THE ART OF QUARANTINE
Local photog Claudine Williams will have her wonderful still life above (remember when there was no toilet paper on the shelves??) included in The International Center for Photography’s #ICPConcerned exhibit. The images, chosen by ICP staff across departments, present a wide range of responses to recent events worldwide, from the pandemic to Black Lives Matter protests and beyond. The exhibition is online now and will be on view here in the city once the museum opens.

AND THE ART OF REOPENING!
Painter and local Ford Crull, a regular at the Dark Horse on Murray, was the first artist to adorn the omnipresent sheets of plywood of the neighborhood’s curbside restaurants as part of the Curbside Canvas Project started by Tribecan Bill Tsapalas. He did it after closing hours over two nights this week, much to the pleasure of manager Shain Gallagher, above, who picked up the expenses. (I added an interview and studio tour with Crull below — it’s a great watch.)

TRIBECA LANGUAGE IS OPEN IN FIDI
Tribeca Language is back open and offering classes for kids and adults both online and in person. They have expanded their online offerings for fall, but also as of Sept. 21 will offer in-person and small pod lessons at their 90 Broad location or in client’s homes. They have play-based kids group lessons and GrownUp & Me classes in five languages and privates in 11 languages. See their website for all the offerings.

ALLIANCE OFFERS PROGRAMS FOR STOREFRONTS
The Downtown Alliance, whose northern border starts at Murray, has designed two programs to help restaurants make takeout and delivery more profitable, and to help storefronts get COVID ready. The alliance partnered with BentoBox to assist eligible restaurants with setting up their own online ordering platforms, and covering one year of expenses. The plug-and-play e-commerce experience can be customized for each business and allows them to take orders without the use of other third-party apps.

The alliance is also working with Streetsense, a retail and urban-design consultancy, to provide up to 25 small businesses with one-on-one technical assistance to transform their spaces to be COVID-compliant. They will also produce two Readiness Guides, one specific to restaurants and bars and the other for retailers, accompanied by two 60-minute webinars. The guides and webinars will be made available to all Lower Manhattan businesses for free.