Celebrity Drag King Murray Hill and “Voice of the Subway” Bernie Wagenblast to Headline
On All Saints Day (Friday, November 1), the City Reliquary will celebrate the secular saint of New York, the Statue of Liberty, in a blowout celebration emceed by celebrity drag king Murray Hill, “the hardest-working middle-aged ‘man’ in showbiz.” Tickets are on sale now.
The celebration will mark the release of the exhibition catalog for Liberty the Tattooed Lady, a show about the history of Statue of Liberty tattoos that opened at the City Reliquary on March 15 and will close in mid-January. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. The exhibition is the first devoted entirely to the history of Statue of Liberty tattoos and was curated by Daredevil Tattooco-owner and tattoo artist, Michelle Myles. Through a stunning collection of vintage tattoo art–including pieces never put on public display before–it shows how the Statue of Liberty has been embraced and embodied by American tattoo artists since the turn of the century. See it while you can!
The highlight of the event will surely be the Lady Liberty Costume Contest. The chance to compete is included with event admission. Contestants of all shapes, sizes, and gender identities are invited to display their creativity and love for our national icon. Please note, the City Reliquary does not have a dressing room. Contestants should arrive in costume!
Contestants will be evaluated on personality and costume creativity by a panel of three judges: transgender NYC transportation icon Bernie Wagenblast, who is literally the voice of the New York City subway system (“Please stand away from the platform edge!”); the reigning 2024 City Reliquary Miss Subways, burlesque performer Queerly Femmetastic; and 2024 Miss Subways first runner-up, comedian Dani Riedel.
After careful consideration, our fabulous judges will present the winner with a $500 gift certificate to Daredevil Tattoo and a copy of the catalog autographed by exhibition curator Michelle Myles. The second-place prize is a $250 Daredevil gift certificate and an autographed catalog.
The City Reliquary will present the 2024 Miss Subways spectacle on Friday, May 31. We’re once again working with our friends at Coney Island USA, NYC’s historic nexus of the weird and whimsical. Join us at the Sideshows by the Seashore Theater (1208 Surf Avenue). Tickets are on sale now! ($30 general, $25 for City Reliquary members).
A diverse lineup of contestants will represent their subway line of choice for a panel of local celebrity judges in Costume, Talent, and Interview categories.
The winner will receive the transit tiara, the subway sash, and the title of Miss Subways 2024. (Photo credit: Matt Josephson @matty2jay)
This year’s event will also celebrate the 120th birthday of the New York City subway system!
The winner will be crowned by Miss Subways 2023, Harmony Hardcore (shown here at the 2023 Brooklyn Public Library’s People’s Ball!) (Photo credit: Scott Lynch @scoboco)
Sally Ann Hall(she/her), award-winning standup comedian and cabaret singer. Representing the M.
Julia Schemmer(she/her), puppeteer and producer/production assistant. Credits include Broadway, television, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Representing the J train.
Dani Riedel, author, cosplayer, comedian, and cosplaying comedian representing the A/C/E.
Kandi Spindler(she/her), femme lesbian public defender who moonlights as an artist. Representing the 2.
MeanLadyTiff (she/her), business socialite representing the R train.
Kate Zibluk (she/they), bird, person, performer, and aspiring Funeral Director. Representing the M.
Queerly Femmetastic(she/her/ma’am), Brooklyn-bred bombshell inspired by Black shake-dancers, strippers, and hoochie-coochie girls across generations. Representing the A train.
The Master of Ceremonies
Presiding over this year’s subway-themed shenanigans is performer and director Tom Meglio. Tom is the co-writer and host of the musical-sketch-comedy show Ze Follies Dorée!, which recently completed its residency at The Brooklyn Comedy Collective. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, 54 Below, Theatre 555, and the Laurie Beechman Theatre. His most recent project as a director, Little Miss Ransom by Julia Randall, just completed a sold-out run and extension at Adult Film theater in Bushwick. @tommeglio@zefolliesdoree
The Celebrity Judges
This year’s Miss Subways judges come from the worlds of performance, comedy, advocacy, journalism, and local politics. They’re the artists who help make and keep NYC a cultural hotspot, our local elected officials and transit activists who fight for a fairer system, and the voice of our daily commute.
Aurora North, Miss Coney Island 2024Bernie Wagenblast, Transportation IconDerrick Holmes, Riders AllianceLisa Levy, Miss Subways 2017. Credit: Brian ZakEmily Gallagher, NYS Assemblyperson
Aurora North, Miss Coney Island 2024
Aurora North is a Circus/Sideshow Performer and Miss Coney Island 2024. Major performance highlights include the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, Jazz at Lincoln Center, PULP at Radio City Music Hall, and Michael Clark’s residency at Whitney Museum of American Art. Together with her wife as The Brides, she is regularly produced at The Box NYC, House of YES, and Coney Island USA. The two own BODYHOO Studios, a Pilates and Yoga studio in Ridgewood, and co-direct Kinetic Cabaret Productions. @aurora_north
Bernie Wagenblast, Transportation Icon
Please stand away from the platform edge! Bernie Wagenblast’s iconic voiceover work for the Department of Transportation and Port Authority has been part of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers’ daily commute for years. Bernie transitioned in January 2023, and her story has since been featured in several media outlets. She now edits several transportation e-publications and hosts podcasts for Transportation Radio and Cranford Radio. @cranford_radio
Derrick Holmes, Riders Alliance
Derrick Holmes is the Digital Strategist for Riders Alliance, a nonprofit organization that fights for reliable, affordable, world-class public transit to build a more just and sustainable New York. Derrick aims to help improve access to mobility and opportunity for millions of New Yorkers and ensure that New York continues to set the most progressive example for transit agencies around the country and the world. @ridersalliance (IG/FB), @helplessdelta (X)
Lisa Levy, Miss Subways 2017
Lisa Levy is a comedian, conceptual artist, and Miss Subways 2017 (the first postmenopausal Miss Subways!). Her performance work has been featured in publications such as the New York Times and The London Times. Her visual art has been exhibited at The New Museum, The Bronx Museum, SPRING/BREAK Art Fair, The Pulse Art Fair, and The Brooklyn Academy of Music. She hosts a weekly show on Radio Free Brooklyn, Dr. Lisa Gives a Sh*t, where she conducts funny, emotionally revealing “psychotherapy sessions” with a range of creative guests. @misssubways2017@drlisalevysp
Emily Gallagher, NYS Assemblyperson
Emily Gallagher represents District 50 (Greenpoint and Williamsburg) in the New York State Assembly. A self-described socialist who previously served on Brooklyn Community Board 1, Emily was elected in 2020 on a platform of environmental sustainability, housing justice, and transit improvement. Since taking office, Emily has fought to address New York’s deep inequality and dire housing crisis while accelerating the state’s transition to renewable energy. As a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Emily is a leader on local and statewide initiatives to make streets safer for all users of the road. @emilyassembly
Miss Subways 2024 Friday, May 31, 2024, 7-11 PM Coney Island USA Sideshows by the Seashore Theater (1208 Surf Ave)
We’re looking for our next Miss Subways!
The City Reliquary invites applications to compete in its 2024 Miss Subways event on Friday, May 31, 7:00-11:00 pm. We’re thrilled to partner with Coney Island USA once again at that historic nexus of the weird and whimsical, Coney Island USA’s Sideshows by the Seashore Theater.
This year we’ll also be wishing the New York City subway system a happy 120th birthday!
Are YOU Miss Subways 2024?
This year, contestants will compete in THREE CATEGORIES evaluated according to creativity, originality, and skill:
Last year’s performances included a dance by a mad scientist with Doc Ock arms, a dizzying hula hoop routine dedicated to the 7 train, and a subway-inspired rendition of “What I Did For Love” from A Chorus Line. Read more about the 2023 City Reliquary Miss Subways event from Brooklyn Magazine. Previous Miss Subways events received coverage from Atlas Obscura and The New York Times, among other outlets.
MX MAD SCIENTRESS at Miss Subways 2023. Photo by Matt Josephson (@matty2jay).Lena Horné at Miss Subways 2023. Photo by Matt Josephson (@matty2jay).
About Miss Subways
The City Reliquary Miss Subways updates the historic “Miss Subways” beauty contest held in New York City from 1941 to 1976 (and resurrected once by the MTA in 2004) for the 21st century. The City Reliquary event expands on the progressive history of Miss Subways as the first racially integrated beauty competition and invites contestants of all gender identities, body types, and ages 18+ to apply. The first City Reliquary Miss Subways was presented in 2017.
Contestants representing their subway line of choice compete for the prized title of Miss Subways and the transit tiara. A panel of local celebrity judges will evaluate their costumes, their answers to subway-themed questions and their talent show performance to determine who will represent NYC straphangers as the next Miss Subways!
Miss Subways 2017 Lisa Levy. Photo by Brian Zak for the New York Post.
The winner will join an illustrious lineup. Past winners of the City Reliquary Miss Subways are artist and comedianLisa Levy(Miss Subways 2017), urban planner Parker MacLure (Miss Subways 2018), musician and director Dylan Mars Greenberg (Miss Subways 2019), and marketing pro by day/costumer and performer by night Harmony Hardcore (Miss Subways 2023–the first since the pandemic).
Event details for 2024, including the celebrity judge panel, coming soon!
About Coney Island USA
Coney Island USA exists to defend the honor of American popular culture through innovative exhibitions and performances. Presenting and producing exciting new works, our approach is rooted in mass culture and the traditions of P.T. Barnum, dime museums, burlesque, circus sideshows, vaudeville, and Coney Island itself. Preserving and championing a set of uniquely American visual and performing art forms, we seek to create an international forum for cultural preservation and discourse, and where Coney Island represents these impulses, we strive to make it once again a center for live art and entrepreneurial spirit. Learn more at https://www.coneyisland.com/. Follow on Instagram at @coney.island.usa and on Facebook at @coneyislandusa.
Congrats to winning Pro team GANYC Panic and Challenger team New Yorkians Going Places! Out of 27 teams, they come out on top of their respective categories. GANYC Panic’s team name will be added to the roster of past Panorama Challenge winners that grace the Panorama Challenge trophy.
Coming up in second place (for the third time in a row!) were Panorama Pros Flatlanders and Challengers The Early Onsets. Third place was taken by Pro team Pomonok You Out! and New AmsterDAMN.
Thanks to all the teams who played a great game and to everyone who came out for the return of this incredible New York event. And thanks to our partners at The Municipal Art Society of New York and the Queens Museum, and our sponsors Brooklyn Brewery and Two Boots.
Didn’t get to join us this year, or want to relive the moment? Check out the event photo album on Flicker.
Members of the City Reliquary, Queens Museum, or MAS: $15
Doors 6 PM, Game 7 PM(free shuttle between the Queens Museum and the Mets‐Willets Point 7 stop from 5:30-7pm and 9-10 pm)
Update 2: Waitlist now full! No further spots will be offered.
If you didn’t get your Panorama Challenge tickets in time for this year, we hope to see you in 2025!
Update: Panorama Challenge SOLD OUT!
Panorama Challenge 2024 is SOLD OUT!!
We wish we could fit everyone, but for the safety of our audience and the historic artifacts at the Queens Museum, we’ve had to limit admissions.
ALL tickets are now sold–NO further tickets will be available at the door.
HOWEVER, a WAITLIST will be made in case any of our advance ticket holders do not arrive on time to the event.
If you wish to be put on the waitlist:
Email [email protected] with your name and the number of tickets requested. We’ll offer tickets to people on the waitlist starting at 7:00 PM THIS FRIDAY. Please be at Queens Museum at this time. Please also note that game play is scheduled to begin at this time. If you are admitted after 7:00 pm, you are welcome to watch the game and cheer on teams, but we can’t guarantee that you will be able to participate as a team player—but we’ll do our best to make it happen!
If you are requesting tickets for you and your team members, all team members must be present to purchase their ticket. We will not sell more than one ticket to each waitlisted guest.
We’re thrilled by the enthusiasm for the return of this signature City Reliquary event. Huge thanks to our co-sponsors MAS for all their help in organizing and to the Queens Museum for welcoming us into their space.
After a four-year hiatus, the City Reliquary Museum returns to the Queens Museum to host the 13th AnnualPanorama Challenge. The event, the largest NYC-themed trivia game, will take place at The Panorama of the City of New York, a scale model of the five boroughs.
The event will be co-hosted with the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), the organization that teamed up with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to save Grand Central Terminal from being demolished. MAS advocates for the preservation of New York City’s historic public art and architecture while fighting for livable and equitable urban planning and design today.
Ticketing is open now!Buy online in advancefor a discount ($20 vs. $25 at the door). Members of the City Reliquary, Queens Museum, or MAS get an even deeper discounted admission of $15.
City Reliquary members will be able to purchase $15 tickets after logging into their Withfriends account.
This unique evening of trivia puts the whole city at your feet. Teams of Panorama Pros and Panorama Challengers get quizzed on all things NYC using the Panorama as a massive game board. After two rounds and the classic Halftime Quiz, the winning Pro team will join the ranks of past winners when its name is etched on the Panorama Challenge Trophy housed at the Queens Museum.
Emcee Gary Dennis will preside over the evening. Jonathan Turer, long-time tour guide and founder of KnowItAllNewYorker.com, returns for his tenth year as Quizmaster with a new batch of mind-bending questions. This year’s trivia topics include “Awkwafina,” “SNL & Staten Island,” “Fame,” and more NYC-centric minutiae.
This marks a triumphant return for the City Reliquary, which first launched the Panorama Challenge at the Queens Museum in 2007 and last presented it in 2019. This year’s event will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, where the Panorama debuted as an exhibit celebrating New York’s municipal infrastructure and built environment
Think you have deep NYC knowledge? Register your team now and show us what you’ve got!
The Panorama Challenge judges represent a veritable Who’s Who of New York City experts. This year’s panel includes notable New Yorkers Kevin Walsh, webmaster of the acclaimed Forgotten New Yorkblog; Michael Miscione, former Manhattan Borough Historian and expert on sewer gator lore; Michelle Myles, owner of Daredevil Tattoo and local tattoo history tour guide; DeeAnne Gorman from the board of the Greater Astoria Historical Society; former municipal employees Mitch Paluszek and Steve Scofield; and Moses Gates, Vice President for Housing and Neighborhood Planning with the Regional Plan Association.
The Evening’s Entertainment
Guests will enjoy a special halftime performance from the City Reliquary’s 2023 Miss Subways and 7 line lover, Harmony Hardcore!
DJ Frankie Teardrop will play 64 Fair-era doo-wop, soul, girl group, and British Invasion tunes throughout the night. Frankie Teardrop was the resident DJ at NYC’s Wierd Records party. In addition to DJing, he plays bass and synth with dream pop band The Harrow, serves as a writer at Systems of Romance and Post-punk.com, and most recently has been working with Cherry Red Records for a series of box sets.
Pizza (including a vegan option) by Two Boots and beer from Brooklyn Brewery will be available for purchase.
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. Established in 2002 as an apartment window display at the corner of Grand and Havemeyer Streets in Williamsburg, it 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. Learn more at www.cityreliquary.org. Follow us at @cityreliquary.
About the Municipal Art Societyof New York
The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) lifts up the voices of the people in the debates that shape New York’s built environment and leads the way toward a more livable city from sidewalk to skyline. For over 130 years our advocacy efforts have led to the creation of the New York City Planning Commission, Public Design Commission, Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the Tribute in Light; the preservation of Grand Central Terminal, and the lights of Times Square; the conservation of more than 50 works of public art; and the founding of such civic organizations as the Public Art Fund, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, P.S. 1, the Historic Districts Council, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, and the Waterfront Alliance. Learn more at www.mas.org. Follow us on Instagram at @mas_nyc on Instagram and on Facebook at @masnyc.
About the Queens Museum
The Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows – Corona Park presents contemporary art, events of hyperlocal and international impact, and educational programs reflecting the diversity of Queens and New York City. Changing exhibitions present the work of emerging and established artists, both local and global, that often explore contemporary social issues, as well as the rich history of its site. The Museum works outside its walls through engagement initiatives ranging from multilingual outreach and educational opportunities for adult immigrants, to a plethora of community led art and activism projects. The Museum’s educational programming connects with school children, teens, families, seniors as well as those individuals with physical and mental disabilities. The Queens Museum is located on property owned in full by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Visit www.queensmuseum.org. Follow us at @queensmuseum.
Friday, November 17, 8 pm (show at 8:30) Tickets: $20 (free for our members)
The Last Chance Dancers disco dance to GOLD by ABBA, played live on vinyl.
ACCESSIBILITY & SAFETY
Dress for the weather Mixed seating & standing room COVID vaccination required Masks optional
This is a real burlesque show, with professional burlesque dancers. Anyone is welcome, but please note there will be sexually explicit performance, nudity, and language.
Wednesday, November 15, 7 pm Tickets: $15 (free for our members)
Come and experience a retro-tech time-travel experience unlike any other! (Perhaps you read about it in the New York Times?) Immerse yourself in the 1950s through incredible Midcentury 3-D photographs — taken mostly by amateurs with the Stereo Realist Camera system. Emmy-winning writer and comedianEric Drysdale has been collecting the amazing images produced by this largely-forgotten technology for 25 years and will share them with you in your own (for the night) high-quality restored vintage stereo viewer. New York City will be highlighted, but all of America is the star. Don’t miss this intimate yet spectacular trip to the past!
There are only 10 tickets available for each evening, so we highly recommend purchasing in advance to guarantee your seat (and stereo-viewer)!
The City Reliquary seeks tattoo flash, drawings, acetates, and photos of tattoos that depict the Statue of Liberty for an upcoming exhibit and book project: Liberty the Tattooed Lady. The show, curated by Michelle Myles of Daredevil Tattoo & Museum, will run from February through June 2024.
Original art and artifacts will be hung in the show. If your object can’t be loaned, we also invite submissions of digital images of examples of Lady Liberty ink for inclusion in the book project.
To be considered for the exhibit and accompanying book, please submit your information and images of your object submissions to [email protected] by December 1.
Stay tuned for more details on this upcoming exhibition!
Daredevil Tattoo opened in 1997, when tattooing was legalized in New York City. The shop houses the Museum of Tattoo History, which features a world-class collection of artifacts focusing on the history of tattooing in New York City.
The collection features artifacts from the early roots of modern tattooing with original artwork by Samuel O’Reilly, Bert Grimm, August “Cap” Coleman, George Burchett, Sailor Jerry and many more. Antique tattoo machines, original photos, news articles and sideshow banners are also included in the collection. The shop is located on the border of the historic Lower East Side and Chinatown, just a few blocks east of the Bowery and Chatham Square where O’Reilly, Charlie Wagner, Millie Hull, and other legendary tattoo artists plied their trade. Website: https://www.daredeviltattoo.com/
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This event has been canceled and will be rescheduled in spring 2024!
Join The Gatekeeper’s finest (and only) news broadcasters as we forge the news of the future and reflect on the shortcomings of present day — a comedy variety show with standup, sketch, characters and more!
Hosted by local broadcast legends David Colton & Mo Macsai-Goren and featuring a star-studded team of correspondents:
Maggie Crane (Soup of the Day; Sacred Heart Middle and High School Talent Show) Vannessa Jackson (writer for Saturday Night Live; The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) Business Casual (Hunter Saling, Cory Lane, and Jeremy Elder) Neel Ghosh (The Comedy Store, UCB, The Hollywood Improv, The Stand, New York Comedy Club)
**The Gatekeeper is not liable for creating/ inspiring actual or fake news events, mutinies, etc.
A double feature from filmmaker C.A. Nicola of Capricieux’s Quest followed by his newest film, Capricieux’s Adventure, which won Best Experimental Comedy in the 2023 FilmFreeway Comedy Shorts Awards (First Period).
The screening will be followed by Q&A with C.A. Nicola, actress Jane LeCroy (Capricieux’s Quest), and another participant TBA.
Film Synopses:
Capricieux’s Quest Capricieux is summoned by the Empress Ophelia to retrieve a sacred vase stolen by the malevolent Filou. 2021 Run time: 22 minutes
Trailer:
Capricieux’s Adventure Capricieux faces a new adversary threatening the magical forest after defeating the malevolent Filou. 2023 Run time: 10 min
Sunday, October 29, 6-10 pm Free, but please RSVP!
The City Reliquary is proud to host a Halloween Fair organized by Planet Over Profit–the climate activist group known for protesting while wearing orca costumes–on FRIDAY OCTOBER 29 at 6 pm.
Kick off Halloweekend with a fun and spooky evening of food, drinks, games, and costumes with POP and other activist groups. This is a great opportunity to participate in community building and to meet other NYC climate activists.
Now that Halloween is approaching, you probably fall into one of two camps: you planned your entire costume months ago, or you’ll be scouring your closet at the last minute for a make-shift “costume.” Either way, dressing up is HIGHLY encouraged and there will obviously be a competition (orca costumes disqualified!) so get creative and have fun!!
