Author Anna Lappé and musician Dan Zanes will serve as Honorary Chairs for Heifer in Greater New York’s “Pass on the Gift” Gala on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo.

Just over a year ago, Haiti suffered an earthquake that devastated the country. Reconstruction takes time, but with your support, Heifer International’s unique community development model will help fight hunger and poverty and care for the earth.

Heifer provides a variety of assistance such as livestock, trees, agricultural training and other resources to help struggling families build sustainable futures. Heifer’s gifts provide milk, eggs, and other benefits, which yield income to improve life for resource-poor families.

Please attend to help provide hope and self-reliance to the people of Haiti.

The Gala will feature
- Music by Haitian Creole jazz group, Mozayik
- Special performance by Jean-Ronald LaFond
- Jatziri Gallegos’ Jazza Quartet

“Pass on the Gift” Award honoring the New Farmer Development Project for providing leadership and commitment to the urban agriculture movement.

Hors d’oeuvres created by Choice Cooking and Aliya LeeKong
Desserts generously provided by Whole Foods Market Union Square

Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Galapagos Art Space, DUMBO, Brooklyn

To purchase tickets or for more information, go to www.heifer.org/brooklyn.

Tasting Brooklyn is only one week away, so get your tickets before they’re sold out. At Tasting Brooklyn, you’ll be able to sample food and drinks from the borough’s best restaurants from one location in Dumbo. We spoke with Brooklyn Exposed founder Sharon Beason about the event.

Congratulations on your first year of Brooklyn Exposed (Your Guide to Everything Brooklyn). How did Brooklyn Exposed get started and what was your vision for it?

Brooklyn Exposed launched because I felt there was a need for other happenin’ and cultured neighborhoods in Brooklyn to be ‘exposed’ beyond what many media platforms generally overlook. My vision was to create a comprehensive platform to provide individuals info about what’s happening with Brooklyn’s arts, dining, entertainment and social scene.

You have a great list of participating restaurants for the Tasting Brooklyn event. Are you friends with many of them?

I wouldn’t say friends, but I will say that prior to Brooklyn Exposed I had already established relations with some of them and really began fostering great relations with them and others since Brooklyn Exposed launched.

We’re looking forward to the event and glad to see this annual event kick off in Dumbo.

Tasting Brooklyn at The DUMBO Loft
155 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (at Anchorage Place in Dumbo)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 from 5:30 to 9pm
Tickets $45, $60 for a 5:30 pm VIP hour. For info, visit brooklynexposed.com

Additional coverage on Brooklyn Paper.

On Sunday, March 27, join Jam On DUMBO for the second concert in a family-friendly music series. Sunday’s event will feature The Okee Dokee Brothers and King Pajama from 3 – 6 p.m. at Water Street Restaurant, (66 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201)

Jam On DUMBO is “a monthly concert series for kids of all ages, and the hottest family event in Brooklyn this winter. Each month, we will invite Brooklyn to dance along with us as we showcase two kids’ bands. Balloons, face painting, and other festive activities will add to the party atmosphere.”

The first event was a suceess with almost 200 people in attendance. “I feel like we’ve found our small town in the big city. Living in DUMBO makes these types of projects attainable and conveniently accessible to families with kids of all ages.” Alisha Nissenfeld, Founder, JAM ON DUMBO.

About 200 people descended on DUMBO for the inaugural February concert, which showcased Astrograss and Erin Lee and the Up Past Bed Time Band as well as face painter Sharon Enlow, balloon twister Allen Enlow and a special art activity hosted by Private Picasso.

Although the bands and the face painters will be different in March, all the free extras will be on hand to ensure that kids from Brooklyn and beyond have a rocking time. (Beer, wine, great food, and happily entertained children ensure that parents will have a rocking time, too.)

The March concert will also include a fund-raising raffle to support Jam On DUMBO’s future concerts. The goodies being raffled have been donated from local businesses and Jam On sponsors.

“This is just the sort of event our neighborhood needs in the winter,” says local mom Jaime Pessin. “I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”

Click through below to read more reviews about Jam On DUMBO.
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From our friends at Abundant Learning, there is a free lecture with Dr. Paul Yellin on Thursday. He will have a short presentation on recent advances in neuroscience and how the findings should affect the way we think about learning.:

Thanks to the emerging field of Mind, Brain, and Education, we are learning that we should be asking students, “How are you smart?” NOT “How smart are you?” Building on his work at the All Kinds of Minds Institute and in his own medical practice, as well as the latest research on education and child development, Dr. Yellin will provide practical suggestions to parents that will help them better understand and address their childrens unique learning needs.

Dr. Yellin, the Director of The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education, has dedicated his entire career to improving the well-being and development of young people. Prior to the establishment of The Yellin Center in 2007, he served for five years as National Director of the Student Success Program at the not-for-profit All Kinds of Minds Institute. There, he worked closely with the Institute’s researchers and clinicians to deliver a multi-disciplinary model of learning assessments and personalized learning plans to thousands of students from across the world at sites in New York City and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For more information see www.YellinCenter.com

Come hear Dr. Yellin present a short presentation providing cutting edge information on brain research revealing insights on learning styles and strategies. Perfect for parents of struggling students (K-College) and educational professionals.

Thursday, March 24th at 7PM

Abundant Learning
68 Jay St., #513, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Information and RSVP: 917-727-8839 or liz@abundantlearning.org

Coffee and Snacks provided

Eye of the Wolf is an exhibit by Masahiro Ito at DIS Micro Gallery in part of its’ monthly “1st Thursday Dumbo Gallery Walk” showcase.

Eye Of The Wolf gives visitors a glimpse into Ito’s unique vision, one where he fuses Native American folklore, the Four Elements of Hip Hop and Time & Space to create incredibly detailed works of diorama, miniature sculptures and canvas art. His pieces pay homage to forgotten people and cultures, bringing awareness directly forefront to the community. Ito possess an immense appreciation for nature and incorporates natural elements and recycled materials into his projects.

Eye Of The Wolf runs April 7th through May 3rd at DIS Micro Gallery in Dumbo.

masahiro-ito.com
dismicrogallery.com

DIS Micro Gallery/Rebar
147 Front Street, Suite 221
Brooklyn, NY 11201

 [+click for larger]

The Chabad of Dumbo is hosting a range of programming for kids and adults to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim on Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20. From the Chabad of Dumbo:

Chabad of Dumbo presents: Battle of the Bands: No Sleep til Shushan!

See local bands battle it out for the title of Best Jewish Band in Brooklyn! Wine and dine on Purim delicacies and a wide selection of the Kings wine and local Brooklyn beers!

Open bar until 10pm
Doors open at 8:00pm with the reading of the Megillah.
Bring friends or come make new ones!
Costumes encouraged or “Come as you are” – 1990′s grunge theme
Suggested donation $10

Chabad of Dumbo (chabadofdumbo.com)
147 Front Street, Suite 215, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Ph: 718-858-1232
email: info@chabadofdumbo.com

Dumbo Brooklyn-based photographers Steve Hart, Kumiko Hart, and Joe Quint are offering a free family portrait session in exchange for an on-the-spot donation of $50.00 to aid the victims of the disaster in Japan.

Dates: This Saturday and Sunday (March 19th and 20th, 2011)
Times: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM each day
Location: Bubby’s (One Main Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 in Dumbo)

Bring your family (and tell your neighbors!) to support this worthy cause. 100% of the proceeds will be donated.

Family Documentary Photos (familydocumentaryphotos.com)
Ph: 212-226-7166
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Related: {Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Help from Brooklyn, 14Mar2011}

(Vadim Schaeffler, Still from “Kugelstaat,” 2011)

Dumbo resident, artist, and curator Leo Kuelbs has a show opening in NYC, Berlin and Budapest, “The Decelerator”. a nine-artist, video-based exhibition opening in New York on March 18th.

Opening at all sites: Friday, March 18th; 6-9 p.m.
New York: AllanNederpelt
60 Freeman St. Greenpoint, Brooklyn

“‘The Decelerator’ is an entity, a device, designed as an installation to actively slow down how we perceive time in relation to accelerating technological advances, which are approaching the speed of light,” said co-curator, Leo Kuelbs. “This exponential speed increase creates a change in how we relate to land and space, bringing the physical world closer together and fracturing trajectories of thought and consciousness in multifarious states of being. The viewers are encouraged to find a perspective, a footing, that, while engaging and dynamic, is also tenable within ‘The Decelerators’ frame work.”

For more info, go to leokuelbscollection.com.

A live drawing event to benefit Dumbo Arts Center

Sunday, March 13, 2-7PM
Kids’ drawing station from 2-5PM

$10 / person, $20 / family (up to 2 children and 2 adults)

All drawings $50 each
Location: 81 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Fulfilling DAC’s mission “to catalyze interaction between visual artists, the local community and the wider public,” the Monster Drawing Rally is a unique event that invites members of the public to witness what is usually a private creative process.

Audience members will watch as 20-30 artists at a time create work in-person and on the spot. Using materials supplied by DAC, each group of artists will work for one hour, in shifts starting at 2, 3, 4, and 5PM. A wide range of drawing styles and working methods will be on display.

The event fosters a sense of community and camaraderie among the participating artists as they get an inside look at the creative methods of their fellows. For the seasoned art patron, the Drawing Rally provides a fresh look at favorite artists and a chance to discover new talents. While the entire mystery of art making and inspiration will never be fully understood, this event reveals the work, inspirations and magic that go into art. For the audience as a whole, the Monster Drawing Rally will be both an exciting spectacle and a rare opportunity to bring home original artworks at an affordable price.

All drawings created in the Rally will be hung as finished and may be purchased as soon as they are completed. All work will be for sale at the same low price of $50, in the spirit of accessibility and equality that is integral to DAC.

Kids can get involved from 2-5PM at our children’s drawing station. Drawing Rally artists will be on hand to offer guidance and all materials will be provided by DAC.

Dumbo Arts Center (DAC)
111 Front Street, Suite 212, Brooklyn, NY 11201
gallery@dumboartscenter.org
www.dumboartscenter.org

TOMORROW’S ART TODAY: THE INAUGURAL ART BROOKLYN
On Thursday, March 3, Verge Art Brooklyn invites you to experience a paradigm shift in art fairs as we know them, a show that recovers the standard of an art fair as a platform for presenting the best work by living artists. “Brooklyn is the epicenter of the emerging art world,” says Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “and on this long weekend of celebrating the visual arts in New York City, I say it’s smART to visit the Verge Art Brooklyn fair and to feast your eyes upon Brooklyn Art Now, an exhibition representing the extraordinary artists showing in galleries throughout the borough.” Verge Art Brooklyn is proud to host a list of exhibitors that includes international and national gallery exhibitors, resident DUMBO galleries and Brooklyn Art Now participants for a combined total of over seventy gallery exhibitors at nine locations, nearly forty participants for “Material Issue: Artist’s Projects Spaces” and fifty artists for “Tomorrow Stars: The Art Brooklyn Open Call Exhibition.”

Fre admission to all exhibitions

Schedule:

PUBLIC HOURS
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, March 3-5: Noon to 10 PM
Sunday, March 6: Noon to 6 PM

OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main Street
Thursday, 3 March: Doors open 8:30 PM, performances from 10:00 pm to 4 am*

*Opening Night Party is free with Passport Program Booklets; all others $20. Admission prior to 10 pm is free.

VERGE ART BROOKLYN SHOW LOCATIONS:

Gallery Exhibitors
81 Front Street, Ground Floor
One Main Street, Ground Floor

Artist’s Project Spaces
55 Washington Street, Fourth Floor

Artist’s Open Call Exhibitions
20 Jay Street, Third Floor

Brooklyn Art Now Survey Exhibition Curated by Loren Munk/James Kalm
111 Front Street, Second Floor