Posts Tagged ‘Exhibits’

Heroes of the Knish: Making a Living and Making a Life

Photo Credit: Barbara Pfeffer

Photo Credit: Barbara Pfeffer

The City Reliquary presents:
Heroes of the Knish: Making a Living and Making a Life
Sunday, Feb. 12 – May 7, 2017
Opening reception: Sunday, February 12 @ 2 PM
(Curator’s talk and Knish Trivia @ 3PM)
$10/$8 Reliquary members

Heroes of the Knish: Making a Living and Making a Life tells the story of courageous women and men who churned out potato pies and paved lives for themselves and their families. The exhibit is curated by Laura Silver, award-winning author of Knish: In Search of the Jewish Soul Food (Brandeis, 2014).

At the opening reception on Sunday, February 12, Silver, known as the world’s leading expert on the knish, will deliver an illustrated talk on the sultry side of the potato pie. Aphrodisiac, inspiration for off-color jokes, and fount of feminism, the knish has been a hot commodity in New York City for over a decade.

Attendees can cut their teeth on knish trivia while noshing on round and square versions of this classic street food from Knishery NYC and Gabila’s Knishes! Tickets on sale now! Admission includes one knish and pickles. Beverages available by suggested donation.

From the Lower East Side of Manhattan to the Brooklyn seaside, the knish has become a standby on sidewalk carts and at ethnic eateries in the five boroughs and beyond. Since its arrival on these shores with Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century, the knish — whose origins can be traced to rural Poland of the 1600s — has wedged itself into the hearts, guts, and psyches of New Yorkers of all stripes.

The exhibit introduces legendary and lesser-known knish kings and queens who have made their mark on New York City over the last century. It showcases a never-before-assembled collection of artifacts, archival materials, and stories from knish purveyors past and present. Items on display include a stock certificate from Mrs. Stahl’s Knishes of Brighton Beach, the knish correspondence of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt; a song about Ruby the Knishman, who sold potato pies to schoolkids in Canarsie; and chronicles of the Knish Crisis of 2013, when, following a factory fire, Gabila’s was forced to stop production of square, Coney Island-style knishes for nearly six months.

See a few images from this show:


About the Curator:
Laura Silver is a third-generation New Yorker and the award-winning author of Knish: In Search of the Jewish Soul Food (Brandeis, 2014). Her research on the humble hunk of dough spanned seven years, three continents and all five boroughs of her hometown. Silver’s work on the knish has been featured on NPR, WNYC,  in major outlets in Canada, Germany and Poland, and on Al-Jazeera America. The New York Times called her book “whimsical, mouthwatering and edifying.”


About The City Reliquary Museum:
The City Reliquary Museum & Civic Organization preserves the everyday artifacts that connect visitors to the past and present of New York City. It was originally established as an apartment window display in 2002 at the corner of Grand and Havemeyer Streets and relocated to 370 Metropolitan Avenue in 2006. The Reliquary also hosts public events that invite neighbors and visitors to meet, exchange ideas, and celebrate the diversity of our city.

Location: 370 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211; Hours: Thursday–Sunday, 12pm–6pm. Admission: $5 general; $4 college students/educators/seniors; children 12 & under free; Website: cityreliquary.org; Phone: 718-782-4842; Email: [email protected]

Ascenzi Square: Sons of Williamsburgh: The Family History of a Neighborhood Landmark

Ascenzi-Sq-and-Metropolitan-Street-Sign-1
September 10, 2015 – January 10, 2016
Opening Reception: September 13, 2015, 3 – 6 PM (light refreshments)

Steps from The City Reliquary sits Ascenzi Square, an unassuming wedge of green space at the intersection of North 4th Street, Metropolitan Avenue, and Roebling Street. This site is often passed over in the daily chaos of the city. Few people use the sidewalk around the space, which is often blocked from view by a car service lineup and ambulances from EMS Station 35. Yet it is a living tribute to the patriotism and sacrifice of four sons of Williamsburgh: the Ascenzi brothers who fought in World War I. Of the four, only two came home.

The City Reliquary will chronicle the Ascenzi family and Ascenzi Square through photographs and artifacts loaned by Marion Ascenzi Duckworth Smith, daughter to one of the surviving Ascenzi brothers, Charles. In illustrating the history of the memorial and the family it honors, the exhibit aims to illuminate an obscure part of Williamsburgh history. Curated by Marion Ascenzi Duckworth Smith, a native of Williamsburgh. She now lives in the Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead, the oldest inhabited dwelling in New York City.

Exhibition Images:



The front room of the Reliquary will display “Tower Records” during this time. The closing reception for the current Community Collections display, “Joseph Kopitz’s Souvenir Buildings“, will also occur on Sept. 13.

Keep Your Eye Upon the Donut

December 2013 – February 2014

Opening donut party celebration: Saturday, December 7th, 6-9 p.m.
Free, but donations appreciated

The delicious new exhibit Keep Your Eye Upon the Donut explores the key moments in the history of donut shops in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the role New York City played in establishing and popularizing this delicious treat. The city’s rich donut history is surveyed and nine present-day donut shops are profiled.

The city’s donut shop history starts with Mrs. Anna Joralemon’s 1673 donut shop on Broadway near Maiden Lane. Significant moments that will be highlighted include: the donuts served to immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, the Salvation Army’s Doughnut Hut in Union Square, the founding of the Doughnut Corporation of America, and the first donut shop chain, Mayflower Doughnuts, which had its flagship shop in Times Square.

The nine present day donut shops highlighted are Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, Doughnut Plant, Mike’s Donuts & Coffee, The Donut Pub, Doughnuttery, Dun-Well Doughnuts, Shaikh’s Donuts, Dough, and Carpe Donut NYC. Photographs and histories of each shop will be on view alongside items from these shops.

Items from Julie Thomson’s collection of donut ephemera will also be shown. Donut events and programs will accompany this show, along with opportunities for visitors to share their own donut and donut shop memories.

This exhibit is organized by Julie Thomson, a former resident of Brooklyn who now lives in Durham, N.C. where she writes about donuts for Our State and makes audio documentaries including In Search of the Marble Donut. Her donut blog is http://www.donutgrrl.wordpress.com and she tweets about donuts @donutgrrl.

Tower Records

Lalo Shifirin Twin Towers on LP CoversTower Records is an exhibition of Harry Rosenblum’s  collection of more than 30 record covers that depict the Twin Towers before the attacks of September 11th, 2001. The display includes records from Charles Mingus, Supertramp, and Grandmaster Flash.

The opening reception will take place on Saturday, September 14 from 7 to 10 PM. A listening station will be available for playing records from the collection.

Harry Rosenblum is the co-founder of Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Kitchen. He began his Tower Records collection before the September 11th attacks. In a post-9/11 world, it has taken on new meaning as an unexpected means of commemoration. Through this exhibition, The City Reliquary hopes to connect New York City’s past and present and celebrate these larger-than-life icons of the Manhattan skyline.

Twin Towers runs from September 14th – October 1st, 2013.

Embee Sunshade Co: An Iconic Legacy, Locally Made Opening Reception

Courtesy Theo Coulombe, Brooklynphoto Studio.

August 4th from 5 – 9pm
The City Reliquary Museum (Metropolitan Ave & Havemeyer St)

Join us to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibit, which celebrates the city’s finest purveyors of umbrellas. In business since 1940, Embee Shades’ products have become part of the iconic landscape of New York City, providing shade over hot dog carts, lifeguard stands, and NYC Parks Department kiosks.

Refreshments will be provided, including beer generously sponsored by another great Williamsburgh factory, the Brooklyn Brewery. Transportation for this exhibit is generously provided by Boxart Inc. Fine Art Services.

Top image courtesy Theo Coulombe, Brooklynphoto Studio.

THurd THursday & New Shows at CR

Hello Friends of The City Reliquary,

We are happy to announce the return of our spectacular THurd THursdays events. This week, on THursday January 21st, from 7:00-10:00 PM we will host a reception for TWO new exhibits at the museum.

In our Exhibition Hall, we are proud to announce the opening of “Company Journals of the Southside Firehouse”
An exhibit of historic logbooks detailing the daily work of Williamsburgh companies Engine 221 and Hook & Ladder 104 since the turn of the century, beautifully hand-written with fountain pen in calligraphic form and displayed with photographic and printed support materials of the era; Curated by Firefighter Patrick D’Emic L104.

Also, in the COMMUNITY COLLECTIONS window we are proud to present, Amanda B. Friedman’s Unicorn Collection.

We hope you’ll join us THis THurd THursday at 7:00 for refreshments courtesy of the Brooklyn Brewery.

This THurd THursday

Its time again for our monthly THurd THursday event again. We have a terrific line up for you, featuring:

In the Exhibition Hall:
Opening reception of Miss Subways, Past and Present, with current photographic portraits of the past Miss Subways by Fiona Gardner, along side archival photographs and posters. View a sample of Fiona’s work or visit the NY Times slideshow

In the Community Collection Window:
Closing reception of Amy Von Harrington’s Copper Mold Collection. Come see this spectacular eye-catching display during its last few days on view in our front window display case.

In the Urban Greenspace (aka; backyard)
The amazingly talented band, Frankenpine. This band has been described as a blend of folk, indie, and bluegrass which may help to explain their namesake: the large cellular towers thinly veiled with semi-realistic tree limbs. Frankenpine is also native to our corner of Williamsburgh having been founded on and recorded their first album here on Havemeyer Street.  Don’t miss these hometown heroes! For a sample of their music go to:
http://www.myspace.com/frankenpine
Expect an even more impressive live presence in our own backyard! (Band @ 7:30 PM)

And of course:
Brooklyn Brewery beers for just $3 a bottle!

Hope to see you at the next THURD THURSDAY, September 17th from 7-10 PM at your community museum, The City Reliquary.

May 16: The Candela Structures: A New York City History Mystery opening

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Have you seen these prefab structures? Aren’t they cool? They’re located on the Flushing Bay Promenade in Queens, a few hundred yards from the Mets’ new stadium. Millions of people have seen them over the past 45 years, but almost nobody knows anything about them.

The Candela Structures: A New York City History Mystery, a new exhibition at The City Reliquary, tells the story of these underappreciated fiberglass formations and the surprising culture of mystery and misinformation surrounding them, from their origins as exhibit spaces during the 1964 World’s Fair to their current status as neglected but enduring landmarks on the Queens waterfront.

The exhibit will kick off with an opening reception on May 16th, 7 pm. Arts and crafts materials will be provided, so guests can sculpt their own Candela Structures, and the Reliquary will also provide “Save the Candelas” letters and envelopes, so guests can petition city officials to provide the Candelas with sorely needed repairs. Beer and other refreshments will be provided, and DJ Stacher will kick out the jams with mid-1960s pop-garage, psychedelia, and Shea Stadium live concert hits.

The exhibit has been produced by journalist Paul Lukas and architect Kirsten Hively, who developed a crush on the Candela Structures last year and decided to investigate their backstory. What began as a quick research project turned into an eight-month odyssey of dead ends, wrong turns, and architectural obsession. The resulting exhibit should give these underrated structures the attention they’ve long deserved.

The Candela Structures: A New York City History Mystery will remain on view at the Reliquary through June 28th.

Turning Point: a celebration of cycling and art

Amy Bolger and The City Reliquary present Turning Point: a celebration of cycling and art. Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, May 20 at noon.

turning point