Appearances can be deceiving, especially on Green Street. It is hard to imagine that this stereotypical Greenpoint street, with its many wood frame houses and former factories ever contributed to American art, but art created on Green Street is on display in some of the major American museums.
Green Street and Manhattan Avenue circa 1929
At the East end of Greenpoint, 275 Green St. was home to the Roman Bronze Works until it was destroyed by fire in the 1920’s. The founder of the works created America’s only art foundry that employed the lost wax technique, and many of America’s most iconic bronze sculptures were cast there.
Full disclosure: Mary Houlihan and I used to carpool. The guest star on “Difficult People” and I would be shuttled to Brookside Middle School by my neighbor’s mom, but it was always a mystery whether or not Mary would join us on a given school day. Hers was the last house on our carpool journey, and — after a few car honks — Mary emerged, or didn’t. I was always grateful for the mornings she did. Even then, she had a stupefyingly offbeat wit — generous but dry, subdued but bonkers. Chipper as we were bitter with her tardiness, Mary would enter the car and chime, “Good morning, friends.”
We once shared a commute; we now share a neighborhood. Houlihan embodies the best parts of Greenpoint in her life and career — she builds community, as with her Three Chickies musical improv series, and maintains a signature self-awareness, even as careers (and neighborhoods) change. I’m happy to have caught up and discussed the comedy scene with the sly wizard behind “Learn To Paint With Mary Houlihan!“.
Greenpointers: How long have you been in Greenpoint? Mary Houlihan: About six years. When I first moved here I lived off the Myrtle/Willoughby G stop in Bed-Stuy, then I moved to a big building that flooded in Hurricane Sandy after living there for just a month. Then I moved in with my parents in New Jersey. Then I moved to a green house off Calyer Street, then I lived near Grandma Roses, and now I’m in my current location. I’ve moved a lot.
The neighborhood’s treated you well? It’s treated me well, me likely. It’s quiet. It’s hidden but not insane.
Throw leaves in your hair and arms in the air: our annual Fall Market returns October 28 from 1–7 PM! This year, we’re celebrating Samhain — a traditional Gaelic holy day marking the end of the harvest season and the nearness of winter. Our market will be a fall festival in the fullest: a celebration of Greenpoint’s autumnal splendor and the 60+ talented crafters our neighborhood supports. RSVP here, and spread the word around!
Boo! Join us for tricks and treats at our Samhain Fall Market on Sunday 10/28.
As our Instagram has shown, nobody celebrates Halloween like Greenpoint, so join us for our market in the stunning (and seasonally appropriate rustic chic) Greenpoint Loft at 67 West Street. Up on the fifth floor, enjoy for a variety of treats including: Continue reading →
Greenpoint Beer& Ale and Knick Knacks Brooklyn are teaming up one more time before the year is over and they’re going all out on October 21st for #crabfest#round3! They will be offering UNLIMITED SNOW CRAB LEGS with an order of SHRIMP, POTATOES and CORN for 75 MINS! ($65 per ticket – drinks a la carte) Get your fill, you don’t want to be the one left out! Check out the ticket link and pick your session. See you there! Buy tix [Sponsored]
WEDNESDAY 10/17
♫ The O’My’s @ Rough Trade (64 N 9th St.), 8pm, $15, Buy Tix ♫ Big Thief@ Brooklyn Steel (319 Frost St.), 8pm, $22, Buy tix ♫ Sontag Shogun, Christopher Tignor, Anastasia Clarke @ Arete Venue and Gallery (67 West St. #103), 8pm, $15, An evening of abstract sentimental music (for lovers and loners alike). All artists performing new music from forthcoming releases and improvisation, More Info ♫ ALBERICH, Geography Of Hell, DJ Becka Diamond, DJ JonBenet, DJ Guilt Attendant @ St. Vitus (1120 Manhattan Ave.), 11pm, $10, Buy Tix
THURSDAY 10/18
♦ Nicolas Holiber: Birds on Broadway Audubon Sculpture Project @ Kingsland Wildflowers (520 Kingsland Ave.), 5:30pm, $15 suggested, Learn about an ambitious public-art project set to line Broadway with 12 larger than life bird sculptures next year, more info * Pints for Paws @ Brouwerij Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave.) 6pm, $5 raffle ticket, hourly raffle to benefit BARCS Animal Shelter, More info # COPENHAGEN FOOD with author Trine Hahnemann @ Archestratus (160 Huron St.), 7pm, FREE, Get a free glass of Glögg with the purchase of the new cookbook Copenhagen Food: Stories, Traditions and Recipes, More info ^♥ The Poetry Brothel: Season of the Witch @ House of Yes (2 Wyckoff Ave.), 7pm, $50+, immersive cabaret featuring poetry, burlesque, live music, vaudeville, aerials, visual art, magic, and mysticism, with newly integrated themes, performances and installations at each event. Buy TixContinue reading →
Areté Venue and Gallery is hosting two unique concerts to kick off Halloweekend: Musical Oddities and Monstrosities. These “strange symphonies of unusual instruments” will be at 4 and 7 PM on October 27 at 67 West Street nestled in the gallery’s backyard.
Sip cocktails as you take in sounds that you’ve never heard before, and may never hear again. In this special concert event, Atlas Obscura — keeper of all things quirky — and sound artist Nick Yulman partner together for a program of musical oddities and delights. Hear books that growl like synthesizers, Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz and her singing saws, new musical inventions by Merche Blasco, and more unusual instruments coaxed into creating hauntingly beautiful, mind-blowing experimental music.
Your sonic evening will begin with Nick Yulman’s orchestra of robotic instruments playing his original songs in a gallery at a former rope factory. You’ll hear the surprising stories behind groundbreaking musical inventions and a chorus of rare instruments — charming and cacophonous — played during this intimate concert. The event promises to be a one-of-a-kind way to celebrate Halloween, with instruments that seem haunted themselves and the themed Monster Mash specialty cocktail. Seating is first-come, first-served.
Nick’s solo show will also have an opening reception on October 21st from 11AM–4PM, and gallery hours on November 2nd from 6–9 PM.
Videology (308 Bedford Ave.) announced today that the business will close its doors forever at the end of October after nearly a 15-year run.
The much-adored bar and neighborhood hangout for film aficionados became a staple in South Williamsburg that hosted screenings and trivia nights after shifting focus as a movie rental store.
NYC Together’s annual fundraiser takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at the Wythe Hotel (80 Wythe Ave.), with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward the program to bring officers from the NYPD’s Patrol Borough Brooklyn North together with high schoolers.
Founder Dana Rachlin (L) student (C) and Assistant Chief Jeffrey Maddrey (R): Image courtesy of NYC Together
NYC Together’s founder Dana Rachlin views the relationships as beneficial for both the students and the officers: “We don’t see it as a mentorship, we see it as a way for us to build community and support young people with the resources and the support that they need.”
In the newly released music video for Pink Slater’s “DREAMCATCHER,” director Johnny Cirillo uses Greenpoint as a backdrop to dramatically showcase the neighborhood’s contrasting textures with sweeping drone footage.
Pink Slater’s debut album HOMEGIRL is a new music project from Greenpoint-based musician Tim Poovey, formerly of NIGHTDOGS. Continue reading →
Join your neighbors at the Park Church Co-op (129 Russell St.) for a locally sourced feast on Tuesday, Oct. 23, from 6:30 p.m. – 8: 30 p.m.
Tickets for the Park to Table Community Harvest Dinner are available now and cost $35 for adults and $5 for children; a portion of the proceeds will benefit Brooklyn Defenders.
The start and finish lines are located at the future Columbia Waterfront Park (168 Columbia St.), with the 5k route tracing the waterfront to Brooklyn Heights and the half marathon to Williamsburg and back.
WEDNESDAY 10/17
THURSDAY 10/18
