Thursday Events in Dumbo (July 23, 2009)
July 22nd, 2009
1) Movies With A View [Tonight's movie has been canceled due to rain]
What: Movies With A View: Paper Moon
When: July 23, 2009, 6:00pm – 11:00pm (Films at sundown; DJs at 6:00)
Where: Lawn, Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park section of Brooklyn Bridge Park
“Come down to the park to enjoy the city’s premiere (free!) outdoor film series with an eclectic line-up of films and breathtaking views of the NYC waterfront.”
2) The Non-Motivational Speaker Series
What: The Non-Motivational Speaker Series returns
When: Thursday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: JLA Studios, 63 Pearl St (between Water and Front St.), Brooklyn, NY 11201
Find out what you don’t know about the Middle East, as Neil MacFar- quhar, Libyan-raised Times correspondent and author of The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday [interview here]; and Lucette Lagnado, author of The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, a Sami Rohr Prize-winning memoir of growing up Jewish in Egypt [interview here], reflect on the oddities, eccentrics, and (lesser known) tragedies of the region.
3) Pre-Movie Happy Hour at Galapagos
This Thursday, stop by Galapagos beforehand (6-9:30pm) to indulge in some great drink specials before heading down the block to see the 1973 comedy Paper Moon, starring Ryan and Tatum O’Neal.
(Photo by Cory Wilson)
The 13th D.U.M.B.O. ART UNDER THE BRIDGE FESTIVAL® sponsored by The Dumbo Arts Center (DAC) will be held from September 25 – 27, 2009. The arts featival draws 100,000+ visitors to Dumbo each year. From DAC:
Art Under the Bridge is a multi-site happening unique to Dumbo since 1997, the historic post-industrial neighborhood spanning the East River waterfront between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The event’s enduring magic is the transformation of an entire neighborhood into a vibrant platform for self-expression over 3 days once a year. New artworks by young visual artists are created on-the-spot everywhere and anywhere: they may be specific to a particular site or they may wander. They may be projected or afloat. They may be performed or make sound, they may glow in the dark or ride an elevator, they may occupy a corporate lobby or beg your interaction, or they may just sit there and demand your attention.
In essence, you experience the visual arts while discovering Dumbo and experience Dumbo while finding the art: your map will take you to facades, streets, sidewalks, storefronts, elevators, lobbies, water, waterfront, parks, nooks, crannnies, aboard the NY Water Taxi, and more. Art Under the Bridge celebrates the untamed, art that deliberately breaks the white cube, art that is touchable, accessible and interactive. And in addition to the 60+ new outdoor projects, you can visit over 100 local open studios as well as video_dumbo, a non-stop indoor program of cutting edge video art from NYC and around the world. The appeal is universal: for many of the anticipated 100,000 visitors, Art Under the Bridge is their first encounter with art and artists. What’s more: it’s FREE, inclusive and open to all.
The Dumbo Arts Center (DAC) has been the Festival’s exclusive producer since 1997. DAC is a big impact, small non-profit, committed to preserving Dumbo as a site in New York City where emerging visual artists can experiment in the public domain while having unprecedented freedom and access to normally off-limit locations. Art Under the Bridge is where serendipity and the haphazard thrive, where the unpredictable, the spontaneous and the downright weird can still happen – all against the stunning backdrop of iconic architecture and the Manhattan skyline.
To see pics from last year’s event, go to the DAC Flickr gallery. Also follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/DUMBOfestival.
More details at: dumboartfestival.org
Previous:
{12th Annual Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival, 2008}
{11th Annual Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival, 2007}
{10th Annual Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival, 2006}
Tonight’s Events in Dumbo (Thu, July 16)
July 16th, 2009
Gelf’s monthly science reading is back at JLA Studios in DUMBO, Brooklyn on July 16th at 7:30 pm. This month, we’ll be discussing all sorts of geeky goodness with speakers including Arika Okrent, the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, and Viktor Deak, the paleoartist whose hominid evolution renderings can be seen at the Lucy’s Legacy exhibit. The work of local artists will be on display as well.
Geeking Out will be held Thursday, July 16th, at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm) at the JLA Studios art gallery on 63 Pearl St in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. Admission is FREE. Drinks will be available. Please spread the word and bring your friends.
Visit reBar, around the corner, afterward; attendees of Geeking Out and other Gelf events get discounts on food and drink.
2) Randall Scott Gallery Artist’s Reception: Adriana Lopez Sanfeliu
Adriana Lopez Sanfeliu: Life on the Block, July 16th-August 15th
Artist’s Reception: July 16th, 6pm-8pm
Since April of 2002, Adriana Lopez Sanfeliu has been documenting the physical and mental boundaries of young Puerto Rican women and their families living on 103rd Street in Spanish Harlem. Her series, Life on the Block discusses how the women of these families provide an inner compass to explore the challenges of life and their quest for empowerment as well as their desire and inability to brake a cycle of mere survival.
Randall Scott Gallery
111 Front Street #204, Brooklyn, NY 11201
212-796-2190
3) Book Launch and World-Premiere Screening of THREE by Ed Kashi
The powerHouse Arena is pleased to invite you to the book launch party and world-premiere screening of: THREE by Ed Kashi
followed by a panel discussion and Q & A with Ed Kashi, Daryl Lang (Photo District News), and Sean Corcoran (Museum of the City of New York), and a book signing.
Thursday, July 16, 7–9PM
Film screening to begin at 7:30PM
The powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn
For more information: (718) 666-3049
RSVP: rsvp@powerHouseArena.com
4) Movies With A View: The Maltese Falcon
Grab a blanket and come watch The Maltese Falcon outdoors at Brooklyn Bridge Park. DJs from Brooklyn Radio kick off the evening, spinning tunes as the sun sets, while RICE sells delicious dinners onsite. Complimentary bike valet provided by the fine folks at Transportation Alternatives.
Streetart: Dain on Dock St
July 10th, 2009
(Photo by Josh Derr)
If you walk around Dumbo, you’ve probably noticed some of Dain’s work on the streets. Above is a fairly new one on Dock Street. Some of Dain’s older tile art is either down or have peeled. A few others:
This short video on YouTube is an interesting view into his art studio:
Umuzi Photo Club Exhibition at Rabbit Hole
July 9th, 2009
From Rabbit Hole Studio in Dumbo:
Dear Friends,
It’s my great pleasure to invite you to our very first Umuzi photography exhibition. Please join us to view these arresting images of Johannesburg township life, taken by children in the program that you have helped to support! This first glimpse into the lives’ of our South African students will take place on July 9, 2009 (one-night only) at Rabbit Hole Studio in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Doors open at 6:00 pm. See map for direction.
High quality prints will be on sale with all proceeds going towards funding projects at the children’s schools, which sorely need basic infrastructure.
We are also holding a used camera donation drive, and ask you to bring along any old digital cameras you no longer use.
Blue Point Brewing Company will be sponsoring the event. Snacks will be served.
Umuzi is a photography club for primary and secondary school learners in Soweto and other developing communities in Johannesburg, South Africa. Through a series of highly interactive and fun workshops, learners are introduced to photography basics and visual literacy. At each workshop, learners receive their own film cameras, which they carry for a week, playing the role of a documentary photographer. In the following workshops, they scrutinize their prints and build a portfolio of their favorite work, which is bound into an album they keep. The organization strives to uphold the importance of artistic self-expression and critical thinking through the art of photography.
Bring your friends. Hope to see you all there!
New Sculptures at Pearl Street Triangle in Dumbo
July 3rd, 2009
Last night, the Dumbo Improvement District, in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Urban Art Program, installed the work of Dumbo resident and artist Eleanora Kupencow, entitled “Horsing Around the Arrows of Time,” in the Pearl Street Triangle. Per the Dumbo Improvement District’s press statement:
Adjacent to the Manhattan Bridge and DOT’s iron shop and fabricated out of powder-coated steel, the bold and colorful sculptures pay homage to DUMBO’s manufacturing and industrial story.
The four pieces in “Horsing Around the Arrows of Time” were designed individually – the Purple King, the Blue Thinker, the Magenta Acrobats and the Green Mother Earth. When arranged in a group, the sculptures work together to create a feeling of movement and energy.
The pieces bring more color to the triangle and has cool detailing. Check it out at the Pearl Street Triangle (Pearl Street between Water and Front Street).
{Photo set on Flickr}
{Press Release (PDF)}
1st Thursdays DUMBO Gallery Walk (09July2009)
July 1st, 2009
[Note: This month's gallery walk is next Thursday, July 9 (not July 2), due to the holiday weekend.]
A festive occasion each month for art lovers. A chance to visit many quality galleries at night in the Dumbo Historic District – galleries showing works from artists of many disciplines, especially photography, while hosting receptions, producing live music performances and curator/artist talks among other highlights.
Let’s not forget the incredible views you can enjoy as you walk from one gallery to the next and the local drink specials afterward. Most of the art is for sale. Printed maps and 1st Thursday cards are available on-site.
Participating galleries may vary each month. For more information contact Zannah Mass at zannah@twotrees-dumbo.com or 718-222-2500 x38.
Check gallery websites for updates.
A.I.R. Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 228
Amos Eno Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 202
Brooklyn Art Project
Brooklyn Arts Council, 111 Front St., Suite 218
Caption Gallery, 55 Washington St., Suite 802
DUMBO Arts Center, 30 Washington St.
Farmani Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 212
Henry Gregg Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 226
Klompching Gallery, 111 Front St.
Kris Graves Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 224
Magasin Totale, 10 Jay St., Suite 724
Melville House, 145 Plymouth St.
Pochron Studios, 20 Jay St.
Powerhouse Books & Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main St.
Rabbithole Studio, 33 Washington St.
Randall Scott Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 204
Safe-T Gallery, 111 Front St., Suite 214
Smack Mellon, 93 Plymouth St. @ Washington Street
Spring, 126a Front St.
Umbrage Gallery, 111 Front St.
VII Photo, 28 Jay St.
Watermill Brooklyn Gallery, 55 Washington Street, Suite 216
Beauty Underfoot at Smack Mellon
June 24th, 2009
(Photo: Yumi Janairo Roth, Paleta: Pallet (Made in Philippines) (2005), 3 pallets (46x40x6)
According to Smack Mellon’s press release, the title of the group exhibit, Beauty Underfoot comes from John Cage— apropos of Robert Rauschenberg, “Beauty is now underfoot wherever we take the trouble to look.” This aesthetic is precisely followed by Jeanne Gerrity, curator.
Yumi Janairo Roth recontextualizes shipping pallets, objects so commonplace, so functional— they are almost invisible. Roth, however, builds them herself, and then embellishes them with hand carved designs, or inlays them with mother-of-pearl. Much of the technique she employs in Paleta: Pallet (Made in the U.S.A.), she learned while participating in a residency in the Philippines. Not rough hewn and thrown out with the trash; the pallets, in this exhibit, are defiantly elegant.
In Charwei Tsai’s video installation, a fish, projected on an artificial beach of the gallery floor, struggles to breathe, as the artist paints calligraphy on its belly. There is a tension created by the undeniable beauty of the image— the sand sparkles; crystalline and pure. It’s hauntingly ephemeral. This is contrasted with the fish; desperate to escape. It seems to be trying to move off the page.
Hood, by Fawad Khan, is the result of his first foray into integrating digital media and wall painting. His large scale painting of a car, cartoonish and joyful, shimmies and shakes with real time animation. Yet for all its playfulness, there is a not quite hidden malice, something tricky and deceitful: this could blow up in your face at any time.
All of the work in this exhibit also seems to reference, in spirit, the much larger exhibit at The New Museum, Generational:Younger Than Jesus— artists responding to a culture that is beset and besieged by images, by content. A world exploding with information. The work is performative, narrative. It is brash. Fearless. While not every piece in Beauty Underfoot succeeds— every voice is clear.
The exhibit runs from June 20th to August 2nd, 2009.
Smack Mellon
92 Plymouth Street (@ Washington St), Brooklyn, NY 11201
Gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6pm.
Today’s guest blogger, LA Slugocki is an award winning writer and producer, has lived in New York City for twenty years.
ISSUE Project Room Soundwalk-a-thon (in Dumbo)
June 5th, 2009
On the afternoon of Sunday June 7, a group of artists will lead ‘sonic excursions’ throughout New York as part of a rare live sonic arts experiment — the ISSUE Project Room Soundwalk-a-thon. We’ve featured Soundwalk previously, and they have since updated the content for Dumbo.
Led and designed by some of New York’s most exciting sound artists and musicians, these walks will take groups of 10-20 people at a time on an intimate journey of sonic discovery to experience our community in a way they may never have done before — through sound. Walks range from meditative deep listening, to sing-a-longs, to noise-making walks incorporating instruments, iPods, boomboxes, cell phones, or silence in order to amplify the nuances of our ever-changing soundscape.
There are two Soundwalks in the Dumbo area on Sunday at 3pm:
1) Demasking The Bridges led by Daniel Neumann: “Demasking The Bridges” will explore the small triangle between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge on the Brooklyn side. The soundscape of this area is mainly dominated by the traffic of the two bridges. By slowly oscillating between the bridges, crossing through diverse surroundings the group will learn about and experience the “Masking Effect”. Focusing on the weaker maskees and shifting the threshold of the masker with our movement will then slowly uncover more and more sound events underneath the threshold.
Artist’s website: danielneumann.wordpress.com
2) Underpass Walk led by Bruce Tovsky: “This soundwalk will replicate many excursions I have made throughout Dumbo and the adjoining areas doing research and recordings (both video and binaural audio) for my 2007/8 piece titled UNDERPASS. While exploring this area I was struck by the incredibly resonant spaces under and around the bridges and overpasses at the intersection of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. This fascination became an obsession and grew into an hour long video/live sound performance that premiered at Issue Project Room in a workshop form and took its full form in a month long residency at Diapason. In 2008 it toured the EU, with performances and installations at Literaturhaus in København, Steim in Amsterdam and at “64″ in Paris.” – Bruce Tovsky
Artist’s website: skeletonhome.com
To sign up, go to issueprojectroom.org/walker-sign-up-form/. To sponsor a walker and donate to ISSUE Project Room, go here. Also check out the Soundwalk blog at soundwalk.com/blog.
CornerMRKT This Weekend
June 5th, 2009
What: CornerMRKT design collective
When: Sat/Sun June 6-7, 11am-7pm
Where: Corner of Jay and Front Street in Dumbo Brooklyn
Participating designers:
