☞ READ: Difficulties at Dwyer Cultural Center

A Times article this week features the Dwyer Cultural Center and how that institution has been struggling to stay open.  Cultural centers became a requirement of most major Harlem condo developments in the past decades but these nonprofit organization are complicated to run and rely on local support.  The Dwyer Warehouse was rebuilt a few years back as condos and the cultural center opened up three years ago but has been mismanaged.  Another point that the article makes out is that many in Harlem still head downtown for cultural events and do not support the arts uptown.  Read more in the New York Times: LINK

☞ DRINK: An Earlier Last Call in Harlem?

An ABC local news report features Harlem this week since Community Board 10 is now seeking to have last call for all of Central Harlem's bars to 2:00 AM instead of 4:00 AM.  A few of the new businesses along lower FDB such as Bier International or the Harlem Tavern already close at 2:00 AM so this will mainly affect some of the older establishments uptown. Nevertheless, the concern here is that more establishments will not open in Harlem if a 2:00 AM last call is implemented for all businesses.  Thoughts?

☞ WALK: The Museum Mile Festival on Tuesday

Tuesday, June 14th, 6:00 PM-9:00 PM, The 33rd Museum Mile Festial on upper Fifth Avenue arrives tomorrow. Over 50,000 visitors will be walking up Museum Mile for a free night of visual arts from East 82nd Street to 105th Street in East Harlem tomorrow night.  All of the city's great museums along the strip will have their doors open including El Museo del Barrio (at 104th Street) which will have performances of Copeira and West African dance within their courtyard in collaboration with the Museum for African Art: LINK.  The Museum of the City of New York at 103rd Street will also have free admission to the new decorating exhibit called The American Style: Colonial Revival and the Modern Metropolis along with live music. Those who have not experienced these great cultural institutions uptown should make a date for tomorrow night: LINK

☞ REMEMBER: The Speakeasies of 133rd Street

Channel 13 has their new City Concealed series up for the 2010 season with the first story on the main Swing Street of Harlem in the 1920's and 1930's.  The blocks between Lenox and 7th Avenue at the time had the most dense concentration of speakeasies in the entire uptown village. Unlike many of the bigger established clubs (i.e Cotton Club), these business were owned by African-Americans and served an integrated clientele. Mae West apparently dated one of the owners at The Nest, Tillie's Chicken Shack founded its first outpost, and Glady's Clam Bar was owned by lesbian proprietor Gladys Bentley. Check out the Channel 13 site for more details: www.thirteen.org

☞ SEE: The Queer Black Cinema Film Festival

October 14th-17th at the National Black Theatre, 2031 Fifth Avenue, between 125th and 126th Streets.  The Queer Black Cinema International Film Festival will be celebrating its third year in Harlem.  Check out the full list of movies and schedule of events that will kick off the festival early in the week: LINK

☞ LISTEN: Garden Grooves in East Harlem

Thursday, September 30th, 7:00 PM at the Target East Harlem Community Garden. New York Restoration Project (NYRP) will be transforming the Target East Harlem Community Garden into a live performance space and vibrant sounds of pop, rock and hip hop will fill the garden’s intimate setting.

NYRP presents Garden Grooves, a two-part outdoor concert series at community gardens in Manhattan and Brooklyn. These free musical performances will feature a superlative stream of local artists bringing newfound musical glory to NYC’s neighborhood green spaces.

The Target East Harlem Community Garden is located at 415-417 East 117th Street, between First and Pleasant Avenues. Take the 6 Train to 116th Street and walk Northeast to Pleasant Avenue and 117th Street.

☞ SEE: LOUIS Premiering at the Apollo

Monday, August 30th, 8:00 PM at the Apollo Theater. Don't miss out on the exclusive preview of LOUIS, which is a recent Hollywood film about the life of Jazz Age legend Louis Armstrong. This sure to be visually compelling movie is a mix of fact and fantasy with all 70 minutes presented as a silent film and Wynton Marsalis himself performing the live music at the event. The story is set in 1907 and the director wanted to explore not only the dawn of modern music but also the birth of moving pictures. Brilliant! Read more about LOUIS in the Wall Street Journal: LINK. Note this film has not been released yet and Harlem will get a preview of it for one night only. Tickets are $35 and $50, so reserve them now at the Apollo website: LINK

☞ LISTEN: Jazzmobile Featuring Cynthia Holiday

Thursday, August 26th, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM, 132nd Street between ACP/7th and Lenox Avenue. The 132nd Street Block Association hosts the second to last summer Jazzmobile performance tonight. The rain has gone away so don't miss out on one of the best FREE entertainment events in Harlem. www.Jazzmobile.org

☞ SEE: Around Harlem This Weekend

Friday, August 20th, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM, the Jazzmobile will be back at the Jackie Robinson Park bandshell: LINK

Saturdays always kicks off with the Harlem Farmers Market so make sure all you folks check out the Mount Morris Park Historic District Market at 124th and 5th Avenue, the Morningside Farmers Market (get local caught fish!) at 110th Street and Manhattan Avenue and the 145th Street Farmers Market at Jackie Robinson Park's south side.

Saturday, August 21st, 2:00 PM-6:00 PM, Parlor Jazz with Marjorie Elliot will perform at gardens of the Morris-Jumel Mansion: LINK

Saturday, August 21st, 2:00 PM at the Museum of the City of New York. Creating Japanese folding fan lessons included with the general museum admission: LINK

Sunday, August 22nd, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Laughter in the Park at St. Nicholas Park. Free live comics will entertain at the 135th Street Park Plaza: LINK

Sunday, August 22nd, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM, the Haitian band Dja Rara will be performing at Central Park North's Harlem Meer: LINK

☞ SEE: The African Diaspora Film Festival

August 20th-29th at the Riverside Church. The Theatre of The Riverside Church and ArtMattan Productions have joined forces to present an eclectic slate of award winning, thought provoking and entertaining films from Africa and the African Diaspora in the African Diaspora Summer Film Series in August.

The Riverside Theatre is at 91 Claremont Avenue and 122nd Street. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for senior/student tickets. Tel. 212.870.6784. Take the 1 Train to 116th Street and walk west to Claremont Avenue. See the full list of films and purchase tickets on the Riverside Theatre site: LINK

☞ LISTEN: The Jazzmobile at Grant's Tomb

FREE EVENT: Wednesday, August 11th, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM at Grant's Tomb. The Jazzmobile will be continuing their summer long free concerts at Grant's Tomb in West Harlem tonight featuring Wycliffe Gordon. To check it out, head towards Riverside Drive and 122nd Street which can be reached by the 1 train at 125th Street or the BX15 crosstown bus. Photo by Ulysses. www.JazzMobile.org

☞ REMEMBER: The Dance of the Giglio 2010

Congratulations to Bobby Maida and company in getting the Giglio Festival up and going again for the 10th time since its return in 2000. The streets of Pleasant Avenue were filled with family and friends who returned to the old Italian Harlem neighborhood once more to celebrate a tradition that has been around for a millenia. The Giglio this year was a little more minimalist than in the past and one can see that it basically was a giant Corinthian column, with an flame spouting out at the pointed tip. The reverse side is hollow as one can see in the fourth photo down but it takes an army of Giglio Boys to lift the entire six-story sculpture down the street. As we mentioned in the past, Italian East Harlem was ten times larger than downtown's Little Italy and most were driven out when the housing projects were built on former neighborhood tenement blocks. Yet, Pleasant Avenue somehow remained untouched and still looks the same as it did back then. See more old Italian East Harlem Giglio photos in our past post: LINK. Look out for more photos on the Harlem Bespoke facebook site: LINK. Photos by Ulysses

☞ BESPOKE: The Giglio Boys New Look

Comparing old photos of the Giglio Boys (the guys who lift the massive 6-story Giglio monument at the Giglio Festival) to current snapshots, one can see that traditional outfits and the revelers themselves have changed over the years: LINK. Archival images from reveal mostly younger men in white tee's with red bandanas tied around their necks. The more sombre photos of last year's event show a mixed-age group of men wearing brown colored printed tees, khaki kerchiefs and hats (2nd and 5th down). Since the Giglio Festival started up again in the old Italian section of Pleasant Avenue of East Harlem, one can see from the following photos that the colors do change each year. Another accessory of note are the color-coordinated hats that many of the men wear with a carnation as an accent (second from last photo). See what the new colors will be this year at the festivities tomorrow on Pleasant Avenue and East 114th Street. Giglio lifts start at 2:00 PM so get there sharply on time to see the action. Check out the New York Times article from a couple of years back on the return of this East Harlem tradition: LINK. Top photo has been added from Giglio 2010. Past photos courtesy of EastHarlemGiglio.com

☞ SEE: Around Harlem This Weekend

This weekend's ArtCrawl Harlem tour (via trolley, no less) was featured in today's New York Times: LINK

Saturday August 6th, 11:00 AM, 5th Avenue and 124th Street. The new Mount Morris Park Historic District Farmers Market will have its official ribbon-cutting ceremony with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer doing the honors! Those further west should remember to stop by the Manhattan Avenue and 110th Street Morningside Farmers Market.

Sunday, August 8, from 2:00 PM-4:00 PM. Afro-Cuban Dance Music from Something Positive will be performing inside Central Park at 110th Street (between 5th and Lenox Avenues) as part of the annual Harlem Meer Performance Festival. www.CentralPark.com

Sunday, August 8th, The Giglio Festival at Pleasant Avenue and 114th Street. Lifting of the massive 6-story religious obelisk (top photo) starts at 2:00 PM. Highly recommended. www.EastHarlemGiglio.com

☞ SEE: ArtCrawl Harlem 2010 This Weekend

The ArtCrawl Harlem™ tours are taking place Saturday, August 7th and Sunday, August 8th and will include:

Casa Frela Gallery
“Einstein, Epherma & Crank,” created by Fearless Explorers in Alternative Surfaces, Glazes and Installations highlights the ceramic installations of four sculptors, Liz Surbeck Biddle, Jackie Welsh, Tomoko Amaki Abe and Ellen Hackl Fagan. A creative brew results when these four artists work together using painted slips, photographic processes, printmaking, transfers, decals and drawing. www.CasaFrela.com

Dwyer Cultural Center
“Weusi Revisited: 2010” features the work of the Weusi Artist Collective. Founded in 1965, the Harlem-based Weusi (”way-oo-see,” which means Blackness in Swahili) are considered progenitors of the Black Arts Movement and were among the first artists to make African imagery a central part of their work.

Renaissance Fine Art Gallery
"Art is: Visual, Functional, and Wearable" is a three-part series featuring the collaborations of visual artists and fashion designers. Part 2, now on display, features fashion designer/visual illustrator Donna Dove and visual artist/designer Anton. Artists participating in the series explore art as a part of everyday life produced as drawings and paintings on canvas, paper, clothing and home accessories.

Rio II Gallery
“Masks” by Wyrbel Familia recreates the different masks spectators use in their daily lives. The artist shows us with master strokes a fabulous visual representation of our egos and how we disguise the imperfections that characterize us.

Studio Museum in Harlem
The first New York museum exhibition of South African photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa brings together three compelling series: “Interiors” and “Empty Beds” document the domestic lives of migrant workers in and near Johannesburg, South Africa, while photographs in “Common Ground” focus on shared experiences of natural disaster in urban areas, featuring houses in post-Hurricane-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana and on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, after wildfires. www.StudioMuseum.org


Taste of Harlem Food and Cultural Tours was created to showcase Harlem through its food, history and culture. A food, culture and Harlem Renaissance enthusiast, founder and NYC tour guide Jacqueline Orange leads tour groups on fun filled excursions through Harlem. Visit www.TasteHarlem.com for more information.

Additional venues are being added to the ArtCrawl Harlem™ lineup. Tickets are $40 per person for early birds; $55 regular price. For updates, tickets and further information, please visit www.ArtCrawlHarlem.com or call (212) 866-7427. Above photo of Casa Frela by Ulysses.

☞ SEE: Harlem School of the Arts Open House

Saturday, August 7th, 12:00 NOON-5:00 PM at The Harlem School of the Arts. For over 45 years, the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) has continued to provide New York City children and adults with classes in dance, music, theater and visual arts. Classes are held during the week and on Saturdays. Want to see for yourself? Come to one of HSA’s Open Houses on Saturday, August 7th and Saturday, September 11th from 12 noon to 5pm at 645 Saint Nicholas Avenue (near 141st Street). During HSA Open Houses, parents and kids will take tours of the HSA dance and visual art studios, music rooms, theater, and class demonstrations. On September 11th, enjoy the live performances, vendors, and music indoors and outdoors at the HSA Block Party. Check out the HSA website for a full list of classes: www.HarlemSchooloftheArts.org. Tel.212.926.4100. This open houses are FREE events open to all. Closest transportation are the A, C, B, D or 1 train to 145th Street or the M3 bus to 141st Street. Photo courtesy the Harlem School of the Arts.

☞ SEE: Through the Night Takes Off-Broadway

Daniel Beaty's one-man show Through the Night recently had a sold out run at the Riverside Theatre and with that success, the producer is now moving the show Off-Broadway. Starting September 10, the production will head downtown to the Union Square Theater for an extended engagement. Check out our past posts on the recent performances and see what the New York Times had to say: LINK. Mr. Beaty will also perform one act at Riverside Theatre on August 9th to promote 50% discount pre-sale tickets. RSVP: info@ThroughTheNightOnStage.com

☞ SEE: Outdoor Family Movie at St. Nicholas Park

FREE EVENT: Thursday, July 29th, 8:30 PM, the 135th Street Great Lawn at St. Nicholas Park. Disney's The Princess and the Frog will be screening tomorrow night at the St. Nicholas Park Plaza right by West 135th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. The closest trains are the B,C which stop right in front of this location. Check out more details on the Friends of St. Nicholas Park site: LINK. Photo by Ulysses

☞ REVIVE: Lexington Academy's New Soccer Field

A reader and avid soccer fan sent us the info on how Lexington Academy (P.S. 72) at 131 East 104th Street and Lexington Avenue just received one of the city's first school-top soccer fields. The formerly sectioned-off roof of the East Harlem school was off limits to students until British soccer team Manchester City helped donate the funds to restore the unused space for recreational use. The top photo shows the school and one can see the castle-like parapet along the roofline. The lower photo is the soccer team at the dedication of the athletic space this week and one can see the parapets in the background. After the World Cup caught everyone's attention this year, it would now seem that the sport's international ambassadors are working hard to spread the love. Check out the Manchester City site: LINK or go to the Wall Street Journal for more details: LINK. Facade photo by Ulysses

☞ READ: Italian East Harlem Before Target

The New York Times today contrast the Target opening hoopla with the East Harlem neighborhood's former (grisly) Italian mafia past before it became El Barrio. The article only mentions far eastern Pleasant Avenue as Italian Harlem's boundaries but originally, anything east of Third Avenue, below 125th and north of 96th, was considered the city's largest little Italy at its peak in the 1930's (Harlem's Italian population was over 100,000 in comparison to 10,000 downtown). Read more in the New York Times: LINK. Check out some images of 1930's Italian Harlem in our past post: LINK

On a side note, the above image shows locals lining up for the Target shuttle which many folks seem to have been asking for. Does anyone know the route? A TIPSTER JUST ADVISED THE SHUTTLE STOPS AT 116TH AND 125TH STREET ON LEXINGTON. Photo by Marcus Yam.