Hours before Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York’s first confirmed case of coronavirus infection on Sunday, two Asian comedians appeared on stage at Caveat wearing bras over their faces as masks. “How many of you have experienced racism because of coronavirus?” asked Kyle Marian. “Any allies in the crowd?” More →
At an art show in Chinatown, a middle-aged Chinese man stared at an ink painting, in which a god-like Asian figure was circled by children and animals flying amid clouds. After noticing the figure’s long beard and shapely breasts, the man gasped, “Is this a man or a woman?” More →
Not many people understand immigration like Katya Grokhovsky. Inspired by her globetrotting and a desire to celebrate immigrant artists in America, Grokhovsky founded The Immigrant Artist Biennial (TIAB), an event series that showcases artwork by over 40 interdisciplinary artists who were born outside the U.S. but currently live in the country. More →
Iowa may be overrun with presidential candidates before tonight’s caucuses but campaign junkies gathered Sunday at Seward Park High School for the annual Political Memorabilia Show. The school’s alumni association and the Big Apple Chapter of the American Political Items Collectors presented a dizzying array of posters, buttons and banners dating to the 1800s. More →
On the way to his asylum hearing at 26 Federal Plaza this morning, Marco Saavedra first stopped across the street at the African Burial Ground National Monument. The site is the final resting place of an estimated 15,000 Africans, many of them enslaved. He “took a moment of silence to breathe in the place that we’re in,” he later told journalists. It was a characteristic moment for Saavedra: using the spotlight cast on him to point to other injustices, and remaining distinctly aware that the land upon which we live has a complex history. More →
Nudity, leather, kink, heavy makeup. It was a celebration of desire and sexuality, of BDSM and marginalized voices. On stage, burlesque dancer Viva Lamore took off the last layer of her Japanese maid dress and proudly showed off her body in leather dessous, earning rounds of cheers and applause from the audience. Meanwhile, rhythmic sounds of whipping from the corner turned several heads in the crowd—a petite Asian girl in a red shiny leather dress continuously lashed a grey-haired white man’s back. More →
Food stands aren’t the only things being bulldozed for Essex Crossing, the ever-growing Lower East Side development of housing, vendors and aerial vegetables. Community Healthcare Network, a medical mainstay since 1971, will be demolished in 2021 to make way for Site 10 of Essex Crossing. Now, the nonprofit health-care provider is calling for the city to provide financial support for their expensive move. More →
The night after the Gov. of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, announced he was stepping down from office, Boricuas and Nuyoricans eager to celebrate the island’s victory after weeks of protests came together at Friends and Lovers to watch Puerto Rican DJs Woof and Bembona spin. More →
In passing, the old plastics factory located at Franklin and Dupont Streets in Greenpoint seems like an abandoned industrial relic. In actuality, the curved, art moderne NuHart building has become an increasingly attractive property that has swapped hands several times in just a few years. But the 1930s building is tagged as a superfund site—meaning it contains hazardous waste threatening the environment and public health—and a legal standoff is preventing it from being razed for a 325-unit apartment building. Monday, neighbors demanded answers about the state of the project and the complicated cleanup process. More →
After nearly two days without power, residents in Mill Basin finally had electricity restored at 11:15am this morning. Still, though residents no longer have to quarantine in their cars for air conditioning, the damage has been done to delis and restaurants. More →