After making a brunch stop to get our invitations to The Civilians benefit on December 9, we headed downtown for two of LMCC‘s current projects.

The first, called Looking In, consists of quite a few site-specific installations on the ground floor of a new luxury rental building at 50 Murray Street. We mainly went to visit with Nancy Hwang. For the current project (through November 9), you can make a reservation by or telephone (917-887-9892) to spend time with her for a nice chat, with free tea or coffee and pastries from Ceci-Cela. Drop-ins are also welcome if she’s not already busy with someone. One of these events was how I first met Nancy. Whether you can schedule a visit with her or not, the art is worth seeing, and you can go anytime, since it’s all in windows and other spaces on the ground floor of the building.

Afterward, we went to see New Views: World Financial Center, the successor to their WTC studio residency. I went mainly to see Charles Goldman‘s work, but the whole things is really great. I used to work in the WTC, and later in the WFC, and it’s a very refreshing change to see good art in those hallways. So much of the time public art exhibits are very dissapointing. My other favorite works in the show were the videos by Pia Lindman, but all of the work was of really high quality.

The parakeet is resting quietly in its cage. Suggestions for what we should name it are welcome. James’s take on the whole thing is here.

We went to an opening at M3 Projects in DUMBO for Christina Mazzalupo and Harry Nolan. We have several works by Christina, and I’ve been watching Mr. Nolan since we first saw his work in a big Mixed Greens show in Williamsburg in 2001. He was also in the first show at Plus Ultra (titled “Skank”), one of my favorite Williamsburg galleries.

If you go to the show, I highly recommend starting with Christina’s big wall of works on paper before you look at her paintings. Those contain her ruminations on Atlantis, alchemy, and other myths — mostly from Internet sources — without which the paintings are a bit baffling. Harry’s examinations of the imagery of war are quite powerful. My favorite work is titled “Debriefing”, with images inspired by Operation Anaconda.

My regular visits to DUMBO and Williamsburg make me feel that Manhattan is pricing itself out of being interesting.

After the opening, we went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Bistrot Margot. It’s the anti-Nolita restaurant — an oasis from the Mercedes SUV-driving trendoids that make that neighborhood so annoying. As we walked back to the subway, we passed a former cyber cafe that I remember from when I worked in Soho in the late 90s. It’s now empty, with a single payphone hanging on the wall.

Deric Carner, an artist who amuses me greatly, has just updated his web site. Go take a look.

He’s also a great print or web designer, for those looking for a designer…