Miss Subways 1968 contestants (Frank Hurley/New York Daily News)
Local cultural ephemera museum The City Reliquary (370 Metropolitan Ave) is seeking contestants for its 2017 Miss Subways Pageant, happening in September. “In a night of performances spanning the classy, the trashy, the weird, and the whimsical, contestants will demonstrate their love, frustration, and ultimate devotion to their subway line of choice. But only one will take home the transit tiara!”
Via The City Reliquary:
We’re seeking Miss Subways 2017!
On Thursday, September 28 at 7 PM, The City Reliquary Museum will host The 2017 Miss Subways Pageant. You might remember that the Reliquary celebrated NYC’s most maligned line with its 2009 “Miss G Train” competition. How things have changed! The G is now one of the most reliable lines in the system. Clearly, something must be done.
The “Summer of Hell” is upon us. These days straphangers are filled with dread over a stalled train, signal failure, or sick passenger leaving them trapped in a dark, sweltering transit nightmare. Between its deteriorating equipment and the massive crowds cramming into its cars each day, our 112-year-old system, though still a marvel of public transportation, is showing some wear and tear. Governor Cuomo’s “MTA Genius Grant Challenge” suggests we’re on our own in this mess, so it’s time for the people to take matters into their own hands. Continue reading →
New(ish) art gallery Point Green (260 Java Street) is hosting a multidisciplinary groupart show opening tonight (8/17), called TREMORS, in response to recent political and social upheaval, with a portion of proceeds going to charities nominated by the artists (including the ACLU and Planned Parenthood among others). Tonight’s opening (6-9pm) will include performances by Nyssa Frank and DeDeeDame. On Saturday from 7-11pm they’ll host a night of music and dance, with performances by Ninjasonik, Howardian, Jocko Weyland, Cathy de la Cruz, and DM Kinch. Scott Sternbach and violinist Andrei Matorin will host an artist talk & performance on August 30th from 6 – 10 PM. Continue reading →
Kate McQuillen greets me from the driveway of her charming and noteworthy Greenpoint house, directing me into the garage where her fluorescent printmaking studio is set up. Her companion Kassie, a sterling herding dog, is attentively surveying the area and happy to have another to look after. The inherent New York City ankle weights have already slipped away, leaving us to speak candidly in Kate’s kaleidoscopic space. While we talk, the garage door remains open and Kate periodically greets her neighbors passing by. I feel as if I have crossed a portal into an alternate dimension, or at least am no longer in the city.
Kate and her dog Kassie in her Greenpoint garage studio. Photo: Ian Hartsoe
Greenpointers: When were you first exposed to art as a child?
Kate McQuillen: My dad studied painting in graduate school, and during my childhood worked as a graphic designer in Boston. We always had an art studio in the house, which allowed me the opportunity to experiment with literal cut and paste tools like transfer paper. I’d imagine this is what initially pushed me into printmaking. I think of printmaking processes as the perfect place between design tools and fine art tools. I always had a lot of interest in drawing, but was never super into oil paint. I think my new work is taking on a form reminiscent of paintings, but I can still use the printmaking tools I’ve grown to know and love.Continue reading →
The infamous Insane Clown Posse and presumably, their posse of clown-faced juggalos, are bound for Brooklyn with a show at Villain (303 Kent Ave) in Williamsburg on October 23rd where they will perform their classic hiphop album The Great Milenko in its entirety. Why should you be afraid? Well, according to Wikipedia, these are some of the identifying characteristics of juggalos: Continue reading →
Design and architecture buffs abound here in Brooklyn, and Greenpoint has even been called the home design capital of the borough, but Talking Tropics, a new series of discussions at A/D/O, the creative design hub at 29 Norman Avenue, is putting Tropical cities like Shenzhen, Rio and Chennai at the center of “a conversation about climate change and the future of design, architecture and construction in island and waterfront cities.”
Greenpoint sports a lot of green. From McCarren Park to the G train, our slice of north Brooklyn is colorful. In fact, Greenpoint’s natural greenery has inspired Euphorium Brooklyn’s newest fragrance, Butterfly. Ten years ago, when olfactory artist and perfumer Stephen Dirkes moved into a loft on Commercial Street, he noticed that the weeds and wild flora growing on the banks of the Newtown Creek supported something stunning: the annual Monarch Butterfly migration between Canada and Mexico. Each year, the butterflies descend on the northern reaches of Greenpoint, heralding summer and bringing a spectacular natural grace to the industrial waterfront.
Stephen notes that while Newtown Creek’s wild plant life might be “a peculiar starting point to develop a fragrance palette, butterflies have done a remarkable job of curating a wide range of fragrant floral, mint, grass, & herbaceous notes for a perfumer to work with.”
And the fine fragrance world is all aflutter over Butterfly. Reviews call it “bright, clear and sparkling…unearthly and ethereal” and mark it as the go-to scent of the summer. But, Butterfly didn’t begin as a fragrance. Instead, it started as a local conservation effort.
When Greenpoint’s zoning laws changed, new development began to spring up on the water’s edge, where plants once grew undisturbed. Suddenly, the Monarch’s migratory path faced peril, and Stephen began researching butterfly gardens as a way to help sustain the natural habitat. Now, Stephen’s made it possible for anyone to be an armchair conservationist! Continue reading →
Are you an organized group in need of a space to meet? New Women Space (188 Woodpoint St) is seeking their next round of residents for September through December. The residency offers a free space to meet monthly, and a chance to help build your community and gain support by connecting with New Women Space. Previous residents have included dating collective It’s Not Personal, book club Well Read Black Girl, crafters Bitchcraft, all-women comedy lab LAWL, That Was Fantastic, financial planners Brooklyn Plans, Lady Art NYC, womens empowerment collective The Ripple, lit arts and events group LBXE, and Jillian Richardson.
New Women Space’s Group Residency is “a program dedicated to providing space for a rich variety of groups and organizations that seek consistent monthly event space, a community of peers to grow alongside, and a supportive space to further cultivate their offerings.”
via Knockdown Center (52-19 Flushing Ave):
Knockdown Center Seeks Short-Term Project Proposals
Deadline: September 15, 2017
Do you have a performance, workshop, or series of events in need of a home? Send us your proposal by September 15th for consideration of our 2017-2018 programming!
Short-term projects can take the form of temporary installations, dance, theater, readings, talks, screenings, etc. This open call does not limit scale, scope, or format of submissions. Continue reading →
