Last Friday, the City Reliquary’s new exhibition, The Slice Harvester, opened. Featuring a reading by the Harvester himself as well as having copies of his zine available. Throughout the night we went through 25 pizzas and opened up our back yard for the first time this year. Now if only the warm weather would come back so we could have more outdoor events!
Slice Harvester
The Fourth Annual Panorama Challenge
Last Friday, The Levy’s Unique New York tour company held its annual fundraiser for The City Reliquary at the Queens Museum! The Panorama Challenge is a trivia competition, with the focal point being the museum’s Panorama of the City of New York. Laser-pointer-wielding judges directed teams to specific areas on the Panorama and asked questions about the areas.
With several teams, ranging in size from two to six players, the competition was fierce, but fun as well. The game ended in a round consisting of only the top few teams. However, only one team went home with t-shirts and their name of the Panorama Challenge trophy!
More photos, taken by the Levys’ photographer, can be found at their Facebook page!
Booze and Schmooze!
Friday night, we held our annual fundraiser, which was this year called “Booze and Schmooze.”
Show and Tell: Debbie and Día de los Muertos
February 17th was the monthly Show and Tell night at the City Reliquary. We had an amazing crowd that night. They were ready to listen, applaud, ask questions, and share some items from their personal collections.
One featured piece came from Arthur, the guest of one of the Reliquary’s fabulous volunteers. Perhaps inspired by the host’s policy of “you always have something on you with an interesting story,” Arthur shared his belt with the audience. While in the southwest, Arthur had taken one of his favorite belts with him. The belt was hand tooled leather and, unfortunately for Arthur it had been made for someone other than himself, bearing the name “Debbie” across the back. In his travels, he came across a man who makes hand-tooled leather belts. The man said to him “let me make you a belt.” However, Andy never received this belt before he left the area.
A little disheartened, he left the area assuming that he would never receive a belt with his own name inscribed into its surface. However, some time later he received a package in the mail. Inside the package was just such a belt, which also included snare drums flanking the sides of his name. Unfortunately, this package also included something else with Arthur’s name on it, a hefty and unexpected bill. 
Later in the night a Show and Tell newcomer shared something from his time in New Orleans with the crowd. The guest had been the assistant to a prominent celebrity photographer in Louisiana. After working with the photographer for some time, he had been told that the man was bankrupt and that he would soon be out of a job. As a severance gift, the guest received this Día de los Muertos, or Mexican Day of the Dead, statue. The figurine features a skeleton standing up and posing for a crouching figure with a camera. The guest was given this gift on his last day of work, as the photographer was about to work on a set with musician Kid Rock. As with most rock stars, Kid Rock entered the studio with his entourage, which included: a man with a fanny pack whose job was to supply cigars and a woman named Stormy, whose job it was to look good. While working, the guest had set down his skeletons haphazardly. Before he knew it, Stormy had sat on his new gift from his boss. Thankfully, the gift remained virtually in tact, if a bit wobbly.
My Heart Goes Piddly Patter Patter
Last night, due to some technical difficulties, we were unable to watch The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Instead, the options were Some Like It Hot, the classic mushy Marilyn Monroe movie, or Sinbad, which involves swords.
In the midst of this perilous decision making process, visitors walked in who, fortunately, had four DVDs with them. Also, fortunately for the City Reliquary, all of these movies promised themes of love and violence, which were also in our original decision of film, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. After it was put to a vote, it was finally decided that we would watch Delirium, a 1950s film about a woman who becomes a beatnik and goes on a murder-spree.
After some adjustments with the screen and projector, the movie begun and the audience became like an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Many jeers were had at the movie’s expense and a good time was had by all.
With that, the City Reliquary would like to wish you a Happy belated Valentine’s Day.
Hearts and Crafts
Last night, around forty people showed up for “Hearts and Crafts,” our monthly thematic crafting event. During the night, visitors crafted voodoo dolls for their un-loved-ones and Valentines for their special someone.
In addition to sharing our craft supplies, we also shared our love of nutella in both typed form as well as with baked goods.
Overall, the night went well and everyone left with smiles and Valentine’s Day crafts.
Thank you to all who showed up! We look forward to seeing you at our next craft night in March.
February Fun: This Month’s Events
Hello Civic Boosters and Busters! We have not one, not two, not four, but three upcoming fun events at and with the City Reliquary. We thought to ourselves – this is such a short month, lets make the most of it!
Hearts and Crafts at The City Reliquary
Thursday, February 10th, 7-10pm
Free! Donations always appreciated
The next session of Arts and Crafts, titled ‘Hearts and Crafts’ will take place Thursday, February 10th, starting at 7pm and ending at 10pm and will be hosted by our Resident craftster, Anna Grant. It’s free, tea and nutella cookies will be provided (heart shaped of course). We be crafting handmade valentines, for those in love, and voodoo dolls, for those who have fallen out of love and are spiteful and stabby.
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
Monday, February 14th, Doors open at 7pm, Film runs from 7:30-9:30
Free Popcorn and Brooklyn Brewery Beer available with donation
The City Reliquary will be open late valentine’s day for a special screening of The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Chicago, Gangsters, Al Capone. Nothing screams romance than Roger Cormen’s 1967 cult classic.
THurd THursday’s Show and Tell at the City Reliquary
THursday, February 17th, 7-10pm
Door and signup at 7pm, Open-Mic begins at 8.
Brooklyn Brewery beer available for cheap donation
$5 donation greatly appreciated
Hosted by Paul Lukas
You know how it goes. Same deal as last time (check the blog post about it for a refresher). You can either:
(a) bring an object of personal significance and be prepared to talk about it for up to three minutes
(b) just be part of the audience (because you can’t have show-and-tell unless there are people on hand to be shown and told).
and finally . . .
BOOZE AND SCHMOOZE With the City Reliquary
A Warming Winter Benefit, featuring Libations & Dissertations
Friday, February 25th, 2011, 7-11pm
At the Brooklyn Kitchen
WILLIAMSBURGH – The cold, dreary winter months in NYC are upon us. There’s only one real way to break out of the slush and snow. According to the City Reliquary Museum and Civic Organization –it’s with cocktail and conversation! Nothing else warms the mind and blood like Boozin’ and Schmoozin’ with the City Reliquary!
$100 Happier Hour tickets at the door enable patrons to enjoy an extra hour, from 7-8, of small talk and nice pours;
$75 for Happy Hour tickets from 8-11pm. Goody Bags will be provided to all.
All proceeds will benefit the City Reliquary Museum and Civic Organization, a non-profit museum in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn. Advance tickets available on Brown Paper Tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/155768.
As always, thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing your smiling faces at the events because what is a museum without people?
From the Vault- Lady Liberty
As a kid, I watched a lot of the Disney Channel. One of the most exciting things they would do was to pull a movie from “the vault,” classic Mickey Mouse short films or other cartoons that they hadn’t shown in a long time. What made it so exciting and special was that you couldn’t watch this movie any time you wanted, just the times when they would pull it from the vault every couple of years.
In the same tradition as the Disney Channel’s vault, the City Reliquary’s basement hold artifacts that have been donated to us but, due to space constraints, cannot be displayed. Much like the vault, the works that we will be featuring in this irregularly reoccurring feature are not things that can be seen anytime you visit the museum, making them have that same special quality.
Recently, a series of postcards of the Statue of Liberty came into the City Reliquary Museum’s possession. Unlike our wall of Lady Liberty postcards hanging in the museum, these were created for a special event. Issued in the mid-eighties, these cards were created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Statue of Liberty.
Each of the pictures donated to us depicts the Statue of Liberty in different phases of its construction: the head of the statue in Paris before the completed statue was assembled, the construction of the work on Liberty Island, and the completed figure.
In addition to the photographs that were donated to the museum, New York Public Library’s Digital Archive also provides some interesting photographs that provide insight into the monument’s construction.
Like much of the ephemera in our collection, the construction of the Statue of Liberty is often forgotten, leaving the end product to last in everyone’s memories. However, thanks to the New York Public Library and a generous donation to our museum we can relive the beauty that was the creation of this monument.
Do you have pictures that you’ve taken at the Statue of Liberty? Funny or serious, feel free to leave them in the comments!
New York Post Interview with Museum Head Bill Scanga
Right before the turn of the new year, the New York Post interviewed the City Reliquary’s President, Bill Scanga. Often, the people who create exhibitions and put their heart and soul into a museum remain unseen, only the end product is available to the public. This interview is a chance to meet one of the interesting minds behind this unique museum.
Collector’s Night: Pilgrimages
For those who have yet to attend, on the third Thursday of every month the City Reliquary Museum hosts an event called “Collector’s Night.” Here, people are invited to bring in an object that has an particularly interesting story and share with the rest of the group.
As Paul, the event’s host, demonstrated, the item can be anything from something you carry around every day to an object fragile enough to rarely leave the house. For his example, Paul showed veteran and first-time collectors how something he has carried on his key-chain for over twenty years can still be intriguing.
After Paul’s introduction, this Collector’s Night first-timer shared something from her personal collection that, unlike Paul’s coin, rarely leaves her house.
After taking a series of self-described “soul-sucking jobs,” this visitor felt like she needed a break from city life as well as her employers. Through intensive research, she came across El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or The Way of Saint James. This pilgrimage can begin in one of several places and ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain, where it is said that a piece of the True Cross is held in their reliquary as well as the bones of Saint James the Apostle.
During each pilgrim’s trek, they have to bring a booklet, which they get stamped at several checkpoints. In order to be allowed to continue on your pilgrimage you must have your paper stamped by the previous stops. This paper is what this collector chose to bring in for the night.
At over 500 miles long, the pilgrimage can take both a physical and emotional toll on those who choose to undertake it. While our guest did not walk the entire path, she did describe how she was changed for the better in the bit that she did walk. In addition to meeting new people, she also changed her outlook on life and her career choices. While she did return to the same type of job that she held before the pilgrimage, she did come to look at it in a new way and appreciate the work she was doing.
For more information on El Camino de Santiago de Compostela visit this website.