UNY 5th Anniversary at Dumbo Sky

Enjoying the view

Dan Selzer, responsible for the nautical playlist and all our AV!

Michael Tull

Maya Edelman, one of our volunteer bartenders

Checking in

Abe and guests

2/3 of the UNY editorial team: Nicole Haroutunian and Nicki Pombier Berger

Vahram and Jill Haroutunian

Viewmaster exhibit and silent auction items

Dan Arlein and Rose Nestler, door volunteers

Rich McGowan and Cristina Page

A guest enjoying the viewmaster slides

Taylor from Island Creek Oysters

Nick Hurd who contributed a letterpress print to our silent auction

Colin Dickey and contributing filmmaker Nicole Antebi

UNY contributing poet Nicole Cirino and friend

UNY contributing writers Nicole Miller and Lisa Kunik

Oliver Sharpe, Josh Leeman and Lawrence Kim

UNY contributing artist Elizabeth Hamby

Dan Degnan, Sara Weiss, KC Trommer and Jocelyn Cox

UNY founding editor Nicki Pombier Berger

Charis Emily Shafer introducing her film

Nicole Antebi introducing her film

UNY editors Nicole Haroutunian and Helen Georgas giving out raffle prizes

Rose Nestler, Dan Arlein, Nicole Haroutunian and Katherine Lewandowski

Raffle-prize winners Sunmin Whang and Misook Ji and guests

Sunny and Misook celebrating their prize winnings

UNY contributing writer Bob Fanuzzi, Nicki Pombier Berger and Ed Fanuzzi

Our fantastic bartenders

Ed Fanuzzi and Nicki Pombier Berger

Katherine Lewandowski, Rhea KG, Trop editor Alyssa Vine and Miranda Appelbaum

UNY contributing artist Colette Murphy and The Gate's Bobby Gagnon

Gareth Gaston, Heather Roberson, and Cara Buckley

Nicole Haroutunian and Lisa Kunik

Bobby Gagnon, Colette Murphy and Jed Berger

Photos by Nate Dorr

On the perfectly watery evening of October 15, 2014, over one hundred guests came together at Dumbo Sky to help us celebrate five years of Underwater New York. We were thrilled to see all of your beautiful faces there!

It was a fantastic evening during which we screened two short films created for the celebration: an animation, Riparianism, by Nicole Antebi about the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek and a documentary short, Submerged, by Charis Emily Shafer about a Sheepshead Bay couple in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Guests also used custom viewmasters to click through a selection of once-underwater objects from the collection of Staten Island diver-extraordinaire Ed Fanuzzi. Dan Selzer provided a nautical playlist. 

All guests received an UNY tote bag and a print by one of our contributing artists--Isaac Kestenbaum, Melissa Murray, Elizabeth Hamby and Erika Vala--and bid in a silent auction to take home the original artwork, as well as a letterpress print by Nick Hurd from Wasp Print and a digital print by Adrian Kinloch, a six-week course at the Sackett Street Writers Workshop, a terrarium from Twig, and tours from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and Oyster City. Raffle prizes included a pie from Four & Twenty Blackbirds, a cookbook from Saltie, a book and albums from Michael Hearst and One Ring Zero, gift certificates from Artist & Craftsman Supply and a dinner for two at Luke's Lobster. Guests who purchased premium tote bags also received books and CDs by Amy Shearn, Julia Fierro, Ben Greenman, Gabriel Brownstein and Michael Hearst, chocolate from Mast Brothers and Narwhal beers. 

Delicious craft beer and nautical drinks were provided courtesy of The Gate, Coney Island Brewery, Van Brunt Stillhouse, Waterfront Wines & Spirits, and Red White & Bubbly. Snacks were donated by Saltie and Coffeed and the evening's centerpiece was a boat of oysters shucked on the spot, courtesy of Island Creek Oysters. The event was staffed by a great team of volunteers, many of whom are also UNY contributing writers and artists: Kate Overgaard and Maya Edelman at the bar, Dan Arlein and Rose Nestler at the door, and photography by Nate Dorr. 

Proceeds from ticket sales went to offset the costs of running UNY and to develop future programming.

We were absolutely blown away by the support, enthusiasm and success of the event and can't wait to see what the next five years brings! Thank you!

Pacific Standard / 82 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY / July 7th / 7pm

For the first six months of 2014, Underwater New York and Trop cross-published Waterfronts, a bi-weekly series of personal essays engaging with the waterways of New York City and Los Angeles. We were thrilled to co-host a reading to celebrate the culmination of the collaboration at Pacific Standard on July 7th, 2014. Steve Mentz, Betsy Bradley, Lisa Kunik, Jess Pastore, Erin Baer and Nicole Haroutunian read their short essays. Pacific Standard represented the LA coast and ordered nautical Heavy Seas beer for the occasion! A full house came out to support the readers, including many UNY contributors. We want to thank our new friends at Trop, Alyssa Vine, Evan Allgood and Tom Dibblee for making the collaboration so successful. Here are a few photos from the event!

Steve Mentz

UNY Founding Editor Nicki Pombier Berger

Lisa Kunik

UNY Editor Helen Georgas

Betsy Bradley

Jess Pastore

Erin Baer

UNY Editor Nicole Haroutunian

We are pleased to invite you to "The Social Hall: An Oral History Exhibit" at Columbia University, where graduate student Margaret Argiro will present Scrap Dive, the culmination of her oral history work in partnership with Underwater New York. Scrap Dive introduces us to the incomparable Ed Fanuzzi, a Staten Island native who has been diving the waters around New York City since he made his first diving helmet at age 11. Curating objects and images from his personal collection, and audio and text from oral history interviews, Scrap Dive invites you to explore the storied waters of Ed's life. Come dive in - you're sure to find gold.   

The Social Hall: An Oral History Exhibit  

WHEN: Thursday, May 1, from 5:00 - 8:00 pm

WHERE: Social Hall, Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway (at 121st Street)

"Songs of Sandy and the Sea" was a family variety show at the Brooklyn Historical Society, put together by Lloyd Miller. UNY's own Leah Umansky read her first ever poem for children (text copied below!), Lloyd sung a selection of nautical tunes (including Dead Horse Bay), circus performer Justin Wood awed (and terrified!--in a good way) the audience, and an amazing assortment of adorable children sand, drew, and danced along. 

Leah read at Lloyd Miller's event at the Brooklyn Historical Society on December 7th, 2013.

Lloyd sings his Underwater New York song at his event, "Songs of Sandy and the Sea" at the Brooklyn Historical Society on December 7th, 2013.

Poem for Hurricane Sandy by Leah Umansky

Lady Liberty spotted the hurricane

so did the George Washington Bridge,

but she was too busy watching television

and wondering what she could eat in the fridge.

She knew her family would lose electric,

and knew that their cell phones would fade

so she got out Scrabble and Monopoly

and wondered when was the last time they played.

They each took turns playing Scrabble.

They were having so much fun.

No one thought about the hurricane,

but they hoped it would soon be done.

The dog was asleep under the table,

and her father set up another game.

She turned up the radio louder,

and wondered who else was doing the same.

She kept listening to the radio,

and wished that everyone was safe and sound.

She wondered what her friends were doing,

and hoped everyone made it to higher ground.

With the Hurricane came devastation,

and beaches and seasides got ruined.

Some streets of the New York City flooded,

and many felt they were doomed.

But, soon everyone came together,

when the storm had finally passed.

She heard about charities on the radio,

who were bringing relief to people fast.

She actually enjoyed spending time with her family

without laptops, phone or TV.

She enjoyed the silence and laughter.

She felt happy, grateful and free.

Once the storm subsided,

and her parents went for a drive,

they heard of so many people who lost everything,

that she felt grateful to be alive.

She helped her parents gather food and clothing,

that they could drop off for people in need.

She felt good knowing she had helped others

and that her family had done a good deed.

The Hurricane had done so much damage

to neighboring beaches, cities and towns.

She kept thinking of her favorite places

and wondered if they’d still be around.

She agreed with her mother about one thing

that in every time of despair,

people come together

and everyone does their share.

When she saw the reports on the news

she couldn’t believe what she’d seen

she saw people helping people

and that’s what community means.

On October 29, Underwater New York hosted a reading in conjunction with Silent Beaches, Untold Stories, an exhibit curated by Elizabeth Albert at St. John’s University. The evening featured original work written for Underwater New York by St. John’s faculty members Robert Fanuzzi, Steve Mentz, Gabriel Brownstein and Lee Ann Brown, and special guest Nelly Reifler. UNY contributing poet Nicole Cirino read a poem to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, which fell on the same evening as the reading.

Listen to the readings below (and please forgive some recording idiosyncrasies and ambient sound...)