With the government shutdown on day 32, not just federal employees are feeling the pinch — local businesses who serve those workers are as well. (The EPA, FBI, General Services Administration, just to name a few, are just around the corner in Foley Square.) Marjorie reports that Tribeca’s Kitchen owner Andy Koutsoudakis (who also owns Gee Whiz) said he’s seeing and feeling a loss from those furloughed diners who, without a paycheck, can’t spend money in the neighborhood. “I imagine Andy’s is not the only business being impacted,” wrote Marjorie, making an excellent point that I am embarrassed to say had not even crossed my mind. “Perhaps a good reminder to all of us to get out and support our local small businesses – even so more under the circumstances.”

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‘TIS THE SEASON
Captured on Hubert Street: this chilling scene – reportedly the result of a burst pipe at Sweetgreen – with the FedEx worker taking one for the team.

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AT R & COMPANY ON WHITE STREET
Breaking the Box, Jan. 24 through March 9: “Artist, designer and activist Sebastian Errazuriz received international acclaim for his original and provocative works on a variety of disciplines. Tackling everything from experimental kinetic cabinets, functional sculptures and tech art projects to political artworks and giant public art projects, his practice tends to blur the boundaries between contemporary art, design, craft and technology. His work is always surprising and compelling, inviting the viewer to look again at realities that were often hidden in plain sight.”

Bend It Like Breuer, Jan. 24 through March 9: “Modern Plywood of the 20th Century, an exhibition surveying the history of plywood furniture as seen through the lens of modernism. Although bent wood and plywood, twin engines of the 19th-century furniture industry, are important materials of modern design, the focus of this show is on the “bent ply” furniture produced after the rise of the 20th-century artistic movements summarized as “modernism” and influenced by Le Corbusier’s seminal and emphatic choice of bent wood Thonet chairs in the 1925 Le Pavillion de l’Esprit Nouveau because “its simplicity is a distillation of forms that harmonize with the body.”

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AT UNTITLED ON LISPENARD
The Untitled Space gallery is pleased to present, “Thoughts and Prayers,” a solo exhibition of works by artist Sarah Maple opening Jan. 22 and on view through Feb. 3. “Maple is an award-winning visual artist known for her bold, brave, mischievous and occasionally controversial artworks that challenge notions of identity, religion and the status quo. Hailing from Britain, this will be the first solo exhibition of the artist in the United States. Much of Maple’s inspiration originates from being raised Muslim, with parents of mixed religious and cultural backgrounds.”