Spring 2019 Creators-in-Residence (courtesy of Kickstarter)
Greenpoint-based Kickstarter is seeking NYC-based artists and creators for their fall 2019 residence program to gain mentorship on projects by staff at the company’s headquarters.
The fall 2019 Kickstarter Creators-in-Residence program runs from 9/10 – 12/13 and the deadline to apply is 7/31.
Last spring the company hosted 11 creators “to work on Design & Technology, Journalism, Art, Comedy, Publishing and Games.” More on the residency: Continue reading →
This is the first summer in 14 years where North Brooklyn is without the SummerScreen series in McCarren Park, which was produced by Northside Media. But if you’re seeking to view an outdoor film this summer in Greenpoint, there are plenty of screenings planned in Transmitter and McGolrick parks.
A forward-thinking dance class presented by Rule of Thirds at A/D/O (29 Norman Ave.) with hip hop and house dance foundations will launch its summer residency on Tuesday (7/16).
The five-week Groove Therapy class is for the type of person “who has always admired dancers but finds the idea of stepping into a dance studio horrifying.”
Image courtesy of Rachel Klein
Groove Therapy founder Vanessa Marian, brings inclusive dance classes to “non-studio locations with no mirrors and dimmed lights,” with classes emphasizing cultural and historical contexts while teaching “how to own a dance floor.”
Groove Therapy at A/D/O will have five workshops in total on Tuesdays (July 16, 23, 30 and August 6 and 13) 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.; classes are $15 per lesson or $65 for a five-class pass.
One of Carri’s #DrawingADay portraits, as seen on her Instagram
Carri Skoczek has enjoyed a decades-spanning career, in which time she has shown from everywhere from the Coney Island Mermaid Parade to Clem’s Bar. Now, she’s enjoying the dedication and regiment of #DrawingADay, using social media as a vehicle to exhibit (and often sell) her works. She also has a show now at Figureworks (168 North 6th Street) where her interest in dolls of all shapes and sizes is on full display. Get to know this local artist and her versatile craft in today’s Thursday Spotlight!
Greenpointers: You’ve had a number of shows in Brooklyn and have lived here for a bit. Can you briefly describe your trajectory and how you came to live in the borough?
Carri Skoczek: I moved to Brooklyn when i was 40 in 1997, a year after meeting my New York-born and bred partner in crime, David Hurd, in New Orleans at Jazz Fest. It was magical. We discovered we had the same friends.
Kerry Smith from the Right Bank Cafe insisted I run his gallery, which I did from 1997 to 2001. It was the perfect way to meet local artists and gallerists in the heyday of the Williamsburg art scene.
My first solo show in Brooklyn was at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Society in 1997. I curated an annual mermaid show celebrating the Coney Island Mermaid Parade for 10 years. I was also an award-winning participant in the parade. (I was a costume designer in Milwaukee for 12 years and that satisfied my urge to play dress up and design costumes for my friends.) I’ve shown at Holland Tunnel Gallery since the beginning. Participated in every annual epic group show Ritchie Timperio put on at sideshow gallery. I also had a solo show there in 2016. I was represented by Causey Contemporary from 1999 until she closed the gallery doors in 2015.
I’ve been in funky group shows in the local bars. I did a drunk girl show at Clem’s Bar in the late 90s. Two drunk girl chalkboard drawings are still in the window.
The “drawing from observation” class starts on Monday, July 15, and meets once per week through August 12th. The five-week class is $250 and all skill levels are welcome and materials are provided; register here. The class description:
Enhance your drawings by developing your observation skills. In this five-session class, we will practice looking deeply and creating mindfully. We will look at our surroundings in new ways and translate what we see into sketches and drawings using a variety of drawing materials. Strengthening our observational skills gives us more information and allows us to draw with intention, making artwork that is uniquely our own. Enjoy a relaxed, nonjudgmental class; all levels welcomed and encouraged to come.
For those looking for a one-off or weekly drawing session, Eckford Street Studio offers a BYOB figure drawing session with a live model that happens on most Tuesdays from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. and participants provide their own supplies.
Another five-week class, the “essentials of acrylic painting” is also in the works, which would tentatively meet on Wednesday nights; details for the acrylic painting class are still in the works.
The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and the Brooklyn Navy Yard announced an open call for artists to display their works at the former Naval Hospital Cemetry, now a public greenspace known as the Naval Cemetery Landscape at 63 Williamsburg St. W. The budget for installation and materials is up to $1,000 and the application deadline is July 15th.
The 1.7-acre greenspace opened to the public in May 2016 after being fenced off for decades. The site was an active cemetery through 1910 where more than 2,000 deceased U.S. Navy and Marine Corps servicemen were buried until being relocated to Cypress Hills National Cemetary in 1926, according to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
More details on the artist selection criteria from the Brooklyn Navy Yard:
SELECTION CRITERIA
Proposals for potential artworks cannot disturb or penetrate the ground as it is a burial site.
The concepts or subjects of the artwork must relate to the ecological, historical, or cultural context of the Naval Cemetery Landscape. Works that enhance or emphasize the sacred and natural quality of the space are strongly encouraged.
Works cannot obstruct the boardwalk or access to the space in any way. If the proposed piece is a time based performance medium it must be able to occur during operating hours (10am-4pm). Any ticketed performances must be free to the public unless paid performances are approved in writing by BGI.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
· A written description of proposed artwork, including: title, medium, dimensions (height x width x depth), weight, installation method and anchoring procedure; and a short statement clearly articulating how artwork related to NCL’s historical, ecological and/or cultural context (not to exceed 250 words)
· If proposing existing work: photographs or slides of artwork; include reference to human scale.
· If proposing a new work: working drawings or photograph of maquette to scale.
· Artist’s statement and resume
· Proposed location for the installation within the Naval Cemetery Landscape
· Up to ten images of the artist’s previous work. All images must be clearly labeled with the name of the artist, title of the work, media and dimensions.
· Budget not to exceed $1,000
RELEVANT DATES:
· Application due: July 15
· Finalists notified about studio visits/interviews by: August 6
· Final selection/artists notified by: August 16
· Studio visit/work-in-progress check-in: Mid-September
· Installation period: October 16 – 18
· Presentation Day: October 19
· Deinstallation period: October 20 – 29 (Exact date and deinstallation details to be finalized with artists and NCL staff).
RESPONSIBILITIES
ARTIST RESPONSIBILITIES:
When exhibiting at NCL, the artist assumes responsibility for funding the project, as well as for obtaining insurance and site remediation. Other artist responsibilities include:
· Propose high quality art that responds to guidelines.
· Provide funding for fabrication, installation, maintenance, insurance, and site restoration.
· Obtain necessary insurance policies naming the City of New York as additional insured.
· Some projects may require technical reports prepared by a licensed engineer.
· A security deposit, which will be returned to the exhibitor upon restoration of the site.
· Oversee installation of artwork (tools, materials and equipment not provided by BGI).
· Coordinate with BGI and BNYDC for publicity.
· Monitor and maintain the artwork during the display period.
· Oversee de-installation of artwork and site remediation.
· Grant Brooklyn Greenway Initiative / Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation the right to a royalty-free, perpetual license to use any depictions of the artwork for non-commercial purposes (credit will be given to the exhibitor).
BGI RESPONISBILITIES:
· Review, select and coordinate projects recommended by the advisory committee based on Selection Criteria.
· Prepare legal documents for signature by artist or organization.
· Grant artist sole ownership and copyright of the final design and artwork.
· Provide general coordination assistance with press, mailing, and other city agencies.
· Produce identifying signage to display at the Naval Cemetery Landscape for event. Alternative signage can be produced at cost to the exhibitor, subject to BGI approval.
Katherine McMahon, a Greenpoint-based artist, recently opened her show at Site:Brooklyn Gallery in Gowanus, which attracted a number of entertainment celebrities. The show, which also features works by artist/actor Kathrine Narducci (A Bronx Tale, “The Sopranos”), has welcomed many high-profile guests, including actors Debi Mazar, Bobby Cannavale, Drena DeNiro and “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Danielle Staub.The show, “Katherine & Kathrine: Portraits,” will be up until July 13. Katherine, who splits her time between East Hampton and Brooklyn, prepared many of her works at the neighborhood’s Jave Studios. Take a look at glitzy crowd from the opening below!
The Wythe Hotel(80 Wythe Avenue) will host Permanent Water, a party kicking off World Pride weekend on Thursday June 27 that, produced with TREVORHOUSE, will celebrate Brooklyn’s vibrant LGBTQ community.
This year, a portion of the ticket sales will benefit the charity Immigration Equality, which advocates for and represents LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants seeking safety, fair treatment, and freedom.
The evening will feature cocktails, complemented by thoughtful performances by BMAJR, Magnolia Polaris, Guido, Gallexii, Bri Blvck,Crazyexgalpal, Venïson Man, Precious Okoyomon and a few surprise guests. The event will also have astrology readings.
Complimentary welcome cocktails from Milagro Tequila will be given out from 8–9 PM, so come early and stay late. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased here.
Additionally, Wythe Hotel is pleased to announce that artist Jack Early is set to display his latest work, Jacksicles, in the hotel lobby starting June 25 through October in celebration of Pride month.
To complement last Thursday Spotlight’s article on Meena Hasan, today, we speak wtih fellow artist Tommy Kha who, alongside Meena, is deconstructing identity through their joint show at LAUNCH F18 Gallery in Tribeca. Tommy, a Greenpointer of multiple years, is a photographer who elevates the mundane and finds touches of surreality and the bizarre in the quotidian (as evidenced from some samples sprinkled around his Instagram).
Greenpointers: You live in Greenpoint, I hear! What’s it been like to work in a community so rich in visual artists? It’s odd, this is the beginning of my fourth year here and only now, I feel I can settle in and unpack my anxiety and work. I’ve lucked out to be near my schoolmates that my existential status feels less isolating. It’s a sight to see spaces like DAAB, the Java Project, the Greenpoint Gallery, and my artist friends pushing up against stones and making work, in turn, I find myself pushing as well.
Your current show at LAUNCH F18 Gallery in Tribeca wrestles with the effects of imperialism. Can you discuss the pieces you contributed to this exhibition? I wanted to go in the opposite direction as my previous iterations of my self-portrait work, being given the space to present work less about performed Otherness but being a product of colonialism. I’m more concerned with the direct experiences my mother and family members has had.
The portraits I’ve made of her from our long-form collaboration are alongside photographs she made back in 1984, the year she successfully fled Vietnam (Old Country), which is something g of a familial trait — my great-grandparents fled 1930s China (Older Country). I didn’t know she made photographs at some point, it’s striking for me to see them because
I view photography and art differently than my mother’s generation, whose life’s experiences were contingent on survival and non-conforming (my mother went through an indoctrination camp).
Additionally, I’ve included newsprints for people to take, on one side are Southern landscapes and interiors, on the other side is an illegible article recalling my aunt’s murder, fading over the four images, which I never quite resolved her death. Continue reading →
Meena Hasan’s newest show at LAUNCH F18 is, what she brilliantly and comically calls, a “kaleidoscopic onion.” To understand that, one must first understand her vivid works that stem from diverse compositions and series but are now in giddy and ponderous conversation with each other in one show. She shares this LAUNCH F18 exhibition with the Tommy Kha, who, alongside Meena, is exploring imperialism through a contemporary lens. To learn more about Meena and her work that “investigates and reveals Asian American experiences,” read on, follow her Instagram, and visit “Other Echoes Inhabit The Garden” at LAUNCH F18!
Greenpointers: You’re a Greenpointer yourself, I hear! How has the neighborhood treated you. Any favorite spots?
Meena Hasan: Yes, I’ve been in Greenpoint for about six years and I love it. I am hesitant to tell too much, since one of the greatest characteristics of Greenpoint is that the best spots feel secret, tucked away and well supported by local patrons. Northside Bakery has amazing Polish food – schnitzels and stuffed cabage are my go to. I am always on the hunt for good curry and am lucky to have a legit take-out Indian food spot nearby, Moharani, run by Bangladeshis. They use all the right spices and do not water down their food like most places. I also discovered the Lite Bites lunch hour, they have insanely tasty Trinidadian curries and rotis during the week, but you have to hit it before 2pm to get the choicest morsels. Possibly the best hot sauce I’ve ever had too (in the US). Not to get all romantic about it, but the distinct flavors really do unveil themselves slowly on your tongue, in your throat and belly, like a raga, and trying to decipher their recipe is great fun.
Your current show at LAUNCH F18 Gallery in Tribeca deals with “post-colonial legacy,” the press release says. Can you dive into the works you contributed to this exhibition?
This show, titled “Other Echoes Inhabit The Garden” unfolded over time. I like to think of it as a kaleidoscopic onion of distinct shapes and ideas reflecting each other across and through the room. Each of the works that I included is from a different series that I have been working on for the past few years and it’s fantastic to see them all hanging out together. Included are a first-person perspective or PoV painting as I call the series of putting on gold bangles, a small paper sculpture of my grandmother’s earrings, a portrait of my mother’s nape and a large hanging paper piece that investigates and transforms a Chintz pattern (a calico textile made in South Asia for the British). Also included are two small gouaches on cardboard that were made as meditations in between the making of the above pieces.
The show was an experiment in many ways, a chance to juxtapose the many distinctions not only within my pieces but also those in contrast to Tommy’s works, with the hope that they would converse, open up and find meaning through their interaction, that they would “echo” in other words. This could be like any group show, but in our case it was particularly significant given our shared desire to investigate and reveal Asian American experiences through our works. Tommy and I, like all children of immigrants, and honestly like the majority of individuals in the world, have inherited the post-colonial legacies of our families. The show seeks to pay respect to this inheritance and, particularly, the matriarchs who have shaped and raised us, whose influence pervades the works and, of course, our daily lives as well. Continue reading →
