A Walk Through History: Review of Berenice Abbott’s Greenwich Village Exhibition at The Marlborough Gallery

It is always fascinating to see the world through someone else's eyes. Berenice Abbott’s Exhibition, recently displayed at the Marlborough Gallery, located at 545 W 25th St., New York, NY, shows you precisely the world she was living in during her time in the city. As soon as you step into the second floor exhibition space, where her artwork has been specially selected and placed along the walls, your heart may flutter for just a moment. 

This exhibition consists of over 50 photographs taken by Abbott, most of which were shot in the 1930s. She had a keen eye for architecture and urban design, which comes across strongly in her work. While you walk around the room you can feel a sense of the life that she lived, the places she went, and the way that she saw the city, so uniquely.

One of the great works in this collection is a photograph of Gay Street from the corner of Christopher Street, c. 1948. It looks to be a simple photograph of a street displayed in glass on the wall. But, as you look closer, you notice a man on the side of the road in the distance, working on what looks to be a large beer keg type object. Behind him, toward the right, is a parked car in front of a few townhouses. The scene looks quiet. The sunlight shines through the street hitting the front of the apartment buildings gently, creating contrast between their stone walls and the dark fire escapes that run down them. There is a curvature to the street that makes you wonder what might be happening on the other side. Depth is displayed through the various building heights and shadows that Abbott captured. This photograph looks so simple, but makes you think so much about the setting in which it was taken. The contrast and lighting creates emotion and tone. The texture and dimension that is shot within this piece pulls you in in a way that allows you to feel the air of the city. When you stare at the piece for long enough, it almost feels like you were there, on that street, walking down about to take a turn into the unknown.

When taking her photographs, Abbott most oftenly used a Century Universal Camera, which processed 8x10 negatives. Thus, as you walk through the exhibition space, you can see that almost every photograph displayed is an original 8x10 print made by Abbott herself, with the use of one of these cameras. Being in front of original photographs, developed by the artist directly, provides a type of historic connection that can really only be felt in the room. There is a sense of old life filling the gallery space that can make you feel like you were there at the same time, forming a relationship of past and present. You can almost feel her presence in the room, standing beside you with her camera set up and ready to go. It is thrilling to imagine, but even more exciting to see her art so up close and personal.

Berenice Abbott’s photographs read like a beautifully written book. They open a window into a world you may never have stepped foot into before. She had an eye for the world that many do not possess. The more you stare at one of her images, the more you learn, the more you wonder, the more you feel. Their rich contrast and well determined compositions hold them to a great height. Powerful emotions exude through the frames, so encapsulating. 

Each image that was so thoughtfully chosen by Marlborough Gallery adds a sense of meaning to the exhibition. They channel the energy of the area at the time and take us through a journey of the world in which Berenice Abbott walked. For the person who searches for depth and beauty in the world around them, this exhibition will prove to be exquisitely curated and a wonderful time.

High School Theater Groups Return to the Spotlight

By the Spring of 2023, all The Broadway League High School Programs will be back in person

One of the most well known tourist attractions in New York City is the many stages of Broadway. Each theater brings in masses of people of all ages from around the world. However, the Covid-19 pandemic left the theaters empty and quiet for over a year. 

This period of closure caused many students throughout the country to lose their opportunities of ever seeing a Broadway show or even going to New York City at all due to school trip cancellations. They were told to virtually attend shows and speak to actors over zoom calls. It was nearly impossible for them to feel the warmth and connection that comes with the in person experience of Broadway. But now, after so long, things are finally changing.

Nathan Lavoie, a 2021 high school graduate from Scituate, Massachusetts, was stunted, along with everyone else, with many activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lavoie was the president of his school’s Drama Club his senior year and went on to attend Suffolk University, where he now is working toward a BA Degree in Theater. In both 2020 and 2021, Lavoie had plans with his drama program to travel to New York City to see Broadway shows, participate in theater workshops, and speak to some working actors. However, his trips were canceled, leaving him without the experiences he was so excited for.

In his first two years of highschool, Lavoie’s drama club went to NYC as usual. In those two years he saw six Broadway shows, took a stage combat class, and partook in a theater makeup workshop, along with meeting various Broadway actors and learning the ins and outs of what it means to work in professional theater. These experiences gave him an understanding of what the job is really like. Trips like these were what allowed Lavoie to discover that this was what he wanted to be part of in life. “I hope someday I’m able to return to New York City and see more Broadway productions, but ticket prices for Broadway are increasing at an alarming rate and it’s become very hard to go see a Broadway show nowadays.”

But, now that the depth of the pandemic looks to be behind us, students are making their way back to the city with eagerness and anticipation. 

Rachel Reiner, the Director of Audience Engagement at Broadway League and Executive Director of the National High School Musical Theater Awards Program has been working endlessly with her team to get highschool theater groups to return to Broadway as “normal”. She has said that, finally, by this spring, it looks like everything will be back to the way it once was. 

Reiner works specifically close with two programs: The Jimmy Awards and Broadway Bridges. 

The Jimmy Awards is “sort of like a highschool Tony Awards,” according to Reiner. Students from across the country are nominated and sent to New York every June to compete for awards and scholarships. They receive professional training and get the chance to sing and perform on a Broadway Stage. Some, now, famous actors, like Andrew Barthfeldman, Renne Rapp, and Antonio Capriano, all went to book lead roles in Broadway shows after competing at the Jimmy Awards. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience. 

Unfortunately, during Covid, the program was completely shifted and pushed to a halt. In 2020 they had to cancel the awards completely, leaving students who had been preparing for this moment for months to come to an end with their preparation as there would be nowhere for them to perform. Then in 2021, the program was made to be virtual. The nominated students sent in tapes for the awards and it was viewed and judged over the computer. An hour and a half long was aired online for them to view at home. 

While luckily they began the awards again, students were still missing out on the most important and influential parts of the experience that come with being a part of The Jimmy Awards. They missed the connections with their peers, the chance to perform on a Broadway Stage, and the opportunities to closely work with working professionals. Everything that made The Jimmy Awards what they are was lost behind the screens. In 2022 the program was finally brought back to the city, but still there were many covid protocols that left the experience more dull than most would have hoped. 

Thus, Reiner is excited to see the future of The Jimmy Awards as it is planned to be back to normal this coming year, allowing the experience for the students to be just as wonderful and enchanting as it once was in the past, pre-pandemic.

The other program that Reiner works with, Broadway Bridges, is an initiative from The Broadway League that works with the Department of Education in New York City and the United Federation of Teachers to ensure that every New York City public highschool student goes to see a Broadway show before they graduate. Each student pays only $10 for their ticket, making the experience easily accessible and opening up the opportunity for as many students as possible. The program had to take an unfortunate break during the pandemic, but as soon as they were able to, they started seating students in theaters again. This past spring the Broadway Bridges program brought over 15,000 students to Broadway shows. 

“There's really nothing that replaces the live experience of being in a theater,” said Reiner, “so, we were really thrilled that by this fall, we were able to entirely accommodate all of the schools. And they could all come back to Times Square and see the Broadway shows.”

While now students were starting to attend shows in person, there were still many activities being brought virtually. But, Reiner is excited to announce that their high school Broadway Shadowing program would be brought back in person this upcoming spring. According to The Broadway League, this program “connects New York City public high school students with behind-the-scenes professionals including general managers, stage managers, press agents, and marketing and advertising staff, who share what goes into mounting and maintaining a Broadway production.” Students will again be given the opportunity to work one on one with professionals on the job. They will be given the chance to be placed back inside the world they had been dreaming to be part of for so long. 

Finally by 2023, all Broadway League student experiences will be back to the way they were before the pandemic, if not better. After hearing about this news of complete normality for high school theater groups in the upcoming year, Nathan Lavoie stated, “I am sad for myself and the rest on my theater graduating class in highschool for what we missed, but I’m excited for the current and future high school students, both at my school and everywhere else, who get to experience this all four years of high school.” 

Though the years of lost experiences for students in the past cannot be forgotten, it seems as though Broadway is looking up and students have found their way back to the spotlight.

Some New Yorker’s don’t want to #FlipTheBallot

Three ballot proposals aim to make New York City more equitable. Not everyone agrees with them.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — On September 20th, during a voter registration drive, Harold Miller, executive director of the NYC Racial Justice Commission (RJC), spoke at CUNY-Medgar Evers College to inform the public on three ballot proposals for the upcoming election this November. The goal that day was to promote listeners to register to vote and convince them that his commission’s new proposals matter, so that they will vote “yes” on election day and pass the proposals. 

“You have families, you have young people, people of color, and other vulnerable groups that are always faced with significant barriers when it comes to wealth building and advancement,” Miller later said when speaking about the issues with unaffordability in NYC and the disproportionate impact it has on New Yorkers of color. His commission came up with a solution.

For months, the RJC has been promoting the three proposals that they formed. They speak about changing the city for the better and creating a difference in uprooting structural racism and enacting better racial equity into city planning. Racial equity is when people of all races are treated equally in every place of society, no matter how they may appear physically. The RJC aspires for this in order to create a better New York. 

After a great deal of research and work with former mayor, Bill de Blasio, the RJC put together their three proposals. They spoke to fellow New York residents to get their feedback and implement proposals that they thought would benefit the majority. It took various drafts and reports to get to where they needed to be, but Miller worked closely with his colleagues, forming what they saw to be three transformative proposals for the city. 

The commission, in December of 2021, marched to the office of the city clerk and delivered their final report, hoping to get their proposals adopted for the November election. It looked as though their continuous efforts throughout the past months paid off and the proposals were adopted and will appear in front of New Yorkers on their ballots this coming November. Once adopted, the next goal was to educate the public on the proposals in order to get them passed.

The proposals are neatly laid out in the order of aspiration, action, and accountability, the “3 A’s” as the RJC describes them. The first one calls to add a preamble to the city charter. The second would form a Racial Equity Office, Plan, and Commission. And the third would require the city to measure the true cost of living in NYC and work with the commission to better adjust benefits to local residents of all communities. 

Miller explained that he ultimately believes in the importance of these proposals, “so people can actually live with real dignity here in the city, no matter no matter what their income level is.” 

The RJC, through press conferences, interviews and social media posts using the hashtag “FlipTheBallot”, has been sharing with the public information about what these proposals mean. But, to many, it looks as though they have only hit the surface.

Upon reading about and listening to these proposals, it appears as if not everyone agrees that voting “yes” will really do anything at all. Some even believe that it will only help those who didn’t need extra support in the first place. 

NYC based architect and writer for White Rose Magazine, an online liberal publication, Benjamin Marcus (@BenjaminRMarcus), recently tweeted in response to these new proposals. He wrote, “All 4 props are grift. Even if their purposes were good… they’ll result in handouts to agency friends and not do a single thing to advance any of their professed causes.” 

The Racial Justice Commission has been explaining to the public an ideal view for the future of New York City. Based on what some viewers are saying, it seems as though they might need to reach further than just the goals. It is what comes after these goals that New Yorkers really want to see. From Twitter posts to their website to public events, the RJC has been providing the same information over and over again. In simple terms: ‘The city is built on racism. It needs to be changed. ’ 

In press conferences they speak deeper about these proposals, using statistics and real situations to prove what they are saying. However, to find these, it takes time and research from the voters. Not everyone is present at those meetings, so they are not getting the full package of information.

Nina Evans, a local New York student, spoke about her thoughts on the proposal. She said,“I do believe that it is a step in the right direction to establish a racial equity office, but the government can get caught up in bureaucracy a lot and I do get a little skeptical that they would enact meaningful change.” She then explained that her “mom was on some sort of board for Democrats in [her] hometown after Trump was elected, and just hearing how many hoops they had to jump through for anything was astounding. After a while they had to dilute a lot of the things they were attempting to do.” She wants to believe that these proposals will work, but feels it is difficult to hold a lot of faith in them.

With the election less than a month away, will Miller and the rest of the Racial Justice Commission be able to convince New Yorkers that these proposals mean real change and persuade them to vote yes on their ballots?