East Village Art Scene Heats Up

Neither rain nor a cratering economy could keep art lovers away from the Bowman/Bloom Gallery (95 E. 7th St., (203) 952-9025) in the East Village last night. Inside the gallery, seasonal warmth was provided by the ebullient crowd and the art work assembled by intrepid gallerist Lisa Bowman. For a moment, it felt like the good old days of the East Village art scene, whereas actually it was more a harbinger of things to come as we shrink back to more intimate settings and community comes to play a bigger role in our lives. Titled The Beast in Me, the group show featured a galaxy of artists including Richard Hell, Walter Robinson, Brigitte Engler, Sally Webster, David Sandlin and Kembra Pfahler.