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Darinka Archive

Call Number

MSS.340

Date

1973-2010, inclusive

Creator

Bugarčić, Gary Ray

Extent

12.25 Linear Feet
in 2 record cartons, 1 manuscript box, 1 half manuscript box, 10 flat boxes, 1 flat file folder, and 1 folder in shared housing

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

Darinka: A Performance Studio was opened in 1984 by Gary Ray Bugarčić (aka Gary Ray). The club served as a venue for artists of all disciplines, including performance, theatre, music, dance, film, video, fine art, and poetry and prose, until its closing in 1987. The archive includes reviews, letters, subject files, contracts, flyers, stencils, photographs, audio and video recordings of performances, and digital data storage disks.

Historical Note

Darinka: A Performance Studio was opened on April 21, 1984 by Gary Ray Bugarčić (aka Gary Ray). The club served as a venue for artists of all disciplines, including performance, theatre, music, dance, film, video, fine art, and poetry and prose. In keeping with the Eastern European roots of the East Village/Lower East Side, the club was named after Gary's mother, who was Croatian born. Darinka is a derivative of the Slavic word dar, meaning "gift."

The club was located at 118 East First Street, two doors down from Avenue A, and had a speakeasy type entrance under the residential stoop of the building. Up to the late 1970s, the space was used as a local Italian Social Club until a fire destroyed it. During the renovation of the space, all the old charred beams were laid in the backyard to provide an urban rustic wood patio enjoyed by patrons during the hot summer months. The interior of the club had a small proscenium stage that was described by many as looking like a live television. A variety of local painters such as James Romberger and Mark Kostabi showed their work on the walls of the club until the permanent murals and stencils were painted. Regular performers included They Might Be Giants (considered the house band), performance artist Steve Buscemi (still a fireman when he started performing), Karen Finley, Jack Smith, Charles Long, William Pope L., Kembra Pfahler, Nick Zedd, Anna Deavere Smith, and John S. Hall. In addition, there were many writers who read during the Sunday prose and poetry nights, including Darius James, Patrick McGrath, Hal Sirowitz, Lynne Tillman, Mark Dery, Nina Zivancevic, Peter Cherches, Bob Holman, Ira Cohen and Taylor Meade.

On June 29, 1985, the NYPD raided the club during a mushroom party and performance by artists David West and Andy Somma. Gary Ray and the bartender, Robin Clements, were arrested for operating an unlicensed bottle club. Several months later Darinka reopened as a private club with Randy Lee Hartwig and John Gernand as managers. As a private club each new member would fill out a membership application card upon entrance. The application cards were kept in a file near the door in case of police inquiry. Membership cards were also distributed.

Darinka was the first home of "The Church of the Little Green Man." The church was founded by conceptual artist Mike Osterhout and had its first service in December of 1986. Darinka closed in May of 1987.

Articles mentioning Darinka have appeared in The Village Voice, New York magazine, High Performance, East Village Eye, Toronto Globe and Mail, The New York Times, and The Drama Review (Spring 1985). The club is also acknowledged in the documentary Gigantic: A Tale Of Two Johns.

Gary Ray Bugarčić, a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and SUNY Empire State College, has worked as an actor and stage director in almost every downtown New York theatrical venue and helped develop the off-broadway rock musical Bulldozer: The Ballad of Robert Moses. As a musician, he played in several bands, including State of Desire and The Academy, which performed regularly at CBGB and Danceteria before opening Darinka. After closing the club he toured with Karen Finley in her play The Theory of Total Blame and worked with The Ridiculous Theatrical Company, The Ridge Theatre Company, as well as with Kestutis Nakas and in Jeff Weiss's "Hot Keys." He has also appeared in such indie films as Todd Haynes' Poison and Desperately Seeking Susan. New Blood magazine published his poetry in the 1980s and his photography, including his 3-D lenticular prints, have been exhibited in New York City at The American Academy of Arts and Letters, The Participant Gallery, Max Fish, and 201@105.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into seven series:

  1. Series I: Darinka Files
  2. Series II: Playbills
  3. Series III: Audio Recordings
  4. Series IV: Video Recordings
  5. Series V: Data Storage
  6. Series VI. Photographs
  7. Series VII. 2015 Accretion

Series I, III, IV, and V are arranged alphabetically. Series II is arranged chronologically. Series VII has not been arranged by an archivist; materials are in the order in which they were received.

Scope and Contents

The Darinka Archive contains material created and collected by Gary Ray Bugarčić, founder of the Darinka Nightclub and performance space. Materials include includes reviews, letters, subject files, contracts, flyers, stencils, photographs, audio and video recordings of performances, and digital data storage disks.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); Darinka Archive; MSS 340; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collection transferred in 2012. An addition to the collection was donated in November 2015 by Gary Ray Bugarčić; the accession number associated with this gift is 2015.340. An accretion of one flyer was donated in April 2023; the accession number associated with this accretion is 2023.032.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Audiovisual and born-digital materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers.

Collection processed by

Colin Torre; Finding aid created by Laura Newsome. Media updates by Rhyannon J. Rodriguez.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-06 14:21:36 -0500.
Language: Description is in English.

Processing Information

In 2015 an accretion of four folders was added to the collection as Series VII. 2015 Accretion based on the content of the materials and in accordance with previous arrangement and description decisions. Materials were placed in archival folders with titles transcribed from the original housing.

In August 2017, one item was prepared to be moved to offsite art storage in September 2017.

In April 2023, an accretion of 1 flyer was intellectually integrated into the collection in Series I. The biographical note was also updated at this time.

Revisions to this Guide

August 2017: Updated by Megan O'Shea to prepare artwork being sent to offsite art storage in September 2017
April 2023: Updated by Rachel Searcy to reflect 2023 accretion

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012