Eric Goode

Eric Goode
Born	1957 (age 56–57) Rhode Island
Occupation	Hotelier Restauranteur Conservationist Filmmaker Artist
Known for	Creator of the nightclub Area in New York City, and more recently of the Bowery Hotel

Eric Goode (born 1957) is an American hotelier, restaurateur, conservationist artist and filmmaker. He is known as the creator of the nightclub Area and B Bar in New York City, and recently of the Bowery Hotel.

Biography

Born in Rhode Island in 1957 and raised in New York until the age of 8, Eric relocated with his family to California. He is the second of five children born to Marilyn Goode, a naturalist and conservationist, and Fredrick Goode, a painter and teacher. He has lived in New York City since 1977.

Eric began his career as an artist, educated at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and Parsons School of Design. Much of his early work was displayed in group shows with other upcoming artists of the day, the earliest in 1981 which was curated by Keith Haring.^[1][2] He continued to make and show his art throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s.^[3]

In 1983, Goode formed the nightclub Area with his brother, Chris Goode, and friends Shawn Hausman and Darius Azari. Area was known for its constantly changing themes and collaboration with artists of the time (Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and others). Area was Eric's first business venture where he merged art into the context of a nightclub.

In the early to mid-1990s, Eric directed several music videos, including "Help Me I am in Hell" and "Pinion" for Nine Inch Nails. He and Serge Becker earned a music video production award for their work on "Pinion."

Over the next two decades Eric opened several other nightclubs, and eventually transitioned into restaurants^[4] and then hotels, many of which in collaboration with his partners Serge Becker and more recently Sean MacPherson.^[5] His most recent projects include the Bowery Hotel and the Jane Street Hotel.

Goode is also involved in conservation efforts, especially of reptiles. In 2004 Eric began developing the Turtle Conservancy, which operates the Behler Chelonian Center, the premiere facility for breeding Critically Endangered turtles and tortoises in the United States, in Southern California. The Turtle Conservancy focuses on conservation initiatives around the world, with a focus on protecting endangered species from extinction.

Eric Goode currently lives in New York City and travels frequently to his home and conservation center in Southern California.

Conservation

Goode has spent most of his life researching turtles^[6] and tortoises and has traveled to over 40 countries around the world (the Galapagos Islands, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Central America, Madagascar, Namibia, Morocco, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, India, the Caribbean Islands, and many others).^[7] Several of these trips are featured in a series of documentary films chronicling the Turtle Conservancy's conservation efforts. In the last decade, Eric has devoted more time to his conservation work. In 2004 he began developing the Behler Chelonian Center. The Center is certified by the AZA (American Zoos and Aquariums)^[8] and run by the Turtle Conservancy, a not for profit NGO. Its primary goal is to ensure the survival of turtle and tortoise species worldwide, and to promote the conservation of chelonian habitat in the wild. In 2008, the Turtle Conservancy was formed to manage conservation programs in the field with threatened turtle and tortoise species.^[9]

In September 2011, writer William Finnegan traveled with Goode to western Madagascar to document the illegal smuggling of the critically endangered Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora).^[10] The article was published in The New Yorker on January 23, 2012 ^[11] In August 2012, Goode hosted a launch party at The Waverly for the Turtle Conservancy's publication, The Tortoise.^[12][13] CBS's 60 Minutes aired a December 2012 segment hosted by Leslie Stahl, "The Race to Save the Tortoise" documenting the Turtle Conservancy's work in battling the extinction crisis of the Ploughshare Tortoise in Madagascar.

Documentaries

Nightclubs, Restaurants and Hotels

1981 - The Club with no Name
1983 - Area^[14]
1988 - MK
1989 - BC (LA)
1990 - Time Cafe and Fez
1994 - B Bar & Grill
2000 - The Park
2001 - The Maritime Hotel 2003 - Matsuri
2003 - La Bottega
2003 - Hiro Ballroom(closed)
2006 - Waverly Inn
2006 - Lafayette House
2007 - Bowery Hotel
2007 - Gemma
2008 - Jane Street Hotel

The AREA book

The AREA book was published in November 2013. The book has been a in the works for over 10 years, the passion project of Eric Goode and Jennifer Goode. Drawing from a rich archive of material, Eric and Jennifer tell the behind-the-scenes story of the club and its people, creating an illustrated memoir of an exciting time and place in the history of New York nightlife. To accompany the launch of the book Eric collaborated with Jeffrey Deitch to curate an exhibition at The Hole gallery. AREA: The Exhibition^[15] The show consisted of original installations as well as pieces from many of the artists that participated or were influenced by the club.^[16]

Art

Most of Eric's art is created as a vitrine, or display case with three-dimensional artwork inside. Similar to Joseph Cornell, his work incorporates many aspects of assemblage. Eric's work also has notable similarities to Damien Hirst and Jeff Vaughan, especially his tendency to represent elements of the natural world in his mixed-media installations.

Exhibitions

1981 – Group Show curated by Keith Haring, Mudd Club
1987 – “Subject Object”, Group Show, 56 Bleecker Gallery
1988 – Group Show, Bess Butler Gallery
1989 – One Man Show, Bess Cutler Gallery
1989 - “American Pie”, Group Show, Bess Cutler Gallery
1989 - “Don’t Bungle the Jungle”, Group Show, Tony Shafrazi Gallery
1989 - “New Work, New York”, Group Show, Helander Gallery
1990 – “Amnesty International”, Group Show, Tony Shafrazi Gallery
2013 - "AREA: The Exhibition", Group Show, The Hole Gallery

Music videos

References