Susan Martin [pic: Brad Balfour]
Report by Brad Balfour
“Pyramid Pioneers”
April 18 – June 1
Howl! Arts / Howl! Archive
250 Bowery, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012
Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project
6 East 1st Street
New York, NY 10003
In the early 1980s, downtown Manhattan was a center of cutting edge art and culture. Much of it centered around a set of grungy clubs in the lower Eastside, Soho and TriBeCa. The Mudd club, Max’s Kansas City, Area, and Club 57 have all had books and/or exhibits celebrating them as source points for subversive and provocative creativity.
Now, the Pyramid Club is enjoying a similar documentation. In honor of the publication of “We Started a Nightclub,” Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive and Some Serious Business hosted on Thursday, April 18th, a book signing and readings from the oral and narrative history of the Pyramid Club and its community of boho creatives. Howl!’s 250 Bowery gallery has presented “Pyramid Pioneers,” an exhibition showcasing early Pyramid Polaroids and posters by Trey Speegle; video, graphics and memorabilia from Mark Oates; photographs by Lynn M. Grabowski (Pyramid name: Baronessa); Julie Hair and Jody Kurilla’s musical memorabilia from their Pyramid series, Tuesday Night Fever; clips from the documentary “Pyramid Club–The Movie” (directed by Elizabeth Bouiss); and flyers and photos featured in the book from Howl! Archives’ Brian Butterick Collection.
Then, two days later on Saturday April 20th, a plethora of the art makers performed in Baker Falls, the successor to the space where the Pyramid was on Avenue A. Many of the original performers recreated the work they had done decades ago. Noted actor Ann Magnuson did her freaky thing, remnants of 3 teens kill 4 played some songs, Joshua Fried performed in a dress, and a new edition of John Jesurun’s “Chang In A Void Moon” was theatrically performed — another episode of this dark comic sort of surrealism.
“We Started a Nightclub: The Birth of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge as Told by Those Who Lived It” is authored by the late Brian Butterick (from his archive), Susan Martin, and Kestutis Nakas. This narrative and oral history collects more than 75 interviews with performers and bar boys, doorpersons and DJs. It covers the early years of the Pyramid from the time of its founding in 1981 through its rise, near demise, and rebirth.
Throughout the book project, Howl! Arts has lent its support. Howl Arts Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the past and celebrating the contemporary culture of the East Village and Lower East Side. Their archive is the repository for the collections of Brian Butterick and Executive Director, Jane Friedman, book co-author and close collaborator of Howl! Archivist Aldo Hernandez provided invaluable resources from Brian’s Pyramid Collection. Designed by Jeff Streeper for MODERN IDENTITY, it was published on April 30th by Damiani Books in association with Some Serious Business.
The thick bound book now can be had at Howl! It is also available for pre-sale in Europe through Damiani Books. Copies of the book may be purchased ($55 each) after the book signing and throughout the run of the exhibition.
For further information: contact@howlarts.org