Ziemia by Martynka Wawrzyniak on display at McGolrick Park
Revel in this, Greenpointers: the first new sculpture McGolrick Park has seen in decades will be unveiled on Saturday.
Ziemia: Our Stories Are Written in Soil is a public art installation by New York-based Polish artist Martynka Wawrzyniak that reflects on the history of our jewel box neighborhood. Greenpoint is a melting pot of families of diverse backgrounds, holding significant cultural ties to Poland with the long-standing Polish diaspora situated in the neighborhood. In honor of the centennial celebration of Poland’s independence being restored, Ziemia is presented thanks to the support and collaboration of the Polish Cultural Institute New York as a multidisciplinary public art project opening from 2–5 PM on Saturday, June 9 with a wide range of activities. Visitors are invited to a family-friendly environment to appreciate the artwork, enjoy live music, educational workshops, and Polish snacks. There will even be a chance to win a trip to Poland by participating in the Sto Lat Polska project!
(sponsored) Brush Free New Look @ Brooklyn Groove (102B Nassau Ave) Saturday 5/10- Sunday 5/11, 4pm, Take hold of your beauty routine and be brush free! Bring your mom to celebrate together and learn quick tips on how you can get a fresh look by using your best makeup tools… YOUR HANDS! Makeup artist Patrycja Korzeniak will give a lesson using your new favorite lines, Vapour and RMS Beauty. There will be free wine, music from DJ DLP, and a raffle with great prizes, More Info
Gifts for mom!
(sponsored) Mother’s Day Bazaar @ Little Poland Gallery (240 Kent Ave, first hallway entrance, last store on the right) Saturday 5/10, 11am-7pm, Check out this curated selection of goods from European designers including organic clothing, handmade jewelry, accessories and select pieces of art and home decor– great gifts for mothers of all ages!
WEDNESDAY 5/07 * Vestige: A Folk Opera @ Cloud City (85 North 1st St) 8pm, $15, A story about choices: once we make them, what (and who) gets left behind?, More info * NY AIDS Walk Benefit @ Big Sky Works (29 Wythe Ave) 7:30, $20, A night of celebration, remembrance, and support featuring music, ventriloquism, aerial performances and more, More info * Streetsblog & Streetfilms Happy Hour @ Dutch Kills Centraal (38-40 29th St) 6pm, FREE, Stop by and talk about your ideas for improving Northern Boulevard, 21st St., or the Pulaski Bridge, RSVP
THURSDAY 5/08 * The Art of Spiritual Melodicism @ Golden Drum (97 Green St #G1) 7pm, $20, a special evening of hovering overtone magic and singing along with divine melodies, Indian ragas, mantras, and beyond, More info ♫ Ende Tymes Fest IV @ Silent Barn (603 Bushwick Ave) 8pm, $15 day/$50 weekend, A four-day festival of noise and experimental liberation, More info * The Good Mother Myth @ Word (126 Franklin St) 7pm, Abby Sher, Anne-Marie Lindsey, and Heather Hewett look at what it means to be a mother, RSVP ♫ M.I.A. with A$ap Ferg @ Knockdown Center (52-19 Flushing Ave) 7pm, $38, M.I.A. is known for her killer live shows, and this is bound to be one to remember, Buy tix Continue reading →
Here is an excerpt from an interesting article in Voices of NY about an Irishman who admires the Polish community in Greenpoint:
“…living among Poles reminds McDonagh of Ireland.
Greenpoint, similar to pre-boom inner-city Dublin, is littered with old factories, warehouse buildings and loft-spaces primed to be re-envisioned by architects and city-planners … In 2011, the Polish in Ireland superseded the British as the largest non-national community in the state. They are now part of the genetic landscape back home.
While walking around the neighborhood today I saw huge tanks filled with half-dying (I am a pessimist) giant silvery fish. The tanks were outfitted with an air pump, but the fish were bobbing around, with no room to swim and were barely breathing. The sign on the tank said either “Clean Carp” or “Live Carp,” and there was quite a fuss in order to acquire the fish.
Carp are actually related to goldfish and can be caught right in New York City, like in Kissena Lake in Queens. I assume these were locally caught but could not get a straight answer from where exactly.
Why carp? According to the interweb: “In Poland, Christmas Eve is a day first of fasting, then of feasting. The Wigilia feast begins at the appearance of the first star. There is no red meat served but fish, usually carp … Carp provides a main component of the Christmas Eve meal across Poland; carp fillet, carp in aspic etc.”
Here is a recipe for carp aspic in case you are curious.
