There’s a new women-owned and operated event/art space now open in Rockaway Beach. I was thrilled when I heard about Vazio’s opening and I’m eager to share some details with you.
Experience Vazio NYC on Sunday, October 16th from 1-6pm at the debut reception. Join co-owners, Goodform’s Monice Small and Rock Rock Hair’s Patricia Silva at ‘SNEAK PEAK’, a group art show featuring the works of Victoria Barber, Carolin Wood, Eric Anderson, DJ Schmidt, Saara Untracht-Oakner, Laura Glambman, Matt Jackson, Riley, and Juan Heredia. The majority of artists are Rockaway locals with a dash of Brooklyn creators also exhibiting. Expect a wide range of mediums – painting, pointillism, collage, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. A peek into the lives of each creator at this one-day pop-up.
(Left) Patricia Silva (right) Monice Small. Photo by Lindsay Vitale
In addition, the show invites you to visualize the potential of Vazio NYC. “Vazio” is a Portuguese word meaning: empty place, vehicle, or container. Monice and Patricia challenge us to fill this bare space with our creative expression, however that manifests for you. And in turn, provoke our community to engage and understand your message.
Small and Silva came together with a shared goal – to design a creative space for artists to utilize. I asked Patricia how the concept for Vazio came to fruition, “I connected with Mo [Monice Small] through taking her personal training classes and we started talking in the spring about having a place to create content for our own businesses, so when the space opened up in the summer, we knew it was meant for us to snatch up! We wanted to create a place for the community to use who had similar needs. We have also rented it out for kids’ parties and small events-it’s been super successful!”
Pen and ink by Eric Anderson.
‘SNEAK PEAK,’ It’s not to be missed. Some works will be for sale. Browse, enjoy the art, sip some wine, and meet like-minded community members and neighbors. Vazio NYC is located at 88-08 Rockaway Beach Blvd. (in The Wave Building). A $5 donation will be accepted. Please support this beautiful new community space!
Find the studio on IG – @vazionyc, and follow for more information on ‘SNEAK PEAK,’ for upcoming events or to connect about hosting your own event at Vazio NYC. Follow my favorite hair care salon @rockrockhair, and the newly opened (!!) exercise and training center @goodform_studios to learn about their services.
Follow me for the day-to-day around down –@theglorifiedtomato.
What do cookies, sea God plush toys, rad guitar riffs, and a surfboard that amps out DJ vibes have to do with each other? Nothing, except that all will be present at the Beach 91st Street Garden tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 8th, from 1-4 p.m. Get Baked With Sea Monsters is the community gardens end of season event.
Here’s the skinny:
Enjoy delicious homemade baked goods and coffee for sale, made by garden members. Expect corn muffins, caramel apple tarts, chocolate chip cookies, decadent brownies, chocolate rice crispy treats, vegan and non-vegan banana bread, and more.
Specifically to highlight is Chef Kailani Mergen. For the community bake sale, Kailani will be making savory vegan focaccia loaves dashed with herbs grown in the Beach 91st Community Garden. Kailani is a Rockaway native and NYC-based chef. She studied at the Institute of Culinary Education and polished her craft at Dominique Ansel, Soho. Mergen has recently launched her own business specializing in vegan and non-vegan bread and cakes. Follow her on Instagram (@chefkailani) to see her artisanal creations and to order.
Music: Patsy will be setting the tone with his songs. To get Patsy’s latest EP, visit patsydoes.com. To find out about upcoming shows check out his IG – @patsydoes. Keeping the beat will be DJ Baroque aka Mikal Hameed. If you’ve seen him on the boardwalk this summer, you’re aware that his mobile surfboard setup is fire! If you haven’t experienced his jams, then you must check him out tomorrow. Want a surfboard sound system? Visit mikaljhameed.com/sculptures.
The Beach 91st Street Garden will be featuring a new installation created by Artist Matt Johnson. The piece is titled An Altar to Glaucus. Glaucus, a simple fisherman, was transformed into an ungainly sea beast by Poseidon. As an immortal sea God, Glaucus protects sailors and fishermen who call upon him. “An Altar to Glaucus invites meditation on the forces which impel us to come and to remain here at the confluence of land, sea, and sky; on being supplicants, intercessors, and spectators in the face of misfortune; and on reconciling our past selves with the creatures we are becoming, human and otherwise.” – Matt Johnson.
To learn more about Johnson’s work, a Q&A will be moderated by Cara Cannella. Cara is a writer currently working at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as a Creative Storyteller. The exhibit, An Altar to Glaucus, will be displayed for the month of October.
I hope to see all of you tomorrow in the garden at this novel event. Rockaway garb is strongly suggested.
Tag @Beach91CommunityGarden and share the scene that inspires you at the event tomorrow!
by Paula D.
on October 20, 2022 10:56 am in Community
Beloved community member, Timothy Miles is leaving Rockaway for a new chapter in his life. Timothy is a Rockaway celebrity, known as “The Selfie King.” He’s on the A-List with the likes of Rockaway Rod, The Ginger Ladd, Gio Fernandez-Kincade, and The Best Dressed Man in Rockaway. Timothy is a selfie photographer. He has documented the culture of Rockaway since 2015 through his flipped lens – everywhere from the beach to the boulevard and in the bars.
One of the many group shots taken of Tim’s friends. There were about 100 people at The Selfie King’s going away party at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club
On Thursday, Sept. 22nd, (also Tim’s 33rd birthday), a going away party was held in his honor at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club. Over 100 friends and neighbors (plus a random wedding party) celebrated Tim and shared in one last selfie-ladened hurrah!
At the event, many shared fond memories of Tim and their first selfie encounter with the artist. Friends signed a farewell poster expressing their appreciation for Tim’s contribution to the community. “Thank you for all the memories you’ve captured,” writes Josh A.; “Tim, you will always have Rockaway and we will always have you – Teresa Farrell; “You are so great at bringing people together – Sarah M.; Another message reads, “Love you, Timmy! I will always remember your first autumn swim with me and Danny. We will miss you.” – Jodi and Danny Mulvanerty; And more kind words from Robin and Peter, “Timmy! Everyone loves you so much! We’ll always miss your ability to get everyone together for a good time!”
Tim is famously known for his greeting _Hello to you!_ Jodi Jordan Mulvanerty created this fun play on words sign for his send off.
Timmy’s farewell address was one of thanks and inclusiveness. “I want to take the time to thank you, including the guests that are part of the wedding and the people that came to celebrate me from the city. We’ve had bad days and ugly days but we must put positive spins on those days. After I leave Rockaway, get ready for a post-Timothy era. Make sure all of you stay together without me, all of the different combinations of people, to make a Rockaway super group!”
Over cocktails guests talked about Tim’s documentary photography collection. “There must be thousands of selfie photos, where are they all stored?” pondered Bobby Carnevale, also a photographer. Another friend, Rob Bryn, had a great thought, “Someone needs to collaborate with Tim to create a book of his photography work.” I love this idea. Timothy Miles’ images have captured an era of Rockaway through his distinct perspective, in a style that speaks to our digitally linked culture. Tim’s work is special and should be shared with the world.
Photography is one of Tim’s talents. He is also passionate about religious studies and science. In 2019, Timothy Miles earned a Bachelor of Science from Brooklyn College. Like many artists, Tim is a private and mysterious individual. He will not disclose where he’ll be moving but said we can follow him on Instagram (@hypertime89) to keep in touch and to witness his new adventure, documenting his encounters.
A month ago, I wrote about an experience with Don Riepe, our beloved The Jamaica Bay Guardian. He stopped by the Beach 91St Street Community Garden to give a talk on what we can do as a community to help protect the monarch butterfly. We learned about their habitat, migration, life cycle and feeding. The takeaway – plant an abundant amount of milkweed and goldenrod in your garden. We also discussed the importance of other pollinators and their vital role in our ecosystem.
To learn more, Don told us to save the date for The 5th Annual Jamaica Bay Monarch and Pollinator Festival. This fun, educational and free event is tomorrow from 10am-2pm at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (175-10 Cross Bay Blvd, Queens, NY). Celebrate native pollinators with activities for the whole family and learn from naturalist experts about monarch butterflies, moths, bees, and birds.
Here’s the lineup:
10am-11am, Welcome, followed by NPS Ranger Guided Hike / Majestic Monarchs: Join a park ranger and learn about the monarch butterfly life cycle, migration patterns, and importance as pollinators.
10am-12 noon, Volunteer with NPS for September Garden Party: Calling all gardeners, plant people, and folks who need to touch grass. Help take care of the pollinator garden by watering plants, pulling weeds and clearing debris. Time spent will count towards volunteer participation.
10:15am-11:15am – Littoral Society Pollinator Slide Presentation by speaker Don Riepe (indoor visitor center room). This talk is an excellent visual introduction to all the different pollinators that frequent Jamaica Bay through the year.
11:15am-12:15pm – Littoral Society Guided Hike/pollinator walk with Don Riepe (gather in front of visitor center).
1pm-2pm – Travel to Fort Tilden (carpools encouraged) with the Littoral Society, for a monarch migration count with Don Riepe. Meet in front of the chapel at Fort Tilden – corner of Davis Road and Murray Road, just across the street from the fire station (Engine 329 – 402 Beach 169th St, Queens, NY 11694)
Throughout the day for the Kids:
– Arts & crafts with rangers: pollinator finger puppets crafts (table will be inside visitor center)
– Pollination Cooperation – a short film screening from 11:15am-12:45pm (indoor visitor center room)
– A fun and educational short stop-motion puppetry film created and produced by our very own Jamaica Bay Visitor Center Park Rangers!
The festival is presented by the American Littoral Society, with NYC Audubon, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, and Gateway National Park Service. This is a free event but donations to support this festival are kindly appreciated.
Photos courteous of the Littoral Society.
