Nada Surf, 20″x30″ c-print, Peter Ellenby

What: Peter Ellenby “Everyday is Saturday”
When: Thursday, February 1, 2007, 6-9pm
Where: Nelson Hancock Gallery, 111 Front St. #204, Brooklyn, NY 11205
Reception for the Artist, booksigning and acoustic performance by Nada Surf

Exhibition Dates: February 1, 2007 – Feb. 25

Nelson Hancock Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of photographs by Peter Ellenby. Drawn from his new monograph “Everyday is Saturday” (Chronicle Books), the exhibition includes a survey of Ellenby’s work in the indie rock world during the last decade. The opening reception will feature a rare acoustic performance by Nada Surf, as well as a book signing by Ellenby.

An impromptu shooter with a fan’s eye, Ellenby’s photography embodies the same sort of freewheeling, devil-may-care attitude that underlies the best of indie rock. His arsenal of gear includes plastic cameras, fish-eye lenses, and an array of esoteric filmstocks deftly employed in studios, on location and at live performances. One of his subjects described Ellenby’s as a “Pabst-fueled Pollockesque technique perfected in the beer-soaked expanse between stage and fans.”

{nelsonhancockgallery.com}

What: BAC Gallery Presents Art as Anecdote February 1 – April 20, 2007
Curated by Sarah Schmerler
When: Opening Reception: Feb 1, 6 – 8pm
1st Thursday Curatorial Talk: March 1, 6 – 8pm

Brooklyn Arts Council announces Art As Anecdote, exhibition that looks at the events, impressions, and ambitions that are part and parcel of an artist’s daily grind—and the unlikely meanings they generate for others.

“This show looks to the resources of a nonprofit institution (where, ostensibly, artists’ best interests are always in mind) and begs the question: Why is it that what makes an artwork so meaningful—to a broad audience—is often what makes an artwork incredibly personal, unique? Photographer Annick Ronsenfield claims that she just wandered downstairs one morning to find her mother eating a baguette. Yet (through Rosenfield’s eyes), mom wears a glazed—and utterly enigmatic—look that defies description. Orrie King’s incredibly intimate photograph of “Sebi in Bed” can’t help but make us wonder: who is Sebi to her—and subsequently, to us? And what do we do with Kurt Strahm, a former and well-accomplished painter, who claims he’s stopped making art because the whole prospect is just too futile.”

“Ten other artists—from a note-taking traveler to a woman See-er (who makes artworks as healing documents for her clients)—are included in the exhibition. And in deference to all the good advice (anecdotes, stories, aphorisms) these and other artists have gotten over the years, we’ll be distributing stories and sayings (in the form of printed strips of paper) at random, to visitors at the opening reception.”

{brooklynartscouncil.org, for more info about the exhibition}

The Stoop Series
Venue: BRIC’s Rotunda Gallery
Address: 33 Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights
Phone: 718-875-4047
Date: 2.01.07 at 7PM

Featuring a conversation with writer Richard Price and actors Chad L. Coleman and Jamie Hector, of HBO’s critically-acclaimed drama series THE WIRE, moderated by Ethan Brown
FREE

“BRIC’s Rotunda Gallery & New York magazine present The Stoop Series, first Thursdays beginning October 2006 until June 2007. The Stoop Series features conversations with prominent and emerging guests from Brooklyn’s contemporary art, film, music, theater and literary scene and is accompanied by The Stoop Slam, a DJ set featuring the latest happenings in the Brooklyn music scene. The series continues on Thursday, February 1 with a conversation about HBO’s Peabody Award-winning drama series THE WIRE, featuring writer Richard Price and actors Chad L. Coleman and Jamie Hector, guest moderated by Ethan Brown. Doors open at 7pm at BRIC’S Rotunda Gallery.”

The Stoop Series has been coordinated in conjunction with DUMBO’s First Thursday Gallery Wall, a monthly event during which participating galleries and studios throughout this vibrant arts neighborhood are opened to the public from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. In-kind contributions for the Stoop Series have been generously provided by Brooklyn Brewery and powerHouse Books.

‘BLACK USA’ an art exhibition celebrating past, present and future life of Black people in the USA. Commemorating Black History Month, New Orleans Mardi Gras and life in general.

Ione Citrin, Deborah DeGraffenreid, Diane C. Duvall, Lou Grant, Leon Nicholas Kalas, Harry Longstreet, Gloria Kennedy and Jeanmarie Theobalds. Feb 1 – March 17, 2007

Opening Reception Feb. 8th from 6-9 PM.

Gloria Kennedy Gallery
111 Front Street Gallery 222
DUMBO Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 858-5254
Hours: Wed-Sat 1- 6 Thu until 8 or by appointment
Web Site: www.gkgart.com

{Black USA – gkgart.com}

What: “Industry Shakedown”
When: February 1, 2007, from 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Where: 37 Main Street at Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Event Type: After work party, book and magazine launch, record release listening party

Description:
We live in Brooklyn, baby! Beginning Thursday, February 1, powerHouse Arena will host Industry Shakedown, a monthly after work party series, featuring the latest releases and featured artists from our friends and neighbors in DUMBO: Brooklyn Bodega, Fat Beats, halcyon the shop, !K7/Rapster Records, and Wax Poetics.

“Stacked with studios, labels, distributors and publications, DUMBO is fast becoming the nexus of the independent music business in New York City,” states Shawn Schwartz, owner of halcyon the shop. “As the only area music shop, halcyon is proud to be collaborating with our neighbors in the community and putting a face on the local scene for the public.”

The premier of Industry Shakedown features the release of:

Fletcher Street: Photographs by Martha Camarillo with appearances by the men and their horses!

{www.powerhousearena.com for more info}

What: Opening Reception for ELLA YANG: NEW YORK SHINES
When: Thursday February 1, 2007, 6 – 8 PM

The exhibition runs through Sunday March 25, 2007
Please join us at an Artists’ reception for Ella Yang: New York Shines.

Underbridge Pictures is pleased to announce our first exhibition of oil paintings by Brooklyn based artist, Ella Yang. Her urban landscapes depict beloved locations and capture vibrant street scenes in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. Ms. Yang is included in the new book “100 New York Painters,” by Cynthia Maris Dantzic, Schiffer Publishing Company, Fall 2006.

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Ms. Yang takes her cues from the world close by. Whether it is a gritty industrial street near her studio by the Gowanus Canal, a sidewalk in Park Slope, or the morning splendor of Union Square Park, she infuses her oil paintings with color and light while recording the (sometimes elusive) beauty of her subject. The paintings become infused with her own wonder and the delight of discovery. With degrees from both Yale and Columbia, she has pursued her painting career with further study in New York City. Her work stands beside that of Philip Pearlstein, George Tooker, Chuck Close, Alex Katz and many others in the new book “100 New York Painters”.

Underbridge Pictures
111 Front Street Gallery 202 DUMBO Brooklyn
www.underbridgepictures.com
For more information contact David Sokosh at 718 596 0390

Underbridge Pictures focuses on images of architecture in all its forms, with an emphasis on traditional and historic processes.

Gallery Hours: Thursday from 5 – 8 PM, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 6 PM and by appointment.

Rebar, the bar above Retreat at 147 Front Street in Dumbo has been open since the beginning of December 2006. It received a glowing review on Gothamist.com:

“The generous amount of space seems enormous and disproportionate at first. Iron bars separate the large well-lit lounge area where coffee drinkers in search of wi-fi hang, from the dark, brick hue of the bar. At first, it has the appearance of a gated off drinking spot in an airport, complete with signs telling you that no drink may pass beyond this spot. If all this sounds scattershot, it surprisingly doesn’t feel that way. And it’s probably all because of the space. It’s beautiful. The spotlighted terra-cotta ceiling, large tables, and gorgeous long bar create a place that feels intimate, but never cramped.”

The lounge area with its vintage couches and soft lighting is a comfortable place to read and drink coffee. The bar itself now serves tapas (pdf) with dishes such as:

• Roasted Red Pepper, Serrano & Cana de Cabra
• Chorizo Pincho
• Fried Marconas Almonds
• Tuna Tar-Tar with Tomato, Green Pepper, and Cucumber
• Raw Artichoke Salad with Mizuna, 12 Month Shaved Manchego and a Lemon Vinaigrette
• Frisee with Blood Oranges, Cana de Cabra, Almonds and Sherry Vinaigrett
• Asturian Salmon
• Fig & Serrano Bocadillo with Cana de Cabra
• Smoked Salmon & Raw Asparagus Bocadillo with Aioli

They have a good selection of draft beers (including one of my favorites Six Point beer) and wine (pdf). Rebar has a nice vibe, a place you can take friends without having to yell over anyone or having to push your way to the bar. Open until 4am.

Rebar, 147 Front Street – Between Pearl St. and Jay St.

{Brooklyn Drinks: Rebar, gothamist.com, 1/26/07}

From the New York Times:

Her latest piece, “Must Don’t Whip ‘Um,” which made its debut at St. Ann’s Warehouse earlier this week after a staging in Minneapolis, is a triumph of disciplined thinking, narrative fluidity and musical accomplishment.

Ms. Hopkins tells the story of a failed and missing fictitious 1970s rock singer, Cameron Seymour, through the pieced-together reminiscences of her daughter, Mary, who is making a documentary about her in hopes of figuring out exactly who and what she was. The conceit allows for the use of projected images from live cameras and the presentation of hilarious mock documentary footage – witnesses to the era who inform Mary in interviews that her mother wasn’t quite the Janis Joplin genius she had imagined.

“Must Don’t Whip ‘Um” continues through Feb. 4 at St. Ann’s Warehouse, 38 Water Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn; (718) 254-8779.

{Mama Was a Rolling Stone, NYTimes, 1/26/07}

 Photo courtesy of Julie Rosenberg for The Brooklyn Paper

The Brooklyn Paper has run a story about the 205 Water Street building being demolished. After the Dumbo Neighborhood Association sent letters to various city agencies, the story was published here, then got publicised on Curbed.com, NYMag.com, and GowanusLounge. The DNA is getting the word out to preserve Dumbo’s historic buildings. Contact Councilman David Yassky to voice your concerns.

{Wrecking balls: Neighbors say developer is demolishing a historic building in DUMBO, By Christie Rizk, The Brooklyn Paper, 1/27/07}

Michael Rundle, the Englishman who sometimes writes about people and things in Dumbo in his well written blog The Heroes of the Revolution has a profile of Dolphy Hazel, an 80-year-old artist who has been in Dumbo since the early 1980s. “Dolphy also stands for Dumbo. He was one of the first to arrive in the early 1980s when heavy industry, which was previously dominant in the area, collapsed and gave way to artists and writers who made homes in the old factories.” He says about Dumbo past:

• “I got tired of Manhattan,” he explains. “In SoHo the rents skyrocketed and the artists were priced out. When I got to Dumbo it was as dead as a doornail at night. There were no residents here. Instead, there were sweatshops.”
• “The spaces available to rent at that time were barely livable, Dolphy says. “It was dirty. Filthy. Garbage was piled up three feet in the loft that I rented,” he says.”
• “And back then, Dolphy says, Dumbo was dangerous.”

And about today’s Dumbo, Dolphy said:

• “Gentrification has made Dumbo a much safer place today, Dolphy says. But safety comes at a price. Rents are rising, new condos are being built in place of old factories, and the original art community has almost been priced out of the area.”
• “”These developers totally disregarded the artists that came here looking for a new beginning,” he says. “It makes me sad. And it ain’t about the buildings. It’s about the people. The people that originally came here, and their little dream. They didn’t even stand a chance.””
• “”It’s just gonna get more crowded,” he says. “You’ll see those people running off early in the morning to work, running back at night. I don’t have no love for those kinds of people. They’re not artists. They just want to come and live next to them. It makes them feel special. But we created this.””

It must’ve been an interesting time back when Dumbo had no ‘corporate’ people living in the area and was no man’s artists land.

{nyc profile: Dolphy Hazel, The Heroes of the Revolution}