SoHo News Roundup

       It seems recently in the news SoHo’s position as local patron of the arts in is in full force. From celebrity activism to old school galleries, the neighborhood is  bustling in it’s former artistic glory. The attention placed on SoHo at the moment, however, is not without controversy. Check out the stories below to see what I mean..

•  SoHo remains a home to an alternative and experimental art scene, according to the New York Times. New galleries, such as Third Streaming, and old favorites like the Artists Space keep SoHo’s edgy artistic feel alive with new exhibitions this spring. 
• Speaking of alternative art, tomorrow SoHo’s Cristina Grajales Gallery opens “Sebastin Errazuzuz: Beautiful Premonitions." The collection will feature 21 eccentric pieces from the Chilean-born, New York- based designer. 
•  But edgy artists aren’t the only one’s paying attention to the neighborhood this week. The Black Eyed Peas will be opening an arts academy for high school students in SoHo this summer. The academy, run by the group’s charitable organization the  Peapod Foundation and the Adobe Foundation, will offer video and music production classes. 
• The group’s interest in the neighborhood is the latest in a string of celebrity activism.  On April 15^th, a coalition of local residents and celebrities from SoHo and TriBeCa lost a battle against the building of a sanitation garage in the area. The group sued to stop the planned construction, but a state court ruled unanimously in it’s favor. Notable protestors included James Gandolfini, Kirsten Dunst, Michael Stripe, John Slattery and Jennifer Connelly. 
• One celebrity missing from the action, Donald Trump, is having SoHo trouble of his own. A year after the opening of the Trump SoHo, the team behind the incredibly popular Quatro Gastronomia will be ending its contract with the hotel. 
• One final controversy plaguing the neighborhood involves an angry mom, a lawsuit, and a highly protested anti-abortion advertisement. Tricia Fraser sued Texas anti-abortion group Life Always this week for using her daughter's image in an advertisement that went up briefly in the neighborhood. The ad read, "The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb."  Fraser claims the advertisement's use of her daughter's image is defamatory.