Spring NYCSubwayGirl Newsletter

The Neighbors Exhibition Nears its Final Days at the New Museum 

Continues to Encourage Community, Connection, and to Fuel The Inspiration Project

Hello, I have two more scheduled performances during the final weeks of Polish sculptor  Pawel Althamer’s New Museum exhibition (located at 235 Bowery south of Houston St). The Neighbors exhibit has featured over 50 street musicians and buskers since its opening in early February. 

I'm scheduled to perform as a part of this collaborative exhibition this Sunday April 6, from 11a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again on Saturday April 12, from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibit ends April 20, 2014.

The inclusion of street performers in the lobby of the New Museum has not only brought many musicians in out of the cold NYC winter, but it has been a place to capture inspired people. 

I have used this performance space to film many new clips for my Inspiration Project. These clips not only showcase inspirations but also the spirit of community that is at the core of the exhibition. 

If you know of any blogs or sites you think that might be interested in posting The Inspiration Project please pass on the link. You can also grab the RSS feed.

The Inspiration Project Comes to Life as a Motivational Workshop

I want to share with you a new direction for NYCSubwayGirl and my Inspiration Project. After hundreds of hours of footage and clips from the underground, I have developed a workshop that uses the "Power of a Question" to create genuine human connections. The results have been really exciting for me.

Contact me if you are interested in knowing more about how to bring the Inspiration project to your conference, event or gathering. 

here's a clip featuring gHSTS n gUITARS.

Happy Spring,

Cathy

NYCSubwayGirl

New Museum music + art

I'll be returning to the New Museum today the last day of February, performing from 11am-2:30 PM.  Since February 12th there have been daily performances of live NYC street musicians. We take turns performing in the lobby as people come in.  The sound is not only carried throughout that floor, seeping into the book store and live music in the cafe, but it is also being amplified into the 3rd floor exhibition.

It's been so bitter cold out, and today is no exception (I believe it's 9 degrees outside).  For a busker a warm gig like this is a welcome relief.  I stand performing as the large double sided elevator one with bright green walls and reflective doors open and close in a kind of fun house way. When the doors open if the other side is closed I see myself reflected back to me.  Other times people are also entering at the same time. It's strangely amusing to me.  I can also look to my left through the vast floor to ceiling windowpane with the view of Bowery and all the activity there.

Come on by.  Bring a gently worn or new men's coat for free admission. The coats are donated to neighbors The Bowery Mission.

NYCSubwayGirl News Music + Art mashup at New Museum

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Hello, The calendar hadn't even switched to a new year since I sent out my last news. We lost a musical hero, (here's my blog Pete Seeger Remembered,) and I've recorded some songs from my musical songbook and look forward to releasing it to the public in the next months. Here's a post about it: New Recording Session. And a free download of my song Rise Up that I wrote for Eve Ensler and her V-Day One Billion Rising campaign.

In NYC it's been a pretty long cold winter and busking in the subway has had it's challenges as you can imagine (I've had to cancel a few times).  We've had back to back storms, bitter cold and a Super Bowl to contend with, and those of you who know what it's like to walk a dog on chemical salt covered sidewalks, it's quite a challenge (and I have 2). I am excited to share the news about a cozy and warm inside gig.

This Thursday February 20th from 6-9 pm I will be performing at the New Museum during the Pawel Althamer exhibition entitled "The Neighbors" (located @235 Bowery. NYC). Pawel wanted to have street musicians performing during the exhibit to express the idea of collaboration and connection. I will be performing from time to time (here's a link to my schedule). Many other street musicians have been selected to also perform. 

Someone asked me why I don't consider this a concert series in a museum lobby. I am being amplified so that the live music is heard up on the 3rd floor. Much like performing in public spaces, people are on their way to something, the fact that a performer happens to be on their route is not static or stationary as a concert would be. I have seen the exhibition, and I visualize it while I play. It definitely affects the way I perform as seen from two points of view. One is from the perspective of where I am physically performing in the lobby as people enter and as they wait for the elevator, and the other, where the music through speakers is part of the aural landscape of the exhibition. Having the music as a live soundtrack for an art installation switches the dynamic of performance. I hear and see things differently in this situation and find intriguing the mashup of music + art. Something that is new to my world. When I shared this thought with Pawel, he responded "welcome to the temple." 

Here's Pawel's Inspiration video clip:

It's a wonderful opportunity for me create spontaneous soundscapes.  I sing or play chordal arrangements based on my memory of a piece, say for example the whimsical one of Pawel imagining himself living in a suitcase….  

I hope to see you at one of my performances.

I am looking forward to March the month of Spring and new growth!

All the best,

Cathy

NYCSubwayGirl

the pups enjoying snow on the beach by Lilian Haidar

Harper James engineer, Degraw Sound + Cathy Grier by Nousha Salimi

Music + Art Mashup @NewMuseum Feb 20th 6-9pm

COAT Drive @ New Museum (235 Bowery) ongoing through APRIL 20th

In many of his previous museum exhibitions, Althamer has used the visibility and resources of the organizing institution to benefit different local communities. For “The Neighbors,” Althamer has initiated a coat drive for the Bowery Mission, the Museum’s neighboring organization, which has been serving the homeless and hungry since 1879. Over the course of the exhibition, visitors who bring new or gently used men’s coats to the New Museum will receive free entry. All the coats will be donated to the Bowery Mission.

On thursday February 20th from 6-9 pm I will be performing at the New Museum during the Pawel Althamer exhibition. Pawel wanted to have street musicians performing during the exhibit to express the idea of collaboration and connection. I will be performing from time to time until April 12th (here's a link to my schedule).  Many other street musicians have been selected to also perform. 

Someone asked me why I don't consider this a concert series in a museum lobby. I am being amplified so that the live music is carried up into the exhibition onto the 3rd floor. Since I have seen the exhibition, it changes the way I perform.  For me there are 2 points of view, one from the perspective of where I am physically performing in the lobby as people enter and as they wait for the elevator, and the other, where the music through speakers is part of the aural landscape of the exhibition. Much like performing in public spaces, people are on their way to something, the fact that a performer happens to be on their route is not static or stationary as a concert would be. Having the music as a live soundtrack for an art installation switches the dynamic of performance. I hear and see things differently in this situation and find intriguing the mashup of music + art. Something that is new to my world. When I shared this thought with Pawel, he responded "welcome to the temple." 

It's a wonderful opportunity for me create spontaneous soundscapes.  I sing or play choral arrangements based on my memory of a piece, say for example the whimsical one of Pawel imagining himself living in a suitcase….  I hope to see you at one of my performances.

check Pawel's Inspiration video clip here

And if you bring a gently worn or new men's coat to the musuem you'll get free admission and they will in turn donate the coat to the neighbors at the Bowery Mission.

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New Museum brings me in from the cold

I'm really excited to have been invited along with a great lineup of other NYC subway musicians, buskers and street performers to perform at the New Museum 235 Bowery. NYC, as a musical layer of a new exhibition entitled The Neighbors by Pawel Althamer  February 12-April 20th

here's my New Museum performance schedule:

• Thursday 20th February   6-9 pm
• Friday 28th February 11:00 am-2:30 pm
• Friday March 14th 11:00-2:30pm
• Thursday 20th March 2:30-6:00 pm
• Friday 21st March  2:30-6:00 pm
• Sunday 6th April 11:00 am-2:30 pm
• Saturday 12th April  2:30-6:00 pm

It would be fun for you to come by and experience a wonderful mashup of music and art. Who knows what will happen.  I certainly will be continuing my Inspiration Project where I ask people what inspires them.

The Neighbors has many layers of collaboration. On the 2nd floor Pawel will be creating new work. On the 4th Floor will be a completely interactive room where anyone can come and paint on the walls, create art.  And in true collaboration with neighbors, Pawel will create a film with Bowery Mission tenants (neighbors of the New Museum). There will also be a coat drive. 

Watch below what inspires Pawel.