Giordanne in her Greenpoint studio. Photo: Ian Hartsoe
Giordanne Salley spends a few weeks each summer out of the city. She retreats to the rocky coastlines and glacier-carved forests of our Northeastern-most state. There, she quickly assumes the circadian rhythms of nature, in part, encouraged by a lack of cell phone reception. Swimming, kayaking, and hiking, Salley studies the sun and changing colors of the day. Upon returning to New York she begins painting these summer experiences. Nude figures running freely among raw pebbly beaches, silky waters, and deciduous brush; Giordanne has managed to transport the spirit of the spruce islands to her Greenpoint studio.
Greenpointers: When were you first exposed to art as a child?
Giordanne Salley:I am originally from Southwest Ohio. My parents took us to the Dayton Art Institute on the weekends which had an interesting collection of art for a city of its size. We would picnic in the gardens and spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the various exhibits. I remember once looking at a Josef Albers’ red square painting and wondering why it was in a museum. I find it ironic now because I’ve taken color theory classes and really appreciate his work. Being homeschooled until the sixth grade, my parents always encouraged me to take on any form of self-expression I wanted. I was constantly being supplied with paper and drawing tools. I could organize my time differently than kids in school, and was able to spend a lot of time exploring nature. This remains very important to me and my paintings. Continue reading →
Dan Croll played to an energetic and dynamic crowd at Brooklyn Bazaar (150 Greenpoint Ave) on Thursday night to promote the release of his second album, Emerging Adulthood. The night opened with The Dig, a New York indie rock band whose sound is a melodic synth-pop that hits hard in all the right places. With two lead singers, the band kept the crowd engaged and intrigued, swapping instruments and sounds from one song to the next. Tired of Love, the name of their tour and also a track on their new album, pulls at your heart in an undeniably relatable way. It’s haunting and captivating and a song that you won’t tire of soon. Their hit I Already Forgot Everything You Said is catchy and memorable, telling the story of a turbulent love between two people that feels familiar yet fresh.
I caught a glimpse of Dan while The Dig was on stage, casually fitting in with the Brooklyn scene wearing his signature black-rimmed glasses. He seemed to be surveying the crowd, the sound, and the feeling in the room as he bobbed his head to the music. And by the time he took the stage, the room—seemingly and suddenly filled with pockets of devout followers and curious listeners alike—gave him an eager reception. Dan Croll’s sound is dynamic, upbeat, energetic, and endearing, with intros that cue you to pay attention and lyrics that keep you there. His new album combines a nostalgic, British rock vibe with the electronic indie pop that hits hard and lasts long and filled the room at Brooklyn Bazaar on Thursday. And, his sound is ambitious, polished to near perfection and bringing strong movement into each song, with words that dance upon light harmonies. His song Bad Boy combines his signature guitar hooks and electronic beats, and had everyone moving and singing along. His popular song From Nowhere showcased his range of talent and also the acoustics of the space, with heavy percussion and melodic dimensions that had the crowd dancing and singing along. Dan Croll is an artist to keep on your radar and in your ears, for a while.
If you missed Thursday’s show, listen to Bloodshot Tokyo by The Dig on Spotify and Dan Croll’s new album Emerging Adulthood. Brooklyn Bazaar has a stacked roster of artists to discover this fall; check out their schedule here and head to this wonderful gem of a venue right in the heart of Greenpoint.
Little Metal Print (51 South 1st St) is accepting applications for their first exhibition. The deadline to submit material is September 30, 2017. Winners will be notified by October 7th if their proposal has been accepted. The exhibition will be held October 21 – December 5, 2017 in the gallery space of LMP’s Williamsburg store, and accepted artists will receive $500 worth of dye sublimation printing from Little Metal Print for their show.
The dudes of Greenpoint Tattoo Co. — John Reardon, Dan Bowhers, Matt Bivetto — Photo by Mitch Boyer
John Reardon opened Greenpoint Tattoo Company on Meserole Street in 2011. With almost two decades of experience working in the US and around the world, Reardon has a lot of stories to go along with it. This is why on a sweltering Saturday morning before they open for the day, I sit down in the very New York shop—pressed tin ceilings, wooden floors, tattoo art-lined walls and a bookshelf full of design inspiration from Gray’s Anatomy to Japanese symbolism—to chat with Reardon, fellow Greenpoint Tattoo Co. artist Matt Bivetto and GPT client, writer and director Dan Bowhers, about their new observational workplace comedy web series, Ink Inc., which is premiering in mid-November.
Greenpointers: When did Greenpoint Tattoo Company open and where were you before GPT?
John Reardon: I opened it in 2011. I had had a private studio on North 7th Street and before that I worked at Saved[426 Union Ave]. I’d also opened a shop with my ex-wife in Copenhagen and I’d worked at other places around New York City.
GP: How did you get into tattooing originally?
JR: In 1996, it was still illegal in Massachusetts. I was going to Pratt and I thought it would be a good idea if I tattooed so that I didn’t have to go to Providence or New Hampshire.Continue reading →
It’s hard not to recognize her, in the theatrical sense — like the Joans we’ve seen, this one’s armor-clad, cross-bearing, and all-powerful. But is this Joan? Well, of course not; it’s merely a depiction.
But is the performer (a marvelously focused Bre Northrup) playing Joan, or a character who believes they are Joan? This is one of the central questions in Arthur Kopit’s Chamber Music, now playing through September 16 in the basement of St. John’s Lutheran Church (155 Milton Street).
Director Emily Moler makes dynamic use of her staging Kopit’s absurdist play, setting it in the round and utilizing the subterranean locale’s low-budget though ample space. In fact a church basement may be the unlikely, appropriate setting for Chamber Music: the play actually takes place in a mental institution, so a church (with its rigid mores) lends itself winningly to this story’s strict asylum. The “Joan of Arc” and other lady icons, from Osa Johnson to Pearl White, inhabit this jail, and their meeting of the minds feels echoed in the opening of Top Girls, Caryl Churchill’s feminist anthem.Continue reading →
West coast band Oh Sees (recently/formerly/still pretty much known as Thee Oh Sees) are bringing their special blend of crunchy noisy dirty dancy garage rock to Warsaw(261 Driggs Ave) on Saturday September 9th and Sunday September 10th. ($24 tickets here) If you’ve never seen them live, you are in for a bonkersrock out to ultra-legit rock n’ roll. Their jams are sweaty, powerful, and will most likely knock your socks off. They’re currently touring to support their latest album, Orc, which was released at the end of August. It’s total psychedelic garage trash, and that’s a good thing.
Lucky for you, we’re giving away two pairs of tickets to the Warsaw shows, one pair for each night. Fill out this form by 5pm on September 8th for a chance to win. Winners will be selected at random.
This weekend kicks off our local autumn art season. In addition to the Brooklyn Clay Tour providing an array of ceramics-related events (check their calendar for a full listing), art opening receptions of all mediums abound—stay in the ‘hood for sculpture, embroidery, immersive installations, surreal sculptures, and paintings that suspend disbelief.
As part of the Brooklyn Clay Tour, Calico presents a pop-up exhibit of commemorative plates, in conjunction with art collective FPOAFM Studios. “PLATE PARTY will feature over 20 artists whom have chosen their favorite artist or inspirational figure to commemorate on a porcelain plate. Images have been drawn, collaged, painted, illustrated, or etched, then permanently transferred onto a plate through a ceramic decal process or laser etching process.”Continue reading →
We are expecting 3,000+ shoppers to join us for a day full of free fun activities, live music, and shopping in one of the most beautifully restored historic spaces in Brooklyn.
Greenpoint Loft will glow with lanterns and light as we celebrate harvest, renewal, community, and creativity. We want to immerse ourselves in positive vibes and fun as we always do in our markets!
Hot buttered rum with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum will be back! Plus live music, refreshing craft beer by Greenpoint Beer & Ale, illuminated photo booth design, and free fun activities like henna, massages, rooftop yoga, tarot card readings, nail art, and more!)
We have limited space so the faster you sign up, the better chance you have to secure a spot.
NOTE: Vendor spaces are reserved for local independent makers and small businesses. If you are a corporate level business and want to be a sponsor, please apply here.
Experimental film and art venue Light Industryis located on Freeman Street, on the bottom floor in an unassuming apartment building on this tree-lined Greenpoint street. The movie theatre is led by a hearty team of two: co-founders Thomas Beard and Ed Halter curate the programming, cultivate the audiences, and maintain the performance space.
The space itself at Light Industry is white-walled and welcoming. Its simple appearance falls in line with the company’s ethos. “We have a very approachable space,” says Halter. “It feels modest, it feels like it is human scale — both Thomas and I feel inspired by the DIY scene.” Beard says that the screening room is a cinema reduced to its most essential values, with a white projection surface, a grid of folding chairs, and a couple of speakers. The screening room can accommodate up to 75 people. The theatre’s small team paired with its intimate space bring audiences closer to the programming. A patron once said that the experience of visiting Light Industry is like going to a film nerd’s basement. And that’s just what Beard and Halter were going for.Continue reading →
Ladies of Tom Tom—Pippa Kelmenson, Mindy Abovitz Monk and Marisa Kurk. All photos by Mitch Boyer
In the seven years since its creation by founder and publisher Mindy Abovitz Monk, Greenpoint-based lady drummer publication Tom Tom magazine has gone from being a simple music blog to a media company consisting of a quarterly print issue, digital issue, website and creative collaborations and events with contributors from around the world. In their sun-drenched office in Greenpoint’s historic Pencil Factory, a metallic drum kit takes center stage, along with an oldschool ghetto blaster, brightly colored, hand-painted drumsticks (created by Mindy’s artist mother) and usually at least one office dog.
At a time when being a female drummer in some parts of the world can still lead to death threats or imprisonment, I sat down with Abovitz, her lead designer Marisa Kurk (featured on the cover of the magazine’s current Nepotism issue) and Pippa Kelmenson who runs the Tom Tom office to chat about music, their magazine serving as a metaphor for anyone wanting to do anything they’re told they can’t do and what being based in Greenpoint brings to their work.
Greenpointers: How did Tom Tom start?
Mindy Abovitz Monk: In 2009, I was working at East Village Radio in the city and I had already been a drummer in New York for about seven years. I had volunteered at Rock Camp for Girls and I also experienced Riot grrrl as it was happening as a teenager and that had brought me to music in the first place. Around 2009 Riot grrrl was seeing a resurgence. People my age and people younger than me were becoming inspired by a movement that had already inspired me. It gave me anxiety thinking that possibly nothing had changed since I was a teenager in the effort to encourage girls and women to be the rock stars that we are.Continue reading →
