ABC No Rio

Ties between artistry and activism must have started with cave etchings about hunting and gathering inequities—and this Lower East Side collective intends on keeping that tradition alive. Thanks to a recent appointment of more than $1.6 million in city funding, the creativity continues at this well-loved and environmentally friendly Lower East Side social centre, which was first conceived in 1979 and features a darkroom, a computer lab, an art gallery, a library of more than 12,000 'zines culled from the now-defunct Blackout! Books, a darkroom, and a studio specially made for silk screening. Anti-corporate artists flock to the space to embark on endeavours that are important to them, ranging from Charlie Chaplin movie nights to hardcore punk matinee shows. Regular all-ages events give a voice to subversive souls with art exhibitions, poetry readings, experimental music and the Saturday hardcore/punk matinee that has been running for 15 years strong.