Wednesday
March 18, 2009
Welcome to the Broadsheet DAILY,
a bulletin of information about Downtown news, people and events that lands in your Inbox from
Monday to Friday.
The DAILY
is a supplement of
The Battery Park City Broadsheet,
which is published every two weeks and distributed throughout Battery Park City, the Financial District, the South Street Seaport area and Tribeca.
We welcome your comments, suggestions, kudos and criticisms. Send to
editor@ebroadsheet.com
The Editors
Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Broadsheet Daily Editor
TereseLoeb@mac.com
Contributor:
Matthew Fenton
Robert Simko
Publisher
robert@ebroadsheet.com
If you are having problems displaying the Broadsheet Daily on your computer, call us so that we can help you solve the problem.
212-912-1106
To forward the BroadsheetDAILY,
scroll to the
bottom of this
email and click on
Forward Email
|
NO-FEE APARTMENT AVAILABLE FOR 1/YR LEASE APRIL 1. TWO BEDROOMS/SWEEPING WATER VIEWS. 377 RECTOR PL. $3200/month. CONTACT 917.494.1108
|
|
Dear Reader,
The Broadsheet DAILY is e-mailed to subscribers from Monday to Friday. Subscriptions are free; click here to subscribe. We welcome your comments, questions, kudos and criticisms. Send them to editor@ebroadsheet.com. To forward this e-mail, scroll to the bottom and click on the "Forward email" link.
Today's Weather: High: 61°. Low: 45°. Partly cloudy.
MTA Advisories: For Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) service advisories, go to www.mta.info or call 718-330-1234.
Alert: The Rector Street pedestrian bridge is closed until further notice. To cross Route 9A/West Street, pedestrians have to use at-grade crossings at Albany Street or West Thames Street.
|
|
|
|
|
|
LeFrak redecorating dooms Gateway Plaza mural
Twin Towers to vanish from lobby
The Gateway Plaza mural of the Twin Towers as it looked yesterday. (Photo: Robert Simko)
A mural that has adorned the lobby of Gateway Plaza's 600 building since 1997 and has become for many Battery Park City residents a sentimental evocation of the now-vanished World Trade Center is slated to be removed and is in danger of being destroyed. The painting, which depicts the Twin Towers looming over the World Financial Center, with other New York landmarks visible in the background, was created by Vladimir Poutchkov in 1997, at the request of the Lefrak Organization, which manages and partly owns the Gateway complex.
"Yes, they're taking it down," said a Gateway employee who asked not to be named. "They're going to redecorate the lobby and they want the painting out." A visual inspection yesterday evening showed that sheetrock around the mural's edges had already been cut through, and several aluminum and wooden braces had been drilled into the upper third of the painting.
Recalling the Art Deco mural style of the 1930s, the fisheye-lens perspective was meant "to show Twin Towers like a bird see them," said Mr. Poutchkov in broken English. To emphasize the painting's verticality, Mr. Poutchkov included the image of several clouds and a single small airplane (all seen from above) zipping toward the Trade Center complex. "It not meant to hit," he explained. "I want to show how high view was, how small world is from such height."
The Lefrak Organization nearly removed the 16 x 18 foot mural following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, fearing that this reminder of the World Trade Center, then still a smoldering ruin just steps from the building's front door, would disturb residents returning to the neighborhood. But a large number of Gateway tenants disagreed, and they petitioned the landlord to preserve Mr. Poutchkov's painting. So instead of destroying it, the Lefrak Organization hired the artist to come back and edit his earlier work. "They call me at 10 o'clock night," he remembered, "and say people are upset. So I come and cover up airplane and make it one more cloud in the top."
The sentiment that led Gateway residents to rally on the mural's behalf almost a decade ago is still alive. "The Twin Towers have been an integral part of this area for so long," said Joe Gehring, a resident of 600 building. "We shouldn't be writing them out of history just because they're not there anymore." Mr. Poutchkov seemed to agree. "If they no want my mural," he said, "I maybe I take it myself. Maybe I cut it and move it." But about one thing he was adamant: "No put in garbage," he insisted. "This is New York history."
- Matthew Fenton
|
|
Downtown arts: 'Crazy Head Space'
Musical about mental illness
Racy
Joseph, Kendra Leigh Landon, Billy Butler, and Sarah Singer in Abraxas
Stage Company's "Crazy Head Space," playing in the South Street Seaport through April 5. (Photo: Mia Ross)
Shakespeare got his plots from Plutarch's "Lives," Holinshed's "Chronicles," Boccaccio's "Decameron," and numerous books and poems that were popular in his time. Composer and lyricist Elisabeth S. Davis got the plot for her rock musical, "Crazy Head Space," from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM IV). (Whatever works!)
A is for addiction. B is for borderline personality disorder. C is for co-dependency, and so on. (W, by the way, is for Woody Allen.)
Who knew that mental illness could be so entertaining? "Crazy Head Space" playing through April 5 at 210 Front St., is performed by an able cast decked out in big eye make-up and a hodgepodge of colorful, thrift shop costumes. The staging is inventive, the music is upbeat, the lyrics are clever.
"This piece has been in development for so long that there are several songs for each letter of the alphabet," said Kendra Leigh Landon, executive director of Abraxas Stage Co., producer of the show, in which Ms. Landon also performs.
Each scene of the musical, which wends its way to Z for zoophilia, is a deftly sketched character study. "I have a lot of friends who have some of these conditions," said Billy Butler, one of the actors, commenting on where and how he learned the behaviors that he enacts. "Plus my mom is a psychologist," he said. "Character is most important. If you're faking it but get all the lines right, it just doesn't quite work."
Several of the actors studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory, where a version of "Crazy Head Space" was first performed almost 20 years ago with Ms. Davis directing. She is now a drama therapist at the Elmhurst Hospital Center. The current production was directed by Errickson Wilcox with choreography by Matthew Neff.
The last number in the show brings the ensemble on stage to sing, "We have run the gamut from A to Z, We're not so different from your dysfunctional family." This is probably true - and if it's occasionally uncomfortable to watch "Crazy Head Space," it may just be because it hits too close to the mark.
- Terese Loeb Kreuzer
"Crazy Head Space" is playing in rep with "Tartuffe" at 210 Front St. The next performance of "Crazy Head Space" is tomorrow night, March 19, at 8 p.m. "Crazy Head Space" runs through April 5. For a complete performance schedule, go to www.dogrunrep.org. Tickets to both productions are $18. For tickets, call Smartix at 212-868-4444 or go to www.Smarttix.com.
|
|
Letter to the editor
Paddy
St. Patrick's Day at Ulysses on Stone Street. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
To the editor:
As a native Irish immigrant, please note that your newsletter refers to St. "Patty's" Day. In fact it's St. Paddy's Day, if you are abbreviating it, or St. Patrick's Day for the full version...but definitely not "Patty" !!! Love your newsletter, by the way! - Robert Moorhead
From the editor:
First of all, we're so glad you love the newsletter. Now, about St. Patrick's Day: The editor conscientiously Googled both "St. Paddy's Day" and "St. Patty's Day" before writing yesterday's article and found 7,270,000 entries for Patty but only 1,370,000 entries for Paddy. The editor decided to go with Patty, which had the majority vote. However, this shows the limitations of Internet-based information. Six million people can be wrong. The editor thanks you for the correction and hopes that this will encourage DAILY readers to support newspapers and their reporters; what comes over the Internet can be biased and incorrect. Newspapers can be biased and incorrect, too, but readers have a better chance of knowing the biases and when journalists make a mistake, they often own up!
Stone Street was closed off yesterday and tents and chairs placed along the historic, cobblestoned street for the St. Patrick's Day crowd. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
|
|
Calendar of events
March 18-19
Wednesday, March 18
Animation Celebration, Part II at the Museum of the American Indian
Short films by Native directors in the United States and Canada. Through March 22. No screening at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. Free. 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. (and 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays). Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, One Bowling Green
212-514-3716. www.americanindian.si.edu
'Tartuffe' at South Street Seaport
A production of Dog Run Rep, "Tartuffe" is one of Moliere's funniest and most controversial satires. It
was banned by the Catholic Church and shunned by upper-class French society with the exception of King Louis XIV, who appreciated the playwright and was his protector. The title character in "Tartuffe" is a con man who masquerades as a religious zealot and almost succeeds in duping the pious, bourgeois Orgon out of his fortune. Through March 29. Some nights at 7 p.m.; some matinees at 2 p.m. $18. 210 Front St. in the South Street Seaport. Tickets available via Smartix: 212-868-4444 or on the Web at www.smarttix.com. Season passes to the South Street Seaport Winter Theatre Season are available for $40 from Dog Run Rep. The passes include seats to all shows, readings and special events. To purchase season passes or for information about Dog Run Rep, www.dogrunrep.org
'Crazy Head Space' at South Street Seaport
Abraxas Stage Company's production of "Crazy Head Space" is part of Dog Run Rep's Winter Theatre Season at South Street Seaport. "Crazy Head Space" is a musical about mental illness with inventive staging, engaging music and a talented cast. Through April 5 (alternating with "Tartuffe," which is playing in the same venue). $18. 210 Front St. in the South Street Seaport. Tickets available via Smartix: 212-868-4444 or on the Web at www.smarttix.com.
'Rods and Cables' at 3-Legged Dog
"Rods and Cables" is an original 3-Legged Dog multimedia production
created by 3-Legged Dog's designer,
Allison M. Keating. It explores our common fear of losing trust in the
people we love the most. This ambitious first work written and directed
by Ms. Keating creates wild chaos with its elaborate, bizarre designs
and compelling characters, all within an intimate cabaret environment. Preview March 19 at 8 p.m. "Friends with Benefits Party" March 18 at 6 p.m., $100. Opens Friday March 20 with opening night party! Performances March 20 - April 11 at 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. $30, $25, $15 (students). 3LD Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich St. 212-352-3101. www.3LDnyc.org
Nextbook's Jewish Encounters Series presents 'Resurrecting Hebrew' at the Museum of Jewish Heritage
Book discussion with author Ilan Stavans, interviewed by Gabriel
Sanders, senior editor, Nextbook. The author raises urgent questions
about the role Hebrew plays in Jewish survival and in the origins of
the modern State of Israel. $10, $7, $5. 1 p.m. Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place. 646-437-4337. www.mjhnyc.com
Speaking of Food: Artisan Cheeses at 92YTribeca
Learn what you need to know at the fancy cheese counter. Try different flavors, textures, and get tips on finding the good stuff and storing it once you get home. $16. 12 p.m. 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. 212-601-1000. www.92YTribeca.org/daytime
Film: 'Intermissions' ('Entreatos') at 92YTribeca
Intermissions (Entreatos) follows Brazilian candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the last legs of his fourth presidential bid in 2002; it offers insight into the behind-the-scenes life of the man, his family and his campaign. The film documents his growing tendency toward moderation in order to appeal to a wider part of the electorate, and reveals some of the elements of Brazilian politics and society that helped him win the election. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Panel discussion to follow the screening. Director: João Moreira Salles, Brazil. 2004. 117 min. $12. 7:30 p.m. 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. 212-601-1000. www.92YTribeca.org/film
The Battery Park City ferry terminal opened today at 6 a.m. Between 3,500 and 4,000 people are expected to use the terminal every day. The terminal, which cost $91.5 million including fees and interest, was originally scheduled to open in 2006. (Photo: Robert Simko)
Thursday, March 19
Cattail Doll-Making Lecture at the Museum of the American Indian
Ramona Morrow (Yankton Sioux/Chippewa)will speak to museum visitors
about her doll-making techniques and her "Cattail Collection." Making
dolls from cattails for over 14 years, her dolls have become a favorite
of collectors all over the country. Free. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Also twice a day on
March 20 and 21. Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, One Bowling Green. 212-514-3716. www.americanindian.si.edu
Cattail Doll-Making Workshop at the Museum of the American Indian
Ramona
Morrow (Yankton Sioux/Chippewa) will lead a hands-on, doll-making
workshop featuring her Cattail Collection dolls. Using dyed muslin,
cattail fluff, cloth and leather to create a doll dressed in
traditional Native clothing. Pre-registration is required. $25, $20. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, One Bowling Green. 212-514-3716. www.americanindian.si.edu
Center City Brass Quintet at Trinity Church
Anthony DiLorenzo, trumpet; Geoffrey Hardcastle, trumpet; William
Caballero, horn; Steven Witser, trombone; Craig Knox, tuba. Performing
works by Bach, Arnold, DiLorenzo, and others. $2 suggested donation. 1 p.m. Trinity Church, Broadway at Wall Street. 212-602-0800. www.trinitywallstreet.org
Downtown New York in the Second World War at the Museum of Jewish Heritage
Mike Wallace, author and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, talks about
"Downtown New York in the Second World War." This is part of a lecture series sponsored by the
Alliance for Downtown New York that features prominent architects,
authors and historians exploring themes and issues of particular
relevance to Lower Manhattan. Mr. Wallace's talk takes place at
the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. The museum's six-sided shape and tiered roof designed
by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, is symbolic of the six
points of the Star of David and the six million Jews who perished in
the Holocaust. Registration is required. Go to www.downtownny.com to register. Free. 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m.) Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place.
Highlights in Jazz at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center
The Cyrus Chestnut Trio and the Michael Wolff Trio are featured in this "I Love a Piano" performance. $35. 8 p.m. Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers St. 212-220-1460. www.tribecapac.org
Noontime Talk: 'How the Forbes 400 Make and Spend Their Fortunes' at 92YTribeca
Find out what's behind the Forbes 400 - the magazine's list of the wealthiest Americans of the past 25 years. Veteran journalists Peter W. Bernstein and Annalyn Swan provide a fascinating look at today's "big money," the all-time richest Americans and the fields and industries that produce the most dough. $16. 12 p.m. 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. 212-601-1000. www.92YTribeca.org/daytime
|
|
Community Board 1 meeting tomorrow night
Quality of Life Committee
Community Board 1's Quality of Life Committee meets tomorrow night, March 19. The agenda includes:
1) Update on Construction Projects in Lower Manhattan by Robin Forst, Director of Community and Government Relations, LMCCC
2) Discussion about diversity of food at Greenmarkets in CD1 with Cathy Chambers, Operations Manager, Greenmarket, Council on the Environment of NYC
3) Presentation on vendor issues by Assistant District Attorney Emanuel Weisgras and Community Liaison Jenu Brar - Possible resolution
PLACE: Community Board 1 office, 49-51 Chambers St., Room 709
TIME: 6 p.m.
All are welcome to attend. Bring photo ID to enter the building.
|
|
Downtown bulletin board
Early Spring Children's Gardening; Pre-K enrollment; Museum seeks talent for annual show; Workspace for artists
Children plant gardens and learn about horticulture at Battery Park City Parks Conservancy workshops.
··· Early Spring Children's Gardening
The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy's program of Early Spring Gardening for children from the first through the fifth grades runs every Tuesday through April 28. There are still a few slots available.
The program runs from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Children's Garden in Nelson A. Rockefeller Park. Activities include preparing the garden for spring planting, growing
seeds, learning about composting and other Earth-friendly activities. The fee is $80. Call 212-267-9700, ext. 348 to register.
··· Pre-K enrollment period through April 3
Families interested in enrolling children in pre-kindergarten for the 2009-2010 school year can now apply. Children must turn four years old by Dec. 31, 2009, to be eligible. Families can obtain the 2009 Pre-Kindergarten Directory, which includes the application for public school programs, at any public elementary school, borough enrollment office, community school district office or pre-kindergarten program run by a community-based organization (CBO). For the first time this year, families can complete the application either on paper or online. The application deadline is April 3.
The public school pre-kindergarten application is available in nine languages on the Department's Web site at www.nyc.gov/schools/PreK. Families can also complete their public school pre-kindergarten application on the Department's Web site.
···Museum of Jewish Heritage seeks talent for annual show
The Museum of Jewish Heritage is seeking
submissions by up-and-coming local Jewish artists for possible
inclusion in its annual show of emerging Jewish artists. The winners will be showcased in an evening of cutting-edge comedy, music, storytelling and film
at the Fourth Annual New York's Best Emerging Jewish Artists on
Wednesday, June 17. The show will take place in Edmond J. Safra Hall,
the Museum's 375-seat-theater, which features state-of-the-art light
and sound systems and a Fazioli grand piano.
Filmmakers,
musicians, singers, comedians, poets, spoken word artists and dancers
are invited to send performance samples by April 13 to Sarah Wolff at
the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, NY, NY 10280.
Inquiries may be sent to Swolff@mjhnyc.org with Emerging Artist in the
subject line.
To be eligible, performers must: be at least 18
years old by May 1; submit materials informed by Jewish themes or
identity; and be based in the New York tri-state area. Finalists may be
required to audition at the Museum for the judging committee.
Submit
a maximum of two (2), five to ten minute samples in DVD or CD format -
cued to play or including a cue time - that best represents the work
that would be performed if selected. Do not submit originals; materials
will not be returned. Samples must be labeled individually with the
applicant's name, address, phone number, e-mail address and title.
Include a brief description of the work. If possible, also enclose
artist bios and/or photos. Please include a self-addressed, stamped
envelope.
Submissions must be post-marked or received no later than 5 p.m. on April 13.
Up to four winners will be notified by phone by May 13 and will receive $250 for the performance.
··· Free studio space for visual artists and writers
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) is offering free studio space to visual artists and writers. The program provides Lower Manhattan workspace for nine months, a one-time stipend, access to a community of peers, weekly Salon evenings with arts and literary professionals and exposure to new audiences through open studios and other public programs. The application for the program is available at www.lmcc.net/space and must be submitted by April 9 at 5 p.m. For more information about the program, attend an Info Session on Thursday, March 19 at 4 p.m. where past resident artists and LMCC staff
will review the application guidelines and answer questions about the
residency and the selection process. An RSVP is required and space is limited. The Info Session takes place at 77 Water St., 10th floor. (RSVP via the LMCC Web site, above.)
|
|
Elected officials serving Lower Manhattan
Contact information
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (8th Congressional District)
2334 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515; Tel. 202-225-5635
Web address for e-mailing Rep. Nadler: www.house.gov/nadler/emailform.shtml
(For policy issues)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler
201 Varick Street, Suite 669, New York, NY 10014; Tel. 212-367-7350
(For personal issues dealing with a federal agency or other issues or concerns in Rep. Nadler's district)
Assemblyman Sheldon Silver (64th Assembly District)
District Office
250 Broadway, Suite 2307, New York, NY 10007; Tel. 212-312-1420
E-mail: speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
Assemblymember Deborah Glick (66th Assembly District)
District Office
853 Broadway, Suite 1518, New York, NY 10003; Tel. 212-674-5153
Web address for e-mailing Rep. Glick: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=066&sh=con
State Sen. Daniel Squadron (25th Senate District)
Lower Manhattan District Office
250 Broadway, Suite 2011, New York, NY 10007; Tel. 212-298-5565
E-mail: info@danielsquadron.org
Council Member Alan J. Gerson (District 1)
District Office
51 Chambers St., Suite 429, New York, NY 10007; Tel. 212-788-7722
E-mail: gerson@council.nyc.ny.us
Council Member Alan J. Gerson
Legislative Office
250 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10007; Tel. 212-788-7259 |
|
|
