The powerHouse Arena welcomes the Dumbo community for a special opportunity to meet their staff and visit the brand new bookstore and gallery.

Where:
The powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street
Corner or Water and Main Streets

When:
Saturday, November 11th
From 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
*bring the kids!

Questions about who they are, what they do, and where they are going are welcome.

On this special occasion they are pleased to offer the DUMBO community 20% off all our books and 10% off all our limited editions.

{powerhousebooks.com}

powerHouse Arena is pleased to announce dance performances

Human Spare Parts Choreography by Emily Power
and
Compound by Å pela Sterle Dance

Friday, November 10 & Saturday, November 11, 2006
Show starts at 8:00 pm; $15 at door

powerHouse Arena
37 Main Street, Brooklyn
Please call 917-841-4316 for more info

Presented with an expansive and thrilling new venue in DUMBO, Brooklyn, fellow Brooklynites, Emily Power and Å pela Sterle, decided to join together to inaugurate this unconventional and avant-garde new performance space with a shared evening of dance.

“These little snowflakes that fell to earth and melted in the heat of bomb blasts are not spare parts either. Show as much concern for them.”
—miketakesumbrage.blogspot.com

Read the rest of this entry »

Gloria Kennedy Gallery
111 Front Street Gallery 222
DUMBO Brooklyn, New York 11201
www.gkgart.com
(718) 858-5254

November 8 – December 2 2006

Opening reception November 9, 2006, 6-9p.m.
Miyuki’s exotic stone sculptures exude a beauty that is released softly into a natural balance that brings light and warmth. She transforms rhythm, spirit and emotions into curves and forms that are lucent and beg to be touched.

About Gloria Kennedy Gallery
Located in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn, New York, the Gloria Kennedy Gallery presents diverse and spectacular visual exhibitions of contemporary art that define the art space in a new vernacular. The Gallery represents emerging and known artists and provides the art community a superlative mixture of collectible art. All visual arts are exhibited with a focus on three dimensional masterworks.

  Rooftop, Sweeney Building with views of J Condo, Beacon Tower, and 70 Washington

Two months ago, I looked at four realtors with exclusive listings in the Dumbo Brooklyn area. In my un-scientific number-gathering, here’s what I found for the four real estate firms:

For Sept 2006, adding up the 57 condos on the market:
- the average asking price is $1,116,541, while
- median price is an even $1,000,000 and
- average price per square feet is $801.95.

Two months later, for the sake of consistency, I’ve added up the condos on the market for the four real estate firms.

As of 11/6/06, there are 61 condos on the market:
- the average asking price is $1,158,829 (+3.79% since the 2 months), while
- median price is $1,075,680 (+7.57%) and
- average price per square feet is $851.14 (+6.13%).

The above numbers don’t include Sotheby’s Realty since I didn’t include them in my previous market update. I include the numbers from Sotheby’s Realty below. Here’s what’s on the market in Dumbo, Brooklyn as of November 6, 2006:

• Douglas Elliman has 8 listings. The average asking price is $1,437,571 while the average price per square feet is $789.73.
• Corcoran has 47 listings (many of them J Condo or Beacon Tower). The average asking price is $1,029,945 while the average price per square feet is $813.44.
• Halstead has 4 listings. The average asking price is $1,288,750 while the average price per square feet is $960.62.
• Brown Harris Stevens has 2 listings. The average asking price is $1,537,500 while the average price per square feet is $900.29.
• Sotheby’s Realty has 7 listings. The average asking price is $1,528,983 excluding the $8.6 million listing of the Clocktower penthouse (which would skew the average).

This is obviously not reflective of the sale price or market value, but meant as a comparison of what’s on the market two months ago vs today. Any brokers out there see increases in sale prices?

{Will Dumbo Real Estate Continue to Rise in 2006?, DumboNYC.com, 9/11/06}
{Dumbo Market is Still Blazing (For Now), Curbed.com, 9/12/06}

through November 12, vintage Danish modern furniture retailer Baxter & Liebchen will hold an overstock sale at its DUMBO digs in Brooklyn, New York.

Sale items include 40 Rosewood and Teak dining tables and 20 sets of dining chairs, all from 30-40 percent off. Here is your chance to pick up a Gudme Rosewood dining table, for $2500 to $1500, a Herning Kjaernulf Teak dining table, for $1120 to $1600, or a set of Niels Moller Rosewood dining chairs, from $400 to $600 each. Prices will also be slashed on several hundred other original vintage Danish pieces.

Baxter & Liebchen is located at 33 Jay Street, in Brooklyn, at the corner of Plymouth, one stop into Brooklyn on the F train (York street station). The store is open from Tuesday-Sunday, from 10-6. For more information, call 718-797-0630.

When: 10/28-11/12 (10-6; closed Mondays)
Where: 33 Jay St., nr. Plymouth St., Dumbo, Brooklyn; 718-797-0630

{www.interiordesign.net}
{www.apartmenttherapy.com}

  Manhattan Bridge from 68 Jay Street
  (Click for larger version)

  Photo from New York Daily Photo

New York Daily Photo, a New York City photo blog by ‘Brian’ does a great job of capturing some images and events around New York City. Brian got some great shots of The River Cafe, which probably has some of the best views of Manhattan, but it seems to be one of the few places in Brooklyn that attracts more Manhattanites than Brooklynites. New York Daily Photo writes:

“In 1977, when chef-owner Michael O’Keefe opened The River Cafe on the Brooklyn waterfront , it was definitely a pioneering move, with doubts as to whether they would survive. Destinations off the beaten path do not always fare well in NYC – South Street Seaport is an example. New Yorkers and visitors are spoiled – we expect everything to be at hand and traveling to a restaurant, when there are 17,000 in Manhattan alone, is asking a lot. But the River Cafe has triumphed over these concerns. Their success has been driven by the spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, New York’s harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge.”

I’ve never been there myself. Are there any Brooklynites out there who have been to The River Cafe? How’s the food?

The River Cafe
1 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 718-522-5200

“The River Cafe accepts reservations for lunch, brunch, and dinner up to one year in advance, with the exception of reservations for special Holidays”

{The River Cafe, newyorkdailyphoto.blogspot.com}

Sankaranka Gallery: Sankaranka Gallery-Contemporary African Art at 111 Front Street/suite 206

What: Reception–A Ceramist and A Painter
When: 6 – 9 pm this Thursday, November 2nd

Sankaranka Gallery-Contemporary African Art is pleased to host the works of Bruno Sserunkuuma (Ceramist from Uganda) and Daniel Kambere (Painter from Democratic Republic of Congo). Although both artists have exhibited widely in Africa and Europe, this will be their first exhibition in the United States.

Bruno is a Lecturer in Ceramics at The Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts of Makerere University in Kampala. Daniel, a former art instructor, is now a full time artist and an active member of the arts community in Kinshasa. The surface of the vase is to Bruno what the canvas is to Daniel: they both paint rich, bright, colorful images of their surroundings. They both provide visual commentaries on the social and political developments in their respective countries. Because of the many years of war and destruction in his country, Daniel’s works show a particular concern for matters of peace, progress and the environment.

There will be a reception for the artists on Thursday, November 2nd from 6-9pm. The exhibition will end on Sunday, December 3rd. Gallery Hours are every Wednesday through Sunday, 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

  Dumbo First Thursdays:

November 2nd, DUMBO’s First Thursday Gallery Walk, sponsored by Two Trees Management. First Thursday features area galleries and artists’ studios, open from 5:30 to 8:30, on the first Thursday of each month. The welcoming informality of First Thursday attracts casual browsers as well as serious art collectors to each festive event, with galleries, studios and cultural organizations in DUMBO hosting receptions and exhibition openings. There is no admission fee- participating galleries are open to the public.

See Dumbo First Thursdays for listing of participating galleries and more details.

  ”I Have a Thing for Street Vendors”, Photo courtesy of mashyguy

During the Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival, the streets of Dumbo were lined with artists displaying their art or selling artwork. Also during events throughout the year, there are local art and craft sellers on the street. Despite discussions of expensive rentals and million dollar condos in the area (which are pricing many artists out of the area), Dumbo still has local artists doing great work. Come support them at events such as the festival or DUMBO First Thursday Gallery Walk.

From the flickr photo above, the photographer writes:

Overall, that was my general sentiments when discussing it with Roberta last night. The building were oozing with the smell of terps [and toner/ink cartridges]… Lots of earnest stuff; a lot less “anti-_____” stuff than I was dreading.

Unfortunately, the neighborhood is changing; BUT interestingly enough the larger of the devlopers here seems to be preserving pockets… They know the area cannot become the retail mecca SoHo became, so they kinda want to hold onto the Artist/resident cache as long as possible.

They moved Roberta from her studio with the trillion dollar view of the Brookly Bridge and lower Manhattan; BUT they did provide here with 1000 square feet at under $2,000/month. Which, is honestly unbeatable in this ‘hood.

  ”SoHo circa 1980 Revisited”, courtesy of mashyguy

{“I Have a Thing for Street Vendors”, Flickr.com}