Howl! Happening fosters love for art and humanity HOWL! continued from p. 17
packed room, I encountered Emily Armstrong and Pat Ivers, who are known for their GoNightclubbing Archive of 1975-80. Their Nov. 2015 show, “Alone At Last,” featured an interactive peep show and closed with one of Friedman and Hacker’s famous holiday parties. “Howl! Happening is our artistic playhouse,” said Ivers. “It reminds me of sharing ideas with my friends at CBGB — now, we actually see the outcomes. Our crowd never stopped creating.” Photographer David Godlis, another PUNK contributor, agreed. “It’s like sitting at the end of the bar again; everyone is here.” Alison Aguiar, whose older sister brought her to shows in the late ’70s, was standing nearby. As a young adult, she worked for CBGB and Manic Panic. “In the post-CB years,” she said, “Jane and BG have been the glue that connects us, brings us together, and provides places we can go. They embrace us all.” “Gallery Director Ted Riederer is the facilitator and Jane Friedman is the visionary” is how artist/activist Clayton Patterson put it. “What I admire most about the vision is the people they show — everyone is very connected to the underground and the avant-garde. Some of them were the ones who made things happen, but they were too far ahead of the curve.” In keeping with that vision, Howl! is committed to emerging artists and their supporters. Riederer, at 46, is a generation or two younger than many of the folks with whom he works. He is an artist and a member of The Antagonists, a group committed to mentoring others and to carrying on the work of Arturo Vega. “All of my hard work and dedication is a tribute to Arturo’s spirit,” Riederer told me. “He generously supported neighborhood artists and musicians of all ages and abilities. I’m really lucky to be part of that legacy.” Antagonist co-founder Ethan Medicated” at the gallery last June, agreed. “Howl! Happening is the real deal,” he said. “Their track record not only demonstrates the historical importance of documenting the arts that put the Downtown scene into the forefront, but they keep an eye on the present and future of that same community.” Photographer Marcia Resnick, who also attended the PUNK Anniversary event, has been documenting the Downtown arts and music scene since the 1970s. In Nov. 2015, she
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February 4, 2016
PHOTO BY SHELL SHEDDY
PHOTO BY DAVID GODLIS
Cartoonist and PUNK co-creator John Holmstrom, at the 40th Anniversary Exhibition’s opening event.
Clayton Patterson will host the Acker Awards on Mar. 18, at Howl! Happening.
PHOTO BY DAVID GODLIS
PHOTO BY MARCIA RESNICK
Sex Pistols cover and original art, displayed at the PUNK 40th Anniversary Exhibition.
Marcia Resnick’s 1981 photo of David Byrne will be part of her gallery show, which opens Feb. 4 at Howl! Happening.
throughout her wildly successful release party for her book, “Punks, Poets & Provocateurs: New York City Bad Boys, 1977–1982.” Writer Victor Bockris, who contributed most of the text, was by her side. Like the PUNK exhibit, it brought people from far and wide, including photographer John E. Espinosa, one of many who have reluctantly left surviving as an artist. “Marcia is my best friend and heroine,” he wrote. “Even after having to move back to Texas after 22 years, there was no way I would miss her party. When something is true and real it manifests a jolt of electromagnetic energy. Marcia’s photographs burst out from a sincere love of the
scene and its players, and from herself, as a partner in crime.” An upcoming show, opening Feb. 4 and running through Mar. 2, will display her work and is sure to turn into another great party. “I love that Howl! Happening provides a magnetic attraction for those who frequented places like CBGB’s, Max’s and the Mudd Club in the ’70s and ’80s, and also for younger people who admire punk culture,” said Resnick. “Like those Downtown venues of the past, people now have a place where they can share their artistic creations, ideas, and mutual admiration. It was a perfect place for my book launch, and I’m hoping that my photo show attracts an equally enthusiastic audience!” No matter whom I speak with about Howl!, certain keywords come up: Community. Spirit. Creation.
Legacy. Support. Energy. There is a joyousness and celebration of the artistic endeavor that is palpable, created by the love of both art and humanity. Who needs stale crackers, anyway? Upcoming events include Marcia Resnick’s “Punks, Poets & Provocateurs: New York City Bad Boys, 1977–1982” (Feb. 4, 6 p.m.), an Actors Fund Affordable Housing Workshop (Feb. 16, 2 p.m.), Arturo Vega’s “Insults” (Mar. 5, 6 p.m.), and The Acker Awards (Mar. 18, 6 p.m.), in which Clayton Patterson and friends pay tribute to members of the avant-garde arts community.
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