spontaneously from emptiness, yet never really existing. The shifting colour tones and emphases on different elements of the image evoke different moods, from somber to playful to compelling. From light and shadow waves to eye, electrons, neural circuits, to pixels and bytes to dots of ink on paper, the final result is a tiny form, reflecting the inconsequential temporariness and changing insubstantiality of a shadow on a living-room wall.
about the artwork
Shadow Play is a series of 14 miniatures exploring the connections between shadow, familiar forms, color, and emotion. The series was first exhibited at the Havana Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC. The second phase of the art project took stillness into motion, adding a multiplicity of personal responses to the art, and resulted in a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xC4AK5GMYw). The third phase of the project brings synesthesia to the experience, adding taste pairings and the music dimension of original compositions in response to the art. The fourth phase of the project is you!
Alexandra Kargin, George Sanders, Karen Rempel, Shawn Curran, Jeffrey Reid, and Tinka Harvard at the opening reception of Shadow Play at Revelation Gallery. Photo by Dusty Berke.
synesthesia
Synesthesia is an interplay of the five senses. Music can evoke color, or a color might conjure flavor. Some synesthetes experience an intermingling of the five senses with letters of the alphabet, numbers, words, days of the week, and time itself. In this exhibit, the chosen flavors are mostly sweet, evoking the love essence in the heart center.
sally’s whipped cream
Whipped cream was popular in the 16th century in England and Europe, and was first prepared by whipping cream with willow or rush branches. It is often sweetened with sugar. Whipped cream (crème fouettée) was first mentioned in the 1820 edition of Viard’s Cuisinier Impérial. Sally’s whipped cream is a secret recipe developed in the mid-1900’s and invokes the flavor of New York cheesecake.
about the artist
Karen Rempel began taking pictures in her teens and first published her photography in 2000. When she sees the magic, weirdness, and beauty in simple moments, she is inspired to share the wonder with others. She captures images and expresses her vision through digital photography and art, video blogs, and photojournalism. She is also an award-winning writer, and has written and published in many genres. She has a monthly column, “Karen’s Quirky Style,” in WestView News, the Voice of the West Village. View her work here and watch her “Another New York Love Affair – Audio Meditations” art project on YouTube.
review
Canine Cali reviewed the exhibit for WestView News. She gave the show 3 very enthusiastic puppy paws. Woof!
see the art, hear the music
Visit the exhibit at Revelation Gallery until March 28. Gallery hours: Mon-Wed, 10 AM-3 PM, Thursdays 1 PM-3 PM. 224 Waverly Place (at 7th Avenue and West 11th Street).
Hear the AEON Ensemble perform at the gallery on Thursday, March 12, 7 PM. The AEON Ensemble commences its monthly synesthetic concert series with works by Hildegard von Bingen, Meredith Monk, David Lang, and music inspired by the Shadow Play artwork. The artist Karen Rempel will be reading a poem about Shadow Play during the performance. Get tickets.
get social
Please share your photos on Instagram:
@stjvny
@karensquirkystyle
#revelationgallery
@hannahreimannmusic
@aeonensemble
When you visit, the artist would love to meet you there and get a photo of you with your favorite piece. Text Karen at 347-362-5677.
As I mentioned in my January post, my art exhibit is opening at the Revelation Gallery, at St. John’s in the Village, on March 3. Fr. Graeme Napier had the brilliant idea of bringing a synesthesia component to the opening reception by inviting musicians to perform 1-minute compositions for each of the 14 works of art. I love this idea! I often see color when I listen to jazz music, and I think it will be wonderful to enhance the experience of the artwork by adding the element of music.
Magical Musicians
Quite magically, musicians appeared and volunteered to perform for free, anchored by my dear friend and beautiful singer-pianist-composer, Hannah Reimann. What had seemed like an unimaginable leap into a new realm of artistic expression happened almost effortlessly, thanks to Hannah’s generous offering of her time and connections. I lined up musicians for each piece, and then made arrangements to rent a projector so I could display a large form of the miniature artwork on the wall behind the piano for people to see while the musicians played.
How Does It Taste?
This got me thinking about the other senses—taste, smell, and touch. I wasn’t sure I’d have enough time to make arrangements for everything by March 3, but it seemed like everything was coming together beautifully, including printing a new piece to include in the exhibit, “Bruce’s Handbag”! (See the January post.)
So I looked at the list of artwork I had prepared for the musicians, and began sensing into the flavors of each piece. I came up with some ideas of what the images evoked, and then began phoning around the neighborhood to source the food and drink. Of course I had to cover the basics as well—wine and cheese, water! After assigning those to the appropriate pieces, there was room to really play. This is the result:
longing
Hannah piano
Banana pudding
night
Steve piano
Licorice allsorts
paris
Steve
Cheese!
mindfuck
Aeon harp & percussion
Red wine
psyche
Aeon 3 voices
Electric Kool-Aid
1820
Hannah
Whipped cream
moonscape
Hannah
Silver star candies
clarity
Steve
Water
rain
Steve
Rootbeer
bliss
Aeon 3 voices + strings
Jelly bellies
nostalgia
Hannah & Steve duet
Blueberry port
oddity
Steve
Colored marshmallows
fade
Hannah
White wine
l’ouevre
Hannah
Crème brûlée mini cupcakes
I hope you’ll be able to make it to the opening to hear, taste, and see for yourself.
P.S. There will be surprising opportunities for the senses of touch and smell, as well!
The music consists of 14 one-minute original compositions inspired by the Shadow Play artwork series. The music performance will begin at 8 PM.
About the Artwork
Shadow Play is a series of 14 miniatures exploring the connections between shadow, familiar forms, color, and emotion. The series was first exhibited at the Havana Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC. The second phase of the art project took stillness into motion, adding a multiplicity of personal responses to the art, and resulted in this video. The third phase of the project brings the music dimension of 14 original compositions in response to the art. The fourth phase of the project is you!
Consent to Be Photographed
The event will be photographed and filmed. By attending you grant permission for your photograph to be used in the fourth iteration of the art project.
Further Contemplation
What is the difference between substance and its shape? Is it an absence of light, a reflection of light? The shadow seems to reveal new potentials for the object. New possibilities, alternate realities. A hint of magic, hidden within the ordinary.
The Heart Sutra in Buddhism includes the statement “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.” A shadow is empty, yet it has form. Perhaps a single shadow is a doorway into understanding deep universal truths.
Yet the creation of this series was a playful act, form arising spontaneously from emptiness, yet never really existing. From light and shadow waves to eye, electrons, neural circuits, to pixels and bytes to dots of ink on paper, the final result is a tiny form, reflecting the inconsequential temporariness and changing insubstantiality of a shadow on a living-room wall.
Exhibition Dates
The artwork will be on display in the Revelation Gallery from March 3 to 28. Gallery hours are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 10 AM to 3 PM
About the Performers
An exciting lineup of talented musicians will be performing original compositions and improvisations in response to each piece of art. Each performance will be one minute long.
Three time Emmy-nominated Steve Sandberg, piano virtuoso and composer
The electrifying Aeon Ensemble, an NYC-based collective specializing in contemporary concert music; the Aeon Ensemble will also be performing a synaesthetic concert in response to the artwork on March 12 at 7 PM
