LABOR DAY PARADE: Unions Make a Difference

The Labor Day Parade in Manhattan was held yesterday, a few days past Labor Day. Despite warnings of a storm, tens of thousands of stagehands, nurses, electricians, truck drivers, carpenters, retail clerks and other trade union members marched up Fifth Avenue. The parade honored wounded veterans, showing that organized labor can still flex its muscles, and rallied union members to vote for pro-labor candidates this fall. The loudest cheers went to the two dozen wounded veterans who led the parade and to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gov. David A. Paterson, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and various labor leaders. Last year, union leaders decided not to hold a parade, instead staging a rally at ground zero to call for more government assistance to workers injured in the cleanup in Manhattan after the 9/11 attack. The first Labor Day Parade was held in New York City on September 5, 1882.

KEITH HARING'S HOUSTON STREET AND BOWERY MURAL

These are photos of the recreation of the late artist KEITH HARING’s celebrated Houston Street and Bowery mural. The mural became an instant downtown landmark after Keith painted it in the summer of 1982. The mural was up for only a few months in the summer of 1982 before it was painted out but its image remains imprinted in the memory of many people who were part of the downtown artist community in the early 1980s. The mural was repainted by Gotham Scenic using the extensive photographic documentation of the original work. The work was unveiled on May 4, 2008 the day that would have been Keith Haring’s 50th Birthday.

Keith Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s. Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Haring grew up in Kutztown and was interested in art from an early age. From 1976 to 1978 he studied graphic design at The Ivy School of Professional Art, a commercial and fine art school in Pittsburgh. At age 19 Haring, who was openly gay, moved to New York City, where he was inspired by graffiti art, and studied at the School of Visual Arts. The Keith Haring Foundation was established in 1989 to assist AIDS-related and children's charities, and maintains the largest resource of archives on Keith Haring. Haring's bold lines and active figures carry poignant messages of vitality and unity. His legacy made an impact on late 20th century art and grants us all a vision for the future.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden

This is one of the sculptures currently on display at the ever-popular Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. 

About the sculpture garden from the MOMA website:

On one end of the spectrum, art is the center of attention. On the other end, art is a backdrop to social activity. In between are spaces both bustling and contemplative where people and art interact in delightful ways. There's a lot more than passive viewing going on.

The re-design by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi was completed in 2004 and nearly doubled the museum's gallery space. It also introduced a circulation system that heightens your awareness of fellow museum-goers as you move between galleries. As critic Arthur C. Danto put it in The Nation, "The consciousness of others moving from stage to stage and space to space is so much a part of the experience that one feels one is always part of a constantly changing work of art." The effect is that going to the museum feels much more like a shared experience than it did before the re-design.

In addition to the galleries, every floor furnishes visitors with spaces to relax or have a quiet conversation, often with terrific views onto the sculpture garden below. The sculpture garden remains the social heart of the museum, full of people discussing what they've seen, enjoying something to eat from one of the museum's two cafés, and sitting in moveable chairs among works by Rodin, Picasso, Calder, and other masters.

@ the stagedoor: WHOOPI GOLDBERG and the cast of XANADU

Whoopi Goldberg

Cheyenne Jackson

Kerry Butler

Tony Roberts

These photos were taken outside the stagedoor of the Helen Hayes Theatre. WHOOPI GOLDBERG plays the roles of Calliope and Aphrodite in the Broadway musical XANADU through Sept. 7. She joins Cheyenne Jackson (who returned to the show from his recent stint in Damn Yankees for City Center Encores!) and original Tony-nominated star Kerry Butler as well as Tony Roberts, Mary Testa, Curtis Holbrook, Kenita Miller, Patti Murin, Marty Thomas, André Ward and Jacob Ben Widmar.

Born Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1955 in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, Goldberg is one of only thirteen people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award, including Daytime Emmy Awards. In 1990, she became the second African American female performer after Hattie McDaniel to win an Academy Award for acting. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and two Saturn Awards for her performances in Star Trek Generations and Ghost.Goldberg earned an Academy Award for her work in "Ghost" and was Oscar-nominated for her role in "The Color Purple." Onstage she has appeared in Whoopi, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Based on the cult, roller-disco-themed film starring Olivia Newton-John, Xanadu tells of the love between a goddess and the mortal she inspires. centers on a Greek muse who is sent to earth to inspire Californians during the 1980s. While on earth, she meets and falls in love with an artist and helps him realize his dreams.

View of the ROCKEFELLER CENTER Rooftop Gardens from CAFE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE (SFA)

Last Sunday, we had brunch at Saks Fifth Avenue's CAFE SFA which offers a lovely (but obstructed) view of St. Patrick's Cathedral as well as the rooftop gardens of the Rockefeller Center buildings. I took a photo of the rooftop garden and reflection pool atop the British Empire Building at Rockefeller Center. The image of the garden is framed on each side by silhouettes of the baluster shafts at the cafe. This private garden is rarely accessible and a detailed online search returns very little information. According to the Rockefeller Center website: "Originally, the architects envisioned an even more elaborate network of roof gardens to be connected by aerial pedestrian bridges, which they compared to the hanging gardens of ancient Babylon." Although there are paths and a few discreet benches, no people are seen in the gardens. Tenants are not allowed in. The reasons include security, safety and liability -- the perimeter wall is rather low. The view from above enhances the geometric patterns and deep colors in the gardens' 57,000 square feet. There are border hedges, lawns, shrubs, blue pools and flowers in beds and urn.

Cafe SFA (8th floor of Saks Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets) serves brunch, lunch and afternoon tea. Simple, yet well-executed cafe fare, includes soups, salads and sandwiches. Hours: Monday - Saturday 11-5 (7 p.m. on Thursday) and Sunday 12-5.

24th Brazilian Day Festival

Yesterday, thousands of Brazilian Americans and their friends flocked to the Little Brazil section of Manhattan for the 24th Annual Brazilian Day Festival. The festivities were held on 6th Avenue from 42nd - 56th Street & on 46th St. from Madison - 7th Avenue. I made these images of some faces, and scenes during the festival.