Kristy Leibowitz

The Hole, an art gallery at 312 Bowery run by former Deitch Projects curator Kathy Grayson, has hired a “curating duo” to take its art beyond its gallery walls. Yesterday, Laura O’Reilly, 25, and Derrick B. Harden, 30, hosted the opening of what they call “The Hole Pop Up,” at the Cappellini store in SoHo. The show, “Christmas in the Summer,” will be up till at least Monday, and consists of four works of art created by Ms. Grayson. All of them are oil paintings of “pixel distortion” images created from YouTube videos, but that’s not the interesting part: The interesting part is that none of the works are visible, since they are hidden inside of gift wrapping.

Last night, a MP3 audio tour of the show gave attendees a sense of what was behind the wrapping. “This was a painting based on an image manipulated from the 2003 Australian Open,” Ms. O’Reilly explained on one track. “It’s a profile of Serena [Williams] bobbing back and forth, awaiting a serve.” However, buyers won’t be able to unwrap their purchases and see what they’ve bought until they write a check. (The paintings range from $1,800 to $4,000, and Ms. O’Reilly says two of them have already been put on hold.) Read more…

Clint McMahon

Good morning, East Village.

EV Grieve reports that roast-beef joint Bowery Beef is likely leaving the Bowery Poetry Club, where owner Bob Holman has taken over booking.

Flaming Pablum shares a clip of Cro-Mags vocalist John “Bloodclot” Joseph leading his tour of the East Village. Mr. Joseph promises, “It’s the only place you can hear about murders, drugs, and vegan food all on the same tour.”

According to East Village Eats, Casimir’s new owner Mario Carta has started a brunch deal that gets you bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys for $19.95.

An episode of “Let Them Talk” just posted to YouTube features playwright Juan Valenzuela recalling the glory days of the Nuyorican poetry movement. Along with Pedro Pietri, Mr. Valenzuela led the Latin Insomniacs Motorcycle Club.

Mike Zohn of Obscura Antiques got a reality show, and now another one of the neighborhood’s antiques-and-oddities dealers, Billy LeRoy, is giving him company in the limelight. DNAinfo points to a new energy drink ad that stars the Billy’s Antiques impresario giving The Most Interesting Man in the World a run for his money with lines like “Do you want to be me? I want to be me,” and “I’m not on Facebook, but I will be soon.” (Turns out the latter isn’t a joke: Billy’s created a Facebook page a few weeks ago.) Best line: “What is it with you guys with the flip-flops?”

The Dieline points out that The Blind Barber has teamed up with Joya to create custom candles. One of the scents in the so-called “Tompkins” line is “Smoke.” If that conjures images of tents being torched or trash barrels being used for warmth, rest assured that the smells were inspired by the East 10th Street barber shop, not by the park.

Neighborhoodr points out that East Village Wines made a cameo on comedian Louis C.K.’s show, “Louie,” last night. If the shop’s buy-ten-bottles-get-one-free deal doesn’t sound like enough of a bargain, EV Grieve scoured a few local supermarkets yesterday and found that Key Foods sold the cheapest six-packs.

Jacob Berenson Jessica Ashby, owner of White Rabbit Studio

White Rabbit Tattoo Studio may be the East Village’s only vegan tattoo parlor, but some animals were harmed in its making. The heads of an elk and a “jackalope” — a real rabbit with real antlers glued to its head — are mounted on the wall. Taxidermy aside, this particular tattoo parlor is attempting to carve out a rare niche in a neighborhood where there’s seemingly one for every block.

“The inks we use contain no animal byproducts, and instead contain vegetable glycerin,” said Jessica Ashby, the owner and one of the artists at White Rabbit. “We also provide vegan soaps for treating the tattoos. In this way, we are able to remain 100 percent vegan.” Read more…

Today Dangerous Minds posts some 1967 footage (believed to be from the film “Last Summer Won’t Happen”) of the East Village, which had only recently come to be called that. Keep an eye open for a trio of underground and hippie bastions: The Peace Eye Bookstore at 147 Avenue A, the Digger Free Store at 264 East 10th Street, and Underground Uplift Unlimited (makers of the “Make Love Not War” buttons) at 28 St. Marks Place.

Leila Samii

Earlier this week, the Daily News pointed to the intersection of Essex and Delancey Streets as one of the deadliest in the city. Where bicycle accidents are concerned, it isn’t the only dangerous street crossing on the Lower East Side. In fact, data shows that the neighborhood boasts many of the intersections most prone to bicycle crashes.

The Local obtained records from the New York City Department of Transportation of cycling accidents in 2008 and 2009, the most recent years available. The records reported all intersections where four or more cycling accidents occurred in 2008, and three or more in 2009.

Of the 33 intersections on the list, nine are on the Lower East Side (three of those nine are on Houston Street, the border of the East Village). The data reported a total of 45 crashes at those intersections.

Midtown was the second most sketchy neighborhood with 38 crashes across its accident-prone intersections.
Read more…

Lauren Carol Smith Television reporters interview a local about Eason Alonzio, a disabled man who was left in a van and died after six hours yesterday.

The police have confirmed to The Local East Village that the developmentally disabled man who died in the back of a van after being left there for six hours on Tuesday was a resident of the neighborhood. News vans are currently clogging East Fifth Street.

The 48-year-old, Eason Alonzio, was part of a group of disabled people driven to a daytime activity at 2082 Lexington Avenue in East Harlem at around 9 a.m, according to The Times.

The group got out of the van operated by AHRC New York City, but somehow Mr. Alonzio was left behind.

The police said that at around 2 p.m. the resident of 224 East Fifth Street, was found dead in a backseat.

A cause of death has not yet been determined. On Tuesday the temperature reached a high of 91 degrees.

Read more…

Karl Fischer An exclusive rendering of the new building bound for 427 East 12th Street

When the news first broke that a new six-story residential building at 427 East 12th Street would be designed by controversial architect Karl Fischer, speculation immediately ensued about its appearance.

Now, The Local has obtained a rendering of the building, which is marked by floor-to-ceiling windows and a penthouse that sits two stories above its neighbors. The developer of the building, Shaky Cohen, said that he and Mr. Fischer had strived to make the building fit into the neighborhood.

“We try to blend in to the neighborhood. We try not to be a focal point,” Mr. Cohen said. “Obviously it’s a modern building — we’re not going to replicate a design from the 1930s.”

He added that the building will feature a pair of one-bedroom apartments on floors two through five, with the ground floor accommodating an apartment with a backyard, and the top floor a penthouse. The building will also include perks like a virtual doorman and a communal roof deck.

But two local preservationists scoffed when they saw Mr. Fischer’s design.

Read more…

Joshua Davis The EPIX Movie Free-for-All is the first sponsored weekly film series held in Tompkins Square Park. Screening will take place Thursday evenings through Aug. 25.

The East Village, with its history of art house theaters and independent video stores, has long been a destination for movie lovers. But for countless summers, East Villagers have had to trek uptown or head to out to Brooklyn to participate in a summer tradition: outdoor movie screenings.

That all ended last night when the EPIX Movie Free-for-All premiered its weekly film series in Tompkins Square Park with the screening of Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.”

“When we saw it was right here, and we could run and use the bathroom in our own apartment we were like, ‘let’s go,’” said Polly Seplowitz, 27, a nearby resident and public school teacher who came with her neighbor.

The series is the first sponsored weekly film event held in Tompkins Square Park, and organizers say they are pleased to bring an event patterned after the popular HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival to the East Village.
Read more…

The successor to the beloved Amato Opera, the Bleecker Street Opera, is closing its doors after two years of existence. One of the founders of the itinerant company, John Kim, wrote in an e-mail message that he and he his wife were recently “forced to leave our residence on City Island, which had been purchased and run jointly by the Amato family;” Mr. Kim said that the “home had been the headquarters of the Amato Opera for more than 40 years, and was the cradle of the Bleecker Street Opera.” The opera began as an effort by former Amato employees to carry on its legacy, and staged several performances that garnered favorable reviews.—Stephen Rex Brown

Earlier this year, we told you about the frustrations some M15 riders share regarding local bus service. In response to rider complaints, Community Board 3 tonight voted to file a joint resolution requesting that New York City Transit and the Department of Transportation consider relocating Select Bus Service stops so they are adjacent to or combined with local stops. Board members hope that riders will have quick and easy access to both local and Select Bus Service.
— Chelsia Rose Marcius

Earlier today we told you about plans to capture and treat Violet, the red-tailed hawk whose nest is high above Washington Square Park and whose leg is badly swollen from a metal wildlife band. The City Room blog of The Times is providing regular updates on the effort this afternoon, including its Hawk Cam. At last word, wildlife workers were en route to the nest begin the rescue. —The Local

The Department of Buildings has issued a new permit that would allow the full demolition of 35 Cooper Square. The permit, which was issued May 6, clears the way for the destruction of the historic site; a second permit was also issued for fencing for the site, where scaffolding now obstructs the view of the three-story house. Despite preservationists’ attempts to keep the building standing, the developer has said he will not maintain it. —Suzanne Rozdeba

Phillip Kalantzis Cope

Good morning, East Village.

There’s a new preservationist on the block. The Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation announced the appointment of Andito Lloyd as East Village and special projects director. With battles over 35 Cooper Square ongoing, Ms. Lloyd will have plenty to sink her teeth into in her new role.

DNA Info reported that the Lower East Side gay pride festival will get started with a Lady Gaga look-alike competition. The competition will be held on June 4^th. Given the ubiquity of her ads for skate brand Supreme, there’s a good chance that the Mother Monster will be keeping a close eye on proceedings.

A possible new development in the ongoing saga of Mars Bar’s closure: EV Grieve spotted “thanks for the memories” painted up above the bar’s logo and Gothamist stepped in with a round up. The exact date of the shut down is still foggy – The Local is taking all predictions in the comments.

And in slightly related news, Grub Street examines the cost to bars of being closed by the police for serving minors. One owner said the cost of security is now higher than his rent. DNA Info chimed in with news that 7th precinct officers believe bouncers are being bribed by under age drinkers. There has been a spate of raids in the East Village and Lower East Side in the last few months, and HiFi and Common Ground, both on Avenue A, are currently fighting civil complaints.

Weather-wise you’re looking at highs of 54 degrees with a chance of showers. Alright, that’s your lot.

The authorities are searching for the thief in a series of what has so far been seven robberies in Manhattan subway stations, the most recent of which occurred in the East Village at the intersection of Broadway and Houston Street about a week ago. The thief is believed to be a teenager who targets victims in subway stations before and after school hours, pulling out a knife or gun and then robbing them of their iPod or cell phone. So far all of his victims have been teenagers. — Rachel Ohm