Many artists’ studios feel like a cluttered curation, and sometimes they can be intimidatingly bohemian, but George Underwood’s creative haven in Greenpoint is surprisingly tidy and welcoming. The large prints on the walls and huge projector screen above, accompanied by a few audience seated chairs below compliments the fact that he is a devoted and driven photographer who is passionate about his work. Underwood, 30, views photography as more than just a hobby, but as a way to document modern day interactions in a fast-paced society. Being an only child of a single mother, he spent his alone time quietly observing places and people in his town, which sparked a love of photography through stilling those moments in time as an outside observer. From George’s own lens, literally and figuratively speaking, he captures how people interact with a space and with each other, surrounded by the technology ever so present in their lives. Continue reading →
Dobbin St Rooftop | 64 Dobbin St | subscribe to ThisPlace emails for schedule
Event popup ThisPlace regularly hosts drink n draws all over North Brooklyn. The next one is coming up on June 26 at Dobbin St, from 630-9pm. Tickets are $25 and include rosé, but you should bring your own drawing supplies. Since this is happening at sunset, you can bet the light will be magical so you might want to bring colored pencils or pastels. Join the ThisPlace mailing list to stay up-to-date on future drink n draws and other fun events.
Greenpoint Figure Drawing. Photo: Julia Moak
Greenpoint Figure Drawing | 67 West St #303 (Big Object Studio) | Fridays at 7pm
Greenpoint Figure Drawing is a Meetup group that hosts weekly drink n draws, for $15. “In each 3-hr session, we will draw from a live model, beginning with quick poses to warm up, and then gradually extend the pose length to a final 1 hour pose to finish the evening.” The sessions are moderated by two stop motion visual artists. BYOB and BYO art supplies. *Note, the next meetup is Friday June 23rd; there won’t be a drink n draw tonight.Continue reading →
Martynka Wawrzyniak, a Polish-born local artist driven by a creative vision, recently learned that local history eerily repeats itself. Researching Greenpoint history for her local site-specific artwork, she learned she was following in the footsteps of another Greenpoint Polish woman whose quest to create a local monument decades ago amazingly mirrored her own efforts.
Martynka is currently working on a community-engaged public art project, celebrating the disparate cultures comprising North Brooklyn. Her work titled Ziemia (which means earth in Polish), created in collaboration with local residents, invites locals to contribute soil from personally meaningful locations that symbolize their identity. Ziemia will take the form of a three-foot diameter ceramic orb sitting atop of a native plant meadow in McGolrick Park. Grenpoint clay will serve as the materials for the orb and the mix of soil contributed by residents will be used for the glaze. The piece will function as a collective community portrait, embodying the many Greenpoint homeland and migration stories. You can follow along with the sculpture’s progress on Instagram. Continue reading →
By way of São Paulo, Julia Brandao has come to grace New York with knowledge of the finest cultural relics and wisdom from what seems like the world’s edges. As a textile and sculpture artist having traveled all over the world (though she calls Brazil her home), Julia’s love for collage canvases a mix of experiences and thoughts from the people and places she encounters. Her work largely prefacing the influence of memory, she glues together the thoughtful impressions that evoke feelings of familiarity through colors, shapes, and textures.
Greenpoint Open Studios (GOS) kicks off tonight and goes all weekend (April 29-May 1), celebrating Greenpoint’s rich pool of artistic talent. From paintings to sculptures, video to photography, weaving and textiles to ceramics and more, there are seasoned artists to honor and emerging artists to be discovered among more than 350 who will open up their studio spaces to the public.
It’s an uncurated free event that allows visitors to get a glimpse of the process and space where artwork is created while engaging directly with its creators. Brooklyn has a long-standing reputation for being a hotbed of creativity and GOS is going to represent its northernmost tip in true Greenpoint fashion—by keepin’ it real—providing an open platform for showcasing the various expressions of our creative community’s imagination and skills.
A. Brian McDonald, Wood Panel , 2013 Collage, Gouache, Pastel (8.5 inches x 11 inches)
This week we’re spotlighting two neighborhood artists participating in Greenpoint Open Studios this weekend: A. Brian McDonald and Sara C. Sun. Their styles may be different, but their work is equally captivating.
Sara C Sun, Night, 2012. Single-Channel video, 2:37
In North Brooklyn we’re lucky to be surrounded with artistry—we have dozens of gallery spaces, hundreds of working artists, and street art on practically every corner. So if you live here and you’ve got kids, nurturing their creative side in this neighborhood should be a no-brainer. Of course summertime is a great time to do it, when they’re out of school and need to keep their busy minds and hands occupied. And lucky for neighborhood parents, there’s a truly unique opportunity to send the kids to Tumbleweeds Art Camp right here in Greenpoint.
Greenpoint artist Hildos is definitely not afraid to put it all out there. Her bold and erotic female forms command respect, and look totally comfortable in their own skin. In almost every painting, the viewer gets a candid peek behind the boudoir curtain, where Hildos showcases her own personal brand of body positivity (and sometimes, her own body).
A portrait of Greenpointer Mickey Rooney - illustrated by Rebecca Clarke
What a mug on that guy, eh? Micky Rooney began his long career as a child star, but unlike modern child stars, he continued working into his 90s. He was born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in the 20s and began acting as a toddler with his parents in vaudeville acts. He appeared in over 20 films and worked with Judy Garland. He played Audrey Hepburn’s bucktoothed Japanese neighbor in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) and was criticized for portraying a racial stereotype, but assured he was just playing the role for fun and never wanted to offend anyone. He even had his own television show and won an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor in The Black Stallion (1979). More on Micky Rooney at Biography.com
