West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
SUPPORT THE RAG

Search the site

No Result
View All Result
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
SUPPORT THE RAG

7 Walks in 7 Days: The Smallest Museum in the Neighborhood

June 6, 2020 | 10:50 PM
in COLUMNS
6

By Marjorie Cohen

The third in our 7 Walks in 7 Days around the Upper West Side heads to an art space that’s not much bigger than a parking meter.

Kiosk/West 83rd Street and Broadway

In the 1970s just about every west side block had its own block association. That’s when neighbors got together to plant street trees, throw block parties, have volleyball games, and even “patrol” their blocks when the going got a bit rough. It was during those years that the West 83rd Street Block Association, one of the most active on the UWS,  put up a kiosk at the corner of their block and Broadway. The kiosk was used then to post notices but has now morphed into more of an exhibit space for local artists.

For months, the kiosk has showcased artist Andrea Strongwater’s paintings of synagogues that were destroyed before and during World War II. The paintings are a result of research that Strongwater did for her book, Where we Once Gathered: Lost Synagogues of Europe.

“It’s a story that needs to be told, [the story of] Jews and the Jewish world before and during WWII,” says Strongwater. “We had an amazing, deep, strong and long lasting culture in Europe that created many great things. For some people, like me and my mother, it’s not possible to tell the story by recounting and re-imagining all it’s horrors… No way to take in information. But looking at significant cultural artifacts built by Jewish  people to express themselves all over Europe, in many and varied architectural styles, over centuries, a picture can be painted.  An attempt was made to totally destroy this world and the synagogues I paint are gone, but the Jewish world is still here and thriving on a new continent.”

A new exhibit was scheduled to follow Strongwater’s at the end of May but will probably not go up until July or August. Organized by artist Audrey Banks, it focuses on works of art that portray “acts of kindness”.

Share this article:
SUPPORT THE RAG
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
G. Augustine Lynas
G. Augustine Lynas
5 years ago

My name is G. Augustine Lynas. I am the curator of the cylindrical gallery on the kiosk at the corner of West 83rd Street and Broadway. Thus far I have shown the work of nine different artists, each for three months. The current show is the work of Jason Scott Jones. It consists of about 26 sketches all done on the subways.

0
Reply
Andrea Strongwater
Andrea Strongwater
5 years ago

If anyone wants a memory of the project, I have a book overview illustrating 20 of the synagogues. It’s won two Independent Publishers awards. Send me an email and I can charge and send using Paypal.
Email address on website

0
Reply
Penelope S Eifrig
Penelope S Eifrig
5 years ago

The link to the book doesn’t work. You can get a copy from Andrea (see comment below) or order one here: https://www.eifrigpublishing.com/products/where-we-once-gathered-lost-synagogues-of-europe-hardcove

0
Reply
Stacia
Stacia
5 years ago
Reply to  Penelope S Eifrig

This link does not work. Could you post again?

0
Reply
Andrea Strongwater
Andrea Strongwater
5 years ago

For a book please email andrea.strongwater@gmail.com

0
Reply
Andrea Strongwater
Andrea Strongwater
5 years ago

try andreadotstrongwateratgmail

0
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

Here’s the UWS Dish: Raenu Thai’s Beef Salad
COLUMNS

Here’s the UWS Dish: Raenu Thai’s Beef Salad

June 16, 2025 | 8:15 AM
COLUMNS

Monday Bulletin: 96th Street Bus Lanes Will Stay; Brokers’ Fees for Renters Will Go (Sort of); Early Voting Off to a Strong Start

June 16, 2025 | 6:43 AM
Previous Post

Photos: ‘March for Stolen Lives and Looted Dreams’ Stretches Down Central Park West On a 100-Block Journey

Next Post

State Senator Robert Jackson Leading Sunday March to Repeal Law 50-a

this week's events image
Next Post
Tax Breaks, Tax Hikes on the Table to Address Problem of Retail Vacancies

State Senator Robert Jackson Leading Sunday March to Repeal Law 50-a

Black Lives Matter to Local Store Owner for Deeply Personal Reasons

Black Lives Matter to Local Store Owner for Deeply Personal Reasons

Claims of Racism Spread to More Venues — Moms Groups and Parks

Claims of Racism Spread to More Venues -- Moms Groups and Parks

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT US
  • WSR SHOP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.