News and events in Lower Manhattan
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Volume 6, No. 39, Feb. 14, 2021 |
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“I’m honored to be here today to witness a ceremony that truly touches the heart of the American experience. Look around at those who took the oath just a few minutes ago. You come from many countries. You represent what is best about America. We are a nation of diverse people and that diversity is what strengthens our country. We are a nation rooted in every nation on Earth."
- Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior from 2009 to 2013 during the administration of President Barack Obama
Letter from the Editor: Taking an oath
Becoming American
Celebrating the Year of the Ox in Manhattan's Chinatown
Naima Rauam remembers the Fulton Fish Market
South Street Seaport Museum explores the history and context of sea chanteys
Bulletin Board: Rapid Covid-19 testing; LMCC Arts Center residencies
Calendar: The Year of the Ox at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
COVID-19 CASES IN NEW YORK CITY: As of Feb. 13, 2021 at 5:54 p.m.
653,986 confirmed cases * 28,193 deaths * 666,055 vaccinated in NYC
Go to www.DowntownPostNYC.com for breaking news and for updated information on facility closures related to COVID-19
MASTHEAD PHOTO: Water buffalo, Kenya. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: TAKING AN OATH |
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I've been thinking quite a lot recently about what it means to take an oath. I wondered where this idea came from — that a person could place his or her hand on a Bible or some other meaningful document or object and say some words that were supposed to be binding and solemn. Or, I wondered, were they just words that were required for the occasion?
It turns out, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, that oath-taking "before divine symbols" originated with the Sumerians of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC and with the ancient Egyptians. Other nations of the ancient Middle East had their own versions of this practice. |
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We've been witnessing a lot of oath-taking recently in the political arena.
The Constitution of the United States contains an oath of office only for the President. George Washington was the first person to utter it when he was sworn in as President on April 30, 1789. It has been spoken by every U.S. President since then.
At first, other federal officials were only required "by Oath or Affirmation" to support the Constitution." However, as the years went by, the oath of office for members of Congress grew more specific, hastened by fears during the Civil War that men embedded in Congress might work to undermine the Union.
An oath that became law on July 2, 1862 required that "every person elected or appointed to any office...under the Government of the United States...excepting the President of the United States...swear or affirm that they had never previously engaged in criminal or disloyal conduct." A government employee who refused to take this oath would not receive a salary. Anyone who swore falsely could be prosecuted for perjury and denied any further federal employment.
Currently, the oath of office for U.S. Senators is as follows: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
Then, each newly sworn-in Senator signs his or her name in a bound book that is kept as a record of the occasion.
Sincerely meant or just words? You be the judge. As for me, one of the few occasions in my life when I witnessed a group of people swear an oath with unmistakable and complete commitment took place on Oct. 28, 2011 on Liberty Island. That day marked the 125th anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. One hundred and twenty-five immigrants assembled within sight of the Statue, raised their right hands and were sworn in as American citizens.
At the time, I wrote an article about what I had witnessed. I have reprinted it below.
— Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Editor
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Olga Hernandez looked up at the cloudless sky and the sun shining on the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. “”It’s a crisp day for a new beginning,” she said to her husband, José.
“It’s great that the ceremony coincides with the anniversary!” he replied.
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They were aboard a ferry bound for Liberty Island where José, 35, who was born in Peru, was to be one of 125 people to become a naturalized American citizen. He said that he had spent most of his adult life in the United States and that Olga and their two daughters were already Americans.
It was also the 125th anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty on Oct. 28, 1886, which was celebrated with parades, a flotilla of 300 boats and U.S. President Grover Cleveland himself accepting the statue as sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi pulled a French flag away from the lady’s face to mark her debut as a token of French-American friendship and a symbol of liberty.
It wasn’t until seventeen years later that the statue took on a new meaning. By then neighboring Ellis Island had opened and a flood of immigrants were debarking there for medical and legal processing. In 1903, a plaque inscribed with part of a poem by Emma Lazarus called “The New Colossus” was affixed to the statue’s base. “Give me your tired, your poor,” Lazarus wrote, “your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
On this special anniversary for the statue, there were speeches, music and a birthday cake, but nothing that seemed more appropriate and relevant than the naturalization ceremony.
The 125 candidates for American citizenship came from 46 countries. Thirteen of them were serving in the U.S. armed forces. They included Jhanniny Marine, 22, from Colombia, Zuyu Wu, 24, from China and Rufai Adeniyi, 31, from Nigeria. There were 35 people from the Dominican Republic, 15 from China, 6 from South Korea, one each from Albania, Belize, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Spain, Turkey and Venezuela.
Among the others, Martha Friedlander, 49, a make-up artist, was born in Brazil, the daughter of a man who had fled there from Nazi Germany and a Brazilian mother. Heloise Zinger, 30, who works in the restaurant business, was born in France. Fahmida Islam, 26, came from Bangladesh and attended the ceremony with her two-year-old daughter, Faiza, who is already an American citizen because she was born here.
On the boat going to the island, Linnea Stuart, who works for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interviewing potential candidates said that she had been to 50 naturalization ceremonies. “I get emotional every time,” she said. “It’s their first day and their first second of being U.S. citizens. You’re helping somebody take an important step in life.” She said that both of her parents were immigrants — her mother, from Peru and her father, from St. Kitt’s. “They came for a better life for their family — like everyone else who comes here.”
In a tent packed with friends, family, dignitaries and members of the press, the 125 candidates for American citizenship raised their right hands and swore allegiance to the United States. Afterward, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, gave a speech.
“I’m honored to be here today to witness a ceremony that truly touches the heart of the American experience,” he said. “Look around at those who took the oath just a few minutes ago. You come from many countries. You represent what is best about America. We are a nation of diverse people and that diversity is what strengthens our country. We are a nation rooted in every nation on Earth.”
Then he added, “For all 125 of you who are being celebrated here today, you have a responsibility to make sure that you are citizens in every sense of that word – that you register to vote, that you vote, that you make informed decisions when you participate in the civic life of America. We have some tough issues that face our country today. One of the very tough issues that faces our country today is an immigration system which is frankly, a very broken immigration system… And because you are citizens, because you have a right to vote, because you have the privileges bestowed upon you by the Constitution of the United States, it is your voice that will ultimately determine that future. So my request of each of you – the 125 of you who are newly sworn citizens of the United States and the many hundreds of you who are here celebrating this occasion today is that you get fully engaged in helping us craft the future of this America.”
After the ceremony, there was a simple reception for the new citizens. With the Statue of Liberty looming in front of her, Ann Marie Anderson Lawrence, 44, who was born in Jamaica, sat in the sun, her certificate of citizenship on her lap. “I’m going to frame it,” she said, “ and hang it on my living room wall."
— Terese Loeb Kreuzer
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On Oct. 28, 2011, the 125th anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, 125 immigrants to the United States were naturalized as American citizens. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
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Downtown Post NYC's website (www.DowntownPostNYC.com) is updated daily. That's the place to check for urgent messages, breaking news and reminders of interesting events in and around Lower Manhattan. So be sure to look at the website every day, especially if you want to know about breaking news.
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(Above) Shoppers in Manhattan's Chinatown. (Below) In Chatham Square, Lin Ze Xu, a Qing Dynasty “scholar-warrior” is lionized in a plaque as a “pioneer in the war against drugs” (he opposed the opium trade in 19th century China).
(Photos: Beth Harpaz)
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DESPITE THE PANDEMIC, THE YEAR OF THE OX IS
CELEBRATED WITH GUSTO IN MANHATTAN'S CHINATOWN
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Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the year of the ox, an animal associated with hard work and reliability. In the past, Chinatown has welcomed the new year with a parade and lion dance, but those events have been postponed due to pandemic restrictions.
Those who feel comfortable venturing into the neighborhood will find a festive atmosphere anyway. Storefronts are beautifully decorated with red paper lanterns. Colorful displays of fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers spill onto sidewalks. Many restaurants offer takeout and in some cases outdoor dining.
But if you’re feeling adventurous, an afternoon spent wandering the neighborhood is a great tonic for pandemic claustrophobia. Despite the absence of tourists, streets are nearly as crowded as they were pre-pandemic; fortunately, mask compliance is nearly universal. The biggest problem? Long lines at popular eateries.
Start in the neighborhood’s southeasterly corner with stops at Dim Sum Go Go, 5 E. Broadway, or Golden Unicorn, 18 E. Broadway. In nearby Chatham Square, pay your respects to the statue of Lin Ze Xu, a Qing Dynasty “scholar-warrior” lionized in a plaque as a “pioneer in the war against drugs” (he opposed the opium trade in 19th century China). A statue of Confucius can be found at Bowery and Division.
Near the foot of the Manhattan Bridge, the Mayahana Buddhist Temple (133 Canal St.) welcomes all comers with lion statues outside, a massive golden Buddha inside, and placards telling Buddha’s life story. A $1 donation buys a paper scroll predicting your future, while tiny Buddhas can be purchased for $3. Just remember that this is a place of worship, so be respectful; taking pictures inside is not permitted.
Head west on Canal Street, then south on Mott. Busy stores here sell everything from clothing to dishware to tea, but chances are you’ve come to dine. Try yummy egg tarts at Fay Da bakery, 83 Mott, flounder from Wo Hop, 15-17 Mott, and pork dishes at Noodle Village, 13 Mott. Buns and shumai at Mei Li Wah, around the corner at 64 Bayard, are so popular that the line can stretch down the block.
For a quieter experience, make your way to Doyers, a narrow winding street where cars are not permitted. It’s worth the wait for a table outside Nom Wah, a classic tea parlor at 13 Doyers founded in 1920. Or get Nom Wah’s dumplings and shrimp balls to go, and head to Columbus Park on Mulberry Street for a park bench picnic. You’ll likely see ping pong, tai chi and card games in the park no matter the weather.
Can you handle one more round of dumplings? Get the chicken and chive combo from Shu Jiao Fu Zhou at 118 Eldridge St., north of Canal. No outdoor tables, but you can always dine al fresco on a bench at nearby Sara Roosevelt Park. On warmer days, locals bring songbirds in bamboo cages to the park’s Hua Mei Bird Sanctuary.
As the city’s Asian population has grown, Chinatown’s borders have expanded into what were once Jewish, Irish and Italian neighborhoods. Big Onion Walking Tours offers virtual and in-person tours of these layers of immigrant history, but you can find plenty of signage and relics on your own. The Shearith Israel Jewish cemetery in Chatham Square dates to 1682, and peering through the fence is a transcendent experience even though you can’t enter. The imposing Georgian-style Church of the Transfiguration, 25 Mott St., opened in 1801 as a Lutheran church, but became a Catholic church in 1853 serving mostly poor Irish immigrants in the notorious slum district once known as Five Points.
The northern part of Chinatown now bleeds into what was once Little Italy and the Lower East Side. Not much is left of Little Italy these days but Di Palo’s specialty grocery store, 200 Grand St., is worth a stop. And Ferrara’s, 195 Grand, is a great place to cap off a day of dumplings with a cappuccino. No tables here, unfortunately, so, take your cue from “The Godfather:” Leave the gun, take the cannoli.
— Beth Harpaz
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A shop in Manhattan's Chinatown decorated for the Year of the Ox.
(Photo: Beth Harpaz)
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NAIMA RAUAM REMEMBERS THE FULTON FISH MARKET
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The Fulton Fish Market. Paintings by Naima Rauam. (Below) Naima Rauam next to a painting of the Fulton Fish Market that she had made on a wall of Schermerhorn Row at 93 South Street. June 1, 2014. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
In the mid-1960s when I was studying at the Art Students League, a class assignment to paint an action scene led me to the Fulton Fish Market in the South Street Seaport. It proved to be a place of compelling inspiration for my life’s work as an artist. I returned again and again to sketch the fishmongers and their worn fish houses — the crumbling bricks with countless layers of peeling paint; the patchworks of wooden slats; the dented steel and tin and the colorful signs hung cockeyed under sagging awnings, looking as if they were elbowing each other out of the way.
I felt a strong sense of the men and women who had lived and worked in these buildings over many generations. They had left something of themselves behind that I could see and touch.
I still recall the first time I experienced the market. I lived in Greenwich Village and took the subway to Fulton Street at an hour when even New York City slept. Emerging from the station, the only light I could see in the pre-dawn darkness was a glow at the end of Fulton Street. In this bright refuge from the night, men rushed and shouted, trucks rumbled, horns blared. Everything was wet and sparkling; colors were rich. The cool air smelled of coffee, diesel engines, the sea – and fish.
Running ribbon-like in all directions were stacks of wooden crates and rows of metal bins overflowing with iced piles of gleaming fish and heaps of clams, oysters and mussels. Hundreds of people moved in and out of small brick buildings and large open-sided sheds, crisscrossing the worn paving stones of the old streets. Buyers gathered in small groups, walked about singly, peered into boxes, examined fish and bargained with fishmongers. Piles of boxes were continually depleted and replenished. Sold fish were hauled out to waiting trucks, replaced by new fish brought in for sale. Cutters wearing long rubber aprons encrusted with slime and scales stood at waist-high tables, filleting snappers, flounders, or whatever a customer ordered that morning. Their hands moved rhythmically, as if they were dancing.
It was thrilling to see the big fish: tuna, sword and halibut. I would watch as two men heaved an immense yellow-fin up and onto a table with a quick one-two-three, ready for a third man to plunge a long knife into the tuna’s hide. Hearty yells punctuated a thicket of voices floating in the air; thuds-bumps-clanks-bangs accompanied the workers’ cadences while distant engines and blaring horns rounded out the auditory melee.
On my afternoon visits, when the market was closed and all was still on the waterfront, I would often sketch along the river. Long wooden piers stretched out into the water, often with fishing boats tied up alongside. I marveled at these rugged workboats resting here in the big city: the "Victor" and the "Felicia" from New Bedford, or perhaps "Our Lady of Fatima" all the way from Gloucester. At times there were three or four boats, masts bobbing rhythmically in the moving river, their reflections rippling away into a mirror of the sky. Sometimes there were no boats at all to dispel the image of clouds resting lightly on the river’s surface. Increasingly, trucks had replaced the boats in bringing fish to market.
I moved to Maine in the 1970's but often returned to New York City, and always visited the fish market on each trip. In the 1980's I moved back to the city and settled in Staten Island. Every day, I boarded the ferry with a French easel and canvas, headed for the fish market to paint.
In 1984 I rented a space in the smokehouse on Beekman Street — the building that still says "Fresh Salt” on its weathered brick facade – and opened a studio and gallery where I painted and exhibited my work. I called it "Art in the Afternoon (fish in the morning)." I started living in that building in the early 1990's and remained there until 1997 when the building was sold. Then I moved my studio into the Tin Building, where I worked until 2005.
I painted the fish market in all seasons and all hours. I came to know it well. The fish market that I documented and loved for so many years left the South Street Seaport in 2005 for Hunts Point in the Bronx. While the nightly vitality of market activity was gone, the Seaport’s narrow, stone-paved streets and old brick buildings with fading signs still evoked the history and spirit of the men and women who had lived their lives on the waterfront. I sense that their ghosts are with us still.
— Naima Rauam
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Gifts and Snacks from Té Company
It's never too late to give someone (or yourself?) a gift. Té Company's tearoom at 163 West 10th St. is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends for tea and snacks to go. In addition, you can order tea and cookies (plus other gifts) online, perhaps a celebratory Prosperity Snack Box to ring in the year of the Bull! Traditional Chinese New Year snacks are mostly made of nuts and are meant to give the year a fresh and auspicious start. Té Company has compiled an assortment of five nutty treats that will bring joy and prosperity to your new year. Cost: $36. For more information on the Prosperity Snack Box, click here. For more information on Té Company, click here.
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THE SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM LAUNCHES AN ONLINE
SERIES THAT WILL EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF SEA CHANTEYS
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A painting by Oswald Brett of the South Street Seaport Museum's 1885 cargo ship, Wavertree. (Collection of the South Street Seaport Museum) |
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Feb. 18: Sing in Rhyme, Work in Time: Sea Chanteys and Workers’ Voices. The first installment of the South Street Seaport Museum's new "Sea Songs and Sea Lives" webinar series titled "Sing in Rhyme, Work in Time" will explore sea chanteys, including the role sea songs play in the work of sailing tall ships, their varied origins, and the difference between chanteys and other maritime songs.
Join the Seaport Museum and special guests Bonnie Milner and Deirdre Murtha, co-hosts of the monthly chantey sings and members of The New York Packet and The Johnson Girls, to hear examples of many kinds of chanteys, and sing along. A short Q&A will follow, along with resources for building your own repertoire and finding opportunities to sing.
The Sea Songs and Sea Lives webinar series will continue exploring the lives of diverse groups of sailors today and in history through conversations with singers, sailors, historians, and more. During the Age of Sail, ships were a melting pot of crews from all over the world, and sailors’ songs reflected that diversity.
The songs reflect the lives of sailors of African descent who played a key role in the Underground Railroad, women sailors who still face challenges in their trade, and queer sailors whose lives have only recently been treated respectfully in musical compositions.
Each webinar will tackle traditional repertoire while considering the challenges of both song origin and presentation in modern times.
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ASSISTANCE WITH
Disaster Loans & Grants
Unemployment Assistance - available for W2 and Schedule C clients
Mandated additional sick pay and associated tax credit
Paycheck Protection Program; Extended tax loss carry-backs
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BULLETIN BOARD
Rapid Covid-19 testing in Battery Park City; LMCC Arts Center Residencies; Community Board applications
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Under the auspices of the LMCC, a 19th-century munitions storage facility on Governors Island in New York harbor is now an arts center that offers free arts, educational and cultural programming along with residencies for artists. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer) |
Rapid Covid-19 testing: Rapid COVID-19 testing is available in Battery Park City at the NYPD Memorial Plaza (just south of North Cove Marina) and at the Irish Hunger Memorial Plaza. Time: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (subject to change) through Feb. 28. An additional site will be available at Pier A Plaza in the coming weeks.
Cost: $25 per test / For more information and to schedule an appointment click here.
Open Call for LMCC Arts Center Residencies: The LMCC (Lower Manhattan Cultural Council) offers artist residencies on Governors Island. This Open Call will provide short-term, project-based residencies to artists and creative practitioners whose work is concerned with the broader themes of equity and sustainability. These are thematic anchors that applicants may either choose to address explicitly or elaborate on how their practice and/or projects are relevant. The residencies will take place in the open plan studios at LMCC’s Arts Center on Governors Island in two sessions: Session One: May 4 – Aug. 20, 2021; Session Two: Aug. 30 – Dec. 17, 2021. Application deadline: Feb. 28, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST. For more information and to apply, click here.
Apply for Community Board membership: Community Boards are New York City's most grassroots form of government. Manhattan has 12 Community Boards, each of which is composed of 50 volunteer members plus a small paid staff. The Boards are pivotal in shaping their communities, weighing in on such issues as land use, quality of life problems, landmarking, schools and education, transportation, restaurant and liquor applications, and much more. The Community Boards work to enhance and preserve the character of the city’s many unique neighborhoods.
In order to be considered for appointment, a complete application must be submitted online or postmarked no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, 2021.
After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an automated email receipt from "Office of Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer," no-reply@wufoo.com. This will be your application confirmation. Following the submission deadline and an internal review process, a member of Gale Brewer's staff will contact you regarding next steps, which may include an interview. Appointments will be announced in late spring.
For more information and application forms, click here.
Open enrollment period for uninsured New Yorkers extended: Through March 31, 2021, New Yorkers without health insurance can apply for coverage through NY State of Health, New York's Official Health Plan Marketplace, or directly through insurers.
Extending the Open Enrollment Period will help to align New York with the federal Public Health Emergency which was recently extended to April 20, 2021. This extension allows anyone eligible for Qualified Health Plan insurance additional time to enroll for coverage in 2021 and means that enrollment remains open for all NY State of Health programs, which is especially important during the ongoing public health emergency. Coverage start dates will vary:Enroll by February 15: Coverage starts March 1; Enroll March 15: Coverage starts April 1; Enroll by March 31: Coverage starts May 1.
Anyone eligible for other NY State of Health programs such as Medicaid, Essential Plan and Child Health Plus can enroll year-round. As always, New Yorkers can apply for coverage through NY State of Health online at nystateofhealth.ny.gov, by phone at (855) 355-5777, and by connecting with free enrollment assistance.
For additional information on NY State of Health insurance options during the COVID-19 emergency click here.
For NY Department of Financial Services information and resources during the COVID-19 emergency, click here.
Lower Manhattan Greenmarkets: There are Lower Manhattan Greenmarkets in Tribeca (at Chambers and Greenwich Streets) and at Bowling Green, City Hall, the Oculus and the Staten Island ferry. GrowNYC asks that shoppers wear a face covering inside the market space and maintain a six-foot distance between themselves, Greenmarket staff, farm stand employees and other customers. Dogs and bicycles should be left at home.
Click here for a list of the fruits and vegetables now in season.
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Many of the Downtown Post NYC bulletin board listings are now on the Downtown Post NYC website. To see the bulletin board listings, click here.
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Greca in Tribeca
Greca's outdoor space is fully winterized
Indoor dining has resumed as of Feb. 12
Open daily from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. for brunch, lunch and dinner
For more information, call (917) 261-4795 or email grecabakery@gmail.com
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CALENDAR
Spotlight: The Year of the Ox at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Water Buffalo, Chinese, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), 18th century. Jade (nephrite). Shaped out of a massive dark green nephrite boulder from the riverbed of Yarkand in northwestern China, this sculpture weighs more than 40 pounds. The cunning naturalistic details, including a whorl of hair on the animal’s forehead, demonstrate the observant eye of a master carver in the 18th century. (Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) |
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted its first Virtual Lunar New Year Festival in celebration of the Year of the Ox on Saturday, Feb. 13. The daylong festival featured programs for participants of all ages to engage with from anywhere in the world. Artist-led workshops, performances, and interactive activities honored Lunar New Year traditions from across Asia.
Highlights included a dance and music performance by The New York Korean Performing Arts Center, art-making activities taught in English, Mandarin, and Korean, and The Met's popular Insider Insights tours conducted in both English and Mandarin. All Lunar New Year Festival programming is free on The Met's online channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Festival participants are invited to share their celebrations by tagging #MetLunar. All programs were prerecorded (unless noted otherwise) and will be available to stream indefinitely.
The virtual festival included the dance IP-CHUM and musical performance, Arirang Medley, presented by The New York Korean Performing Arts Center, filmed in The Met's Astor Court.
Art-making activities:
Throughout the day, several artist-led art-making workshops were offered as part of the festival. Using materials found at home, participants could create nature-inspired confetti poppers with teaching artist Maria Yoon (offered in English and Korean), repurpose egg cartons to create dazzling dragon puppets with Chemin Hsiao (offered in English and Mandarin), and design zodiac charms with Padma Rajendran using recycled material. There was also a special Saturday Sketching Live at 1 p.m. with @Met Teens.
Community Connections and Talks:
Participants at the Virtual Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Ox will be invited to connect with The Met community through an Insider Insights tour of the exhibition "Celebrating the Year of the Ox" with Jason Sun, The Met's Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art (this program will be available in English and Mandarin on February 15). The Met's Advisory Committee on Cultural Engagement and the Department of Asian Art will share their families' Lunar New Year traditions in the conversation "What Does Lunar New Year Mean to You?" On The Met's Instagram, participants are invited to play Chinatown Bingo by marking and sharing their bingo board as they gather Lunar New Year gifts, decorations, and food while supporting Chinatown businesses.
Related Exhibitions:
The Met's collection of Asian art — more than 35,000 objects ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the 21st century — is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world. Works from the collection are being featured in three special exhibitions and displayed across the department's many galleries.
Celebrating the Year of the Ox
Jan. 30, 2021–Jan. 17, 2022
In celebration of the Year of the Ox, this exhibition presents depictions of oxen and water buffalo (considered the same category of animals in China) created by artists in the last 3,000 years. Particularly notable are a massive 18th-century jade sculpture of a water buffalo and a remarkable 8th-century set of ceramic Chinese zodiac figures, illustrating the important role that the animals play in the life of humans.
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Up Close
Dec. 21, 2020–June 27, 2021
This exhibition encourages the premodern practice of close looking by displaying original artworks alongside photographic enlargements of their details. The magnified details draw attention to subtleties of brushwork, texture and line that may escape a viewer at first glance. Ultimately, the enlargements draw us back to the original, revealing the rewards that close looking can offer.
Masters and Masterpieces: Chinese Art from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection
Jan. 30, 2021–June 5, 2022
A selection of works gifted to The Met by Florence and Herbert Irving serve as the exhibition's centerpiece. The approximately 120 objects on display cover almost all major categories of Chinese art, with a focus on three-dimensional objects, including lacquer, ceramic, metal work, jade, bamboo, and stone carvings. Created by both famous and unknown masters, these extraordinary works represent the artistic sophistication and technical virtuosity of Chinese decorative arts from the 10th through the early 20th century.
Met's 'Year of the Ox' dining
The Met's Eatery is offering a special menu in honor of Lunar New Year from Feb. 12 through Feb. 28. Bon Appétit's menu, created by Culinary Director Bill Telepan, will feature appetizers, soups, and specials like char siu pork belly and shiitake congee with crispy garlic and shallots, as well as a rotating selection of grab-and-go items.
Planning your visit
The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters are open five days a week, Thursday through Monday. The Met Fifth Avenue is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and The Met Cloisters 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Met has developed comprehensive safety procedures for its staff and visitors, following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State, and New York City.
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Downtown Post NYC is emailed to subscribers once a week.
Editor: Terese Loeb Kreuzer
Contributor: Beth Harpaz
All articles and photographs in Downtown Post NYC are copyrighted and
may not be reprinted or republished without written permission.
© 2021
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