Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Sea of Bees plays Sycamore on Saturday.
Tonight 2/2
* Scrabble Club at Temple Beth Emeth, 7pm.
* Guitarist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter Clay Ross is at The Castello Plan, 8pm.
* Call Me Ishmael plays at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg, 10pm.
Friday 2/3
* Friday night mixed doubles league at the Prospect Park Tennis Center, 8pm.
* Edoheart and Toli and The Femm Nameless are at Sycamore at 9pm.
* As of now, the Q train will be running normally this weekend–no shuttle buses!
Saturday 2/4
* Target Fist Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum features programs inspired by the special exhibition Question Bridge: Black Males, 5-10pm.
* Brooklyn College Basketball: Women @ 12:30pm, men @ 3pm. Games are free!
* Gallery Night for Burma Education in Williamsburg, 6-10pm.
* Julie Ann Bee brings her musical project Sea of Bees to Sycamore, 9pm.
Sunday 2/5
* All day Super Bowl specials at Ox Cart start at 11am.
* Super Bowl Feast at 773 Lounge, all you can eat and drink for $30, 5:30pm.
* The weekly jazz series Underground Works is downstairs at Sycamore, 8pm.
Monday 2/6
* You bring it, you spin it, at Monday Night Vinyl Club at Sycamore, 8pm.
* Saxophonist and composer Robbyn Tongue plays The Castello Plan, 8pm.
* Half-handed Cloud, Pony of the Good Tidings, and Lorah Campbell are at Sycamore at 9pm.
If you have a neighborhood event happening over the weekend that you’d like to see listed, send us an email by Wednesday afternoon.
- Mary
Tags: Events
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
As this month’s Ditmas Reads Ditmas pick, we’d love to hear what you think about Rachel Sherman’s book, Living Room. A gripping family drama with daughter, mother, and mother-in-law all trapped in their own, sometimes debilitating, neurosis, I couldn’t put the novel down. Each character annoyed me, but I loved them. I haven’t read another book that explores the female journey in this way.
I recommend this book if you are a daughter, mother or mother-in-law. I also recommend it to men searching for insight to their daughter, wife, and mother/mother-in-law hearts.
Continue reading for my thoughts on the main characters and to share your own thoughts about the book, but beware of possible SPOILERS…
- Amber
Tags: Ditmas Reads Ditmas, Rachel Sherman
Posted in Art & Music |
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Neighbor Patrick Shea, who wrote a song for each chapter of the book Moby-Dick, put together the live band Call Me Ishmael, and they’re performing this Thursday in Williamsburg:
Call Me Ishmael
Thursday, February 2 at 10pm
Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer Street in Williamsburg)
We’re playing with a slightly different lineup this time. Maxx Loup has joined us on keys and guitar (sometimes both in the same song!), and Dan Gottesman has stepped in excellently as drummer, following the recent European relocation of Jeff Rohe. Come at the very least to see us try to fit five people on the stage at Pete’s!
In addition, a reminder about his Moby-Dick film competition, which will run during the band’s last day of residency at Pianos in the spring:
There’s still time to submit your one minute Moby-Dick film to be screened at our Pianos residency in March. Our residency covers every Thursday in March from 7:00-10:00 in the upstairs lounge. The film competition will take place on Film Night, Thursday March 29, at 7:00, but THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES is February 15, so get to it!!! More details at callmeishmael.org.
- Mary
Tags: Call Me Ishmael, Moby-Dick, Patrick Shea
Posted in Art & Music |
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
The Soul Vibrance plays Sycamore tomorrow.
Tonight 1/26
* Hear the honky tonk of neighbor Michaela Anne at The Castello Plan at 8pm.
* Trading in the trumpet for drums is the Shane Endsley Drum Trio, Sycamore, 9pm.
Friday 1/27
* Am Thai Bistro opening celebration, 10:30am.
* Friday night mixed doubles league at the Prospect Park Tennis Center, 8pm.
* The Flatbush flava of The Soul Vibrance is at Sycamore at 9pm.
* Shuttle buses replace the Q train between Prospect Park and Atlantic Ave again this weekend, starting at midnight.
Saturday 1/28
* Preparatory Center for the Performing Arts Open House, 12:30pm.
* Sustainable Flatbush’s Free Community Meal at Flatbush Reformed Church, 12pm.
* Do the Hustle at Latin Fever Dance Studio, 4pm.
* Brooklyn College Basketball: Women @ 12:30pm, men @ 3pm. Games are free!
* Brooklyn’s Dive Bar Dukes bring bluegrass to Sycamore, 9pm.
Sunday 1/29
* Two dance workshops for kids at Latin Fever starting at 12pm.
* The weekly jazz series Underground Works is downstairs at Sycamore, 8pm.
Monday 1/30
* Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer Sean Moran is at The Castello Plan, 8pm.
* A new residency program called Monday Night Ramble starts at Sycamore at 8pm, with the Zach Brock Group and the Jamie Reynolds Group.
If you have a neighborhood event happening over the weekend that you’d like to see listed, send us an email by Wednesday afternoon.
- Mary
Tags: Events
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Friday, January 20th, 2012
Members of One World Symphony include neighbor Sung Jin Hong, Artistic Director and Conductor, who will be leading a concert this Sunday and Monday for the Lunar New Year that celebrates the moon:
What is it about the moon? She evokes peace and passion, fear and fascination. Schubert’s and Schumann’s songs ring with the deep emotions moonlight can stir in those still hours when dreams reign. It is in those hours that, sitting on a bench in Central Park in the Dark, Ives conjures the abstracted sounds of a sleepless pulsing metropolis. In Dvořák’s Rusalka, the water sprite begs the silver moon to tell the object of her obsession of her love for him. Spohr’s Erlkönig paints Goethe’s tale of a father and son on their haunted ride through a dark and windy night, as they struggle to outrun the supernatural forces that pursue them. The moon burns cold in the deep swells of the dark foreboding sea in Britten’s Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes. Some nights the silver lady mocks us as we wearily battle insomnia. Other nights she stares over her shoulder as we wake in a cold sweat from our own sinister nightmares.
One World Symphony Presents Moonlight
Two Performances: Sunday, January 22 & Monday, January 23, 8pm
Holy Apostles Church
296 9th Avenue at West 28th Street, Manhattan
$30 Students/Seniors with ID; $40 General
- Mary
Tags: One World Symphony
Posted in Art & Music |
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Andy Statman plays had to cancel at Sycamore on Saturday, see below.
Tonight 1/19
* Neighborhood favorites Spirit Family Reunion play The Castello Plan at 8pm.
* High-grade vintage tunes are spinning at We Live in Brooklyn, Sycamore, 9pm.
Friday 1/20
* Indian Food & Shabbat in The Round at EMJC, 6pm.
* Friday night mixed doubles league at the Prospect Park Tennis Center, 8pm.
* Brooklyn-based brothers N/A play with Colin Ruel at Sycamore at 9pm.
* Shuttle buses replace the Q train between Prospect Park and Atlantic Ave again this weekend, starting at midnight.
Saturday 1/21
* Whisk Bakery Cafe assets sale, 10am-3pm.
* Brooklyn College Basketball: Women @ 12:30pm, men @ 3pm. Games are free!
* Pre-Teen Bash at Latin Fever, 5pm.
* The “unabashedly American music” of Andy Statman is he had to cancel, but the new lineup will be Jim Whitney on bass, Larry Eagle on drums, and guitarist Nate Radley will be sitting in for Mr. Statman at Sycamore, 9pm.
Sunday 1/22
* Japanese House Twilight Tour, 4pm.
* The weekly jazz series Underground Works is downstairs at Sycamore, 8pm.
Monday 1/23
* Community Board 14 Youth Services Committee meeting, 7pm.
* Eau de Vie: Brandy & Cognac Tasting at Sycamore, 8pm.
* Kristin Slipp and Dov Manski are at The Castello Plan, 8pm.
If you have a neighborhood event happening over the weekend that you’d like to see listed, send us an email by Wednesday afternoon.
- Mary
Tags: Events
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
The next time you walk past the Cortelyou Library, you may notice two bright blue triangles painted on one wall, and if all goes as planned, they won’t be alone for too long. They’re the mock-ups for a mural by artist and neighbor Kathryne Hall, which is likely to go up all around the library this summer.
In collaboration with the Cortelyou Library Friends Group, Hall is planning a large-scale mural called “Tumble,” which will feature a design of rotating triangles wrapping around the building’s exterior. They’re working with the library and hope to have the temporary mural painted in June, to stay up through the summer. They’ll be assisted by Colossal Media Group, a company with vast mural experience, and they’re hoping to enlist the help of local high school students for the painting as well.
Kathryne Hall’s rendering for Tumble.
“It’s something that can be be interpreted in a lot of different ways,” Hall said of the tile-like design. “People have seen it as pieces of sky, like children tumbling, and more.”
Designs that are open to interpretation are a common theme of her work–check out her past public art projects, and save the date for her upcoming one-day installation “Traverse,” which will be on Staten Island in June as part of the 2011 LUMEN Fest.
The library piece should only take a day or two to install, and they’re working on finding the best solution for paint–the test uses one that’s environmentally-friendly and water-based–that will be easily power-washed off, which won’t leave any residue on the building.
As for the inside of the library, construction is moving along. They’re still hoping to stay on schedule and reopen in February, but we’ll keep you posted about an exact date when we hear more. In the meantime, the Cortelyou Friends continue to host some programming at the Kensington branch, including the new knitting and crocheting group that meets tomorrow, and the writing workshop for tweens that meets on Fridays at 3:30pm.
- Mary
Tags: Cortelyou Library, Friends of Cortelyou Library, Kathryne Hall, murals
Posted in Art & Music |
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
While Occupy Wall Street has given people a way to voice their frustration with the state of the economy (and more), it’s also provided artists a unique opportunity to document a movement. And over the past four months, several Ditmas Park photographers have posted work they’ve shot at OWS events.
For instance, photographer and neighbor Vanessa Bahmani’s portraits, which show the subjects’ thoughts on a dry-erase board, allowed her to “really contrast what I thought the media was saying about the occupiers,” as she explained in a profile for NY1.
Other photographers have posted their work around the internet as well: Adrian Kinloch, Breukellen Riesgo, and Nelson Ryland.
Anyone else been out there taking pictures at OWS? Link to your shots in the comments!
- Mary
Tags: Occupy Wall Street, photography
Posted in Art & Music, Neighbor Profiles |
Monday, January 16th, 2012
A reminder that the Uncover Church Avenue exhibition at the Flatbush Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library opens tomorrow, Tuesday, January 17. Stop by the opening to see the art and vote on what will be painted on several roll-down gates along Church Ave this spring.
Uncover Church Avenue Art Exhibit Opening
Tuesday, January 17, 6-8pm
Flatbush Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library
22 Linden Blvd, off Flatbush Ave
- Mary
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
In a city where public space is at a premium, most of us have opinions about how that space should be best used and designed. Some of us may even have actual ideas for how to better utilize public spaces. But how often does anyone listen? The answer: not often.
This month, Brooklyn Utopias is offering a rare opportunity for artists to do just that with their Park Space, Play Space Request for Proposals (PDF here):
Brooklyn Utopias is an ongoing exhibit and event series, founded in 2009, in which artists, youth, activists, architects, designers and urban theorists consider differing visions of an ideal city through the “concrete” example of Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Utopias: Park Space, Play Space at the Old Stone House (OSH) invites artists to consider the history, politics, and planning surrounding public parks and recreation spaces. Participating artists will critically respond to past and present notions of “utopian” park design and use; and/or propose their own visions for ideal public spaces. This exhibit will correspond with re-opening ceremonies for the newly renovated Washington Park/J.J. Byrne Playground neighborhood hub surrounding OSH.
And if you’re not originally from Brooklyn (as many of us are not) and want to show a little hometown pride, fear not. The RFP states, “While the exhibit will consider Brooklyn as a case study, artists are also welcome to explore models in other boroughs and other cities.”
Proposals are due by midnight on Monday, January 23.
As always, please let us know if you’re one of the selected artists as we would very much like to proudly proclaim your glory throughout the hills…of this blog.
- Avi
Tags: Request for Proposals
Posted in Art & Music, Green, Neighborhood History |
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
Charlie Hunter plays at Sycamore tonight.
Tonight 1/12
* Wine tasting at T.B. Ackerson, 6-8pm.
* Guitarist David Phelps is at The Castello Plan at 8pm.
* Charlie Hunter celebrates his latest album with a solo show at Sycamore, 9pm.
Friday 1/13
* Friday night mixed doubles league at the Prospect Park Tennis Center, 8pm.
* DJs will be spinning sweet, sweet soul at Sycamore starting at 10pm.
* Shuttle buses replace the Q train between Prospect Park and Atlantic Ave again this weekend, starting at midnight.
Saturday 1/14
* Brooklyn College Basketball: Women @ 12:30pm, men @ 3pm. Games are free!
* Latin Fever New Year’s Celebration Social, 8pm.
* DJs will let you Occupy the Dance Floor at Sycamore starting at 9pm.
Sunday 1/15
* E-waste recycling at Prospect Park, 10am-4pm.
* A serenade of vintage Jamaican sound at Swing-a-Ling, Sycamore, 8pm.
* The weekly jazz series Underground Works is downstairs at Sycamore, 8pm.
Monday 1/16
* Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Public schools are closed, libraries are closed, no mail delivery, no trash or recycling collection, and alternate-side parking is suspended. Consider these service opportunities.
* MLK Day adult and junior tennis program at Prospect Park, 1-4pm.
* Author happy hour with Rachel Sherman at Sycamore, 5-7pm.
* The jazz piano tradition of the Alex Levin Trio is at The Castello Plan, 8pm.
If you have a neighborhood event happening over the weekend that you’d like to see listed, send us an email by Wednesday afternoon.
- Mary
Tags: Events
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Ditmas Acoustic @ the Sanctuary is back with its first, and special, presentation for the new year. Richie Barshay and the RB3 Band in will be performing at the Sanctuary at Temple Beth Emeth, which will be a special concert recording: “Join the audience of our upcoming video and audio release project for an evening of original music in the sonic oasis of the Sanctuary.”
RB3 is:
Richie Barshay, percussion
Jo Lawry, voice
Petr Cancura, saxophone, mandolin
Todd Neufeld, guitar
Jorge Roeder, bass
Ditmas Acoustic Live Recording
Wednesday January 18, 7:30pm, $10
The Sanctuary @ Temple Beth Emeth
83 Marlborough Road (at Church Ave)
- Mary
Tags: Ditmas Acoustic, live music
Posted in Art & Music |
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Our next Ditmas Reads Ditmas author, Rachel Sherman, lives with her husband and daughter in their Brooklyn apartment but writes about where she grew up: the Long Island suburbs.
Sherman has lived in Ditmas Park for almost four years. She picked Brooklyn as the place to raise her daughter because of its diversity. The suburbs had “a façade of culture and depth,” Sherman says. “People had money, but they never did anything interesting.”
The paradox between the façade and the real is what Sherman explores in her writing, rivetingly so.
Her most recent book, Living Room, explores the dark secrets hidden inside picture-perfect homes–specifically the living room–of a teenage girl, her mother, and grandmother. Each of the women is self-absorbed in her own secret. But when the secrets become overwhelming and their world implodes…well, that is what we will discuss at the end of this installment. Read the book and join our discussion.
Sherman teaches writing at Columbia, Rutgers, and right here in Ditmas Park. Sherman’s local writing class is held at the Ditmas Workspace for beginning and advanced writers. The class begins on Monday, January 23.
“Everyone has a story to tell,” Sherman says, “they just need to make the space and time to write it.”
There are still a couple seats left in Sherman’s class if you want to sign up for the 10-week session. Email her at rachel@rachelsherman.net for more information.
How is Sherman setting aside time and space to write? Living Room’s publication coincided with the birth of Sherman’s daughter. Navigating parenthood, teaching, and writing has been a challenge, and therefore Sherman is still working on her third novel. Still, she has published a variety of short stories and parenting articles. As every parent knows, it’s a juggling act, but a worthwhile one.
You can buy Living Room at Amazon or Barnes and Noble, or at Sycamore on Monday, January 16, from 5-7pm, where Rachel Sherman will join us for an author happy hour, and she will have copies available for sale.
Ditmas Reads Ditmas is a reading series featuring local authors. At the beginning of the installment, we introduce the author and the book. Then we offer local readers a chance to meet the author, get their book signed, and ask questions. At the end of the installment we host a book-club style discussion in the comments section of the blog. Our goal is to support our local authors and build our community through reading.
- Amber
Tags: books, Ditmas Reads Ditmas, fiction, Rachel Sherman
Posted in Art & Music, Neighbor Profiles |
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Sean Patrick Coleman plays at Sycamore tomorrow.
Tonight 1/5
* Ditmas Park Scrabble Club meets at Temple Beth Emeth, 7pm.
* Trumpet player Ben Holmes is at The Castello Plan at 8pm.
Friday 1/6
* Sean Patrick Coleman brings his raucous rock to Sycamore at 9pm.
Saturday 1/7
* First Coffee Bark of the year at Prospect Park, 7am.
* Recycle your Christmas tree at Mulchfest, 10am-2pm (repeats Sunday).
* Sean Patrick Gallagher art show opening in Red Hook, 5-8pm.
* The Good House Reveler and Hilary Hawke play Sycamore at 9pm.
Sunday 1/8
* The Greenmarket is back from vacation on Cortelyou Road, 8am-3pm.
* Joshua Rubin Memorial Service at Temple Beth Emeth, 4pm.
* A serenade of vintage Jamaican sound at Swing-a-Ling, Sycamore, 8pm.
* The weekly jazz series Underground Works is downstairs at Sycamore, 8pm.
Monday 1/9
* Regular monthly meeting of Community Board 14, Murrow HS, 7:30pm.
* Nataliya Zaytseva and Madrugada play The Castello Plan, 8pm.
If you have a neighborhood event happening over the weekend that you’d like to see listed, send us an email by Wednesday afternoon.
- Mary
Tags: Events
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Friday, December 30th, 2011
Artist and neighbor Sean Patrick Gallagher has a show of new work going up at the Sweet Lorraine Gallery in Red Hook next month. The “Covered” series opens with a reception on Saturday, January 7 from 5-8pm, and will be on view through January 29.
- Mary
Tags: art show, Sean Patrick Gallagher
Posted in Art & Music |
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
CJ Boyd plays at Sycamore tonight.
Tonight 12/29
* Tamar Korn plays a repertoire steeped in early twentieth century American music at The Castello Plan at 8pm.
* Ambient and virtuosic, melancholic and playful, CJ Boyd is playing bass at Sycamore at 9pm.
Friday 12/30
* Bring the kids to the Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park for traditional needlecrafts, 1-3pm.
Saturday 12/31
* New Year’s Eve: Here’s what’s happening nearby.
Sunday 1/1
* Happy New Year! The Greenmarket is closed today, as is much else.
* But you can get brunch at several places, including 773 Lounge.
If you have a neighborhood event happening over the weekend that you’d like to see listed, send us an email by Wednesday afternoon.
- Mary
Tags: Events
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
The first Monday Night Vinyl Club of the year is on January 2 from 8pm to midnight at Sycamore. It’s free to drop in and spin five songs of your choice.
Monday Night Vinyl Club #61
January 2, 2012
8p – 12a
At Sycamore Bar and Flowershop
Free
(DJs choice)
Facebook event
- Mary
Tags: Monday Night Vinyl Club, Sycamore
Posted in Art & Music |
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
Neighbor Martha Clippinger’s first solo exhibition, “hopscotch,” will be opening at the Elizabeth Harris Gallery (529 W 20th St, Manhattan) on Thursday, January 5, with a reception from 6-8pm. The show will be on view through February 4.
- Mary
Tags: art show, Martha Clippinger
Posted in Art & Music |
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
Comedian and neighbor Eliot Glazer and his writing partner Brent Sullivan have been releasing several videos in their hilarious series It Gets Betterish, and their new episode was shot in Ditmas Park, as was this one, which begins at the Cortelyou stop on the Q. All the episodes are really worth checking out this weekend if you need a break from holiday family time.
- Mary
Tags: comedy, Eliot Glazer, It Gets Betterish, neighborhood on film
Posted in Art & Music |
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Jonathan Kreisberg plays at Sycamore tonight.
Tonight 12/22
* Weekly knit & crochet circle at the Kensington Library, 6pm.
* Zafer Tawil and Philip Mayer at The Castello Plan, 8pm.
* Guitarist and composer Jonathan Kreisberg plays at Sycamore at 9pm.
Friday 12/23
* One of your last days for Christmas shopping–look back on our local gift-buying guides if you need some inspiration.
Saturday 12/24
* Christmas Eve: Try dinner at Purple Yam.
* Religious services in several languages available on Christmas Eve and Day.
Sunday 12/25
* Merry Christmas! The Greenmarket is closed today, as is much else.
* First Annual Holiday Burger Bar at Sycamore, 4pm.
If you have a neighborhood event happening over the weekend that you’d like to see listed, send us an email by Wednesday afternoon.
- Mary
Tags: Events, holiday
Posted in Art & Music, Community Event |
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Task for the week: Use a past ArtSpace post as inspiration for a new one
Artist: Avi Glickstein
Inspiration: Nu Ryu’s porch cats from August 26th
“The Porch Cat’s Meow”
If they only knew…
If they only knew the fire I’ve salted away these long years.
How many years? Hard to tell.
They wasted theirs long ago, those two.
I can’t see for sure
— a ridiculous notion —
But they have an emptiness about them, a vacuity, a coldness about them.
So that when you are near them, you sense their desperation to hold onto whatever meager kindling they still possess after lifetimes of undisciplined excess.
Whereas I…
I’m ready to burst.
If they only knew what I hold inside me…
They wouldn’t be so flip all the time
Demanding my deference to their “unparalleled field experience.”
I have been careful
Frugal
Sensible
Watchful
A slow-burn sensation, allowing friction to build
For a proper and clean combustion.
But is now the moment, proper and clean, for a proper and clean combustion?
Might there not be a better moment…tomorrow?
Might there not be a better moment…down the road?
I’ve waited this long,
Held tight to my heat in the face of far greater opportunities,
In moments of coarsest and most volatile friction, I did not sway but held true.
I did not squander my gifts.
And I will not do so now.
No.
I will not.
I will not!
I WILL NOT!
I will not be held captive to an imperfect moment like this,
When a better one awaits.
I can hold…
I can contain…
I only…
I only wish…
I only wish I knew…
How does living in Ditmas Park feed/inspire/affect your work?
Yes, it’s bucolic. Yes, it’s unusual for NYC. Yes, I take a long, pleasant, exhale of relief when I get off the train from Manhattan. But more than anything, those big, glorious houses taunt me. They seem to whisper things like, “If you just work a little harder, maybe there’s the slightest chance you could live here. But now…that’s just a really big IF.” Stupid houses.
Tell us about the past ArtSpace piece you chose for inspiration – which one, why you chose it, etc. – and how it influenced today’s work.
When I was looking at Nu’s little matchbook cats again, I noticed–in the photo of them from the back–a distinct difference between the cat on the far left and the other two. Then, looking at him from the front, a little voice just came out, all secretive and ambitious. I’m not really sure what he’s up to, but, as everyone knows, all cats have something to hide.
About Avi
When I’m not writing for your friendly neighborhood blog, I’m a playwright and actor who frequently collaborates with Object Collection (an experimental theater and music performance group) and is an Associate Company Member of Polybe + Seats. Plays I’ve written can be found in this book and, soon, on this website.
If you’d like to contact Avi:
dpblogavi@gmail.com
More info on ArtSpace:
What is ArtSpace?
Past ArtSpace posts
ArtSpace #25: (?) tomorrow
*Due to a little miscommunication, we have a last-minute, empty ArtSpace slot tomorrow. If you’re feeling inspired by the task this week and have a little extra time on your hands before tomorrow, email me asap at dpblogavi@gmail.com to claim it.
- Avi
Tags: ArtSpace
Posted in Animals, Art & Music, Neighbor Profiles |
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
The Castello Plan is hosting a special night of world music starting this evening at 8pm:
Jerusalem-born Zafer Tawil is an accomplished Palestinian musician whose areas of expertise include the oud, violin, qanun, and Arab percussion. He has performed with some of the most celebrated world music artists, including violinist and oud master Simon Shaheen and Rai singer Cheb Mami. After moving to New York in 2009, jazz drummer Philip Mayer soon discovered the world of frame drumming- as discovery that led him to India, Spain, Italy, and Israel where he studied Arabic percussion with such masters as Zohar Fresco and Yshai Afterman.
- Mary
Tags: live music, The Castello Plan
Posted in Art & Music |
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
Today, we bring you the long-awaited ArtSpace debut of our fearless editor.
Task for the week: Use a past ArtSpace post as inspiration for a new one
Artist: Mary Bakija
Inspiration: Amanda Kavanagh’s ”Cinco de Mayo” from November 17th
“Cinco de Mayo”
14″ x 18.5″ quilt
How does living in Ditmas Park feed/inspire/affect your work?
Unlike many other places in Brooklyn, I actually have enough space in my apartment that I can leave a mess of fabric spread out when I need to walk away from a project, and it won’t get in the way of anything else. Well, it mostly doesn’t.
Tell us about the past ArtSpace piece you chose for inspiration – which one, why you chose it, etc. – and how it influenced today’s work.
Like Amanda, I often walk past the corner of Westminster and Cortelyou and love how the light hits the apartment building above Cinco de Mayo in the afternoon. But I can’t paint, so I turned her painting into a small quilt. Normally I make large, functional, quilts in repetitive patterns, so it was nice to break out of that and have some fun, almost like painting with tiny pieces of fabric.
About Mary
Besides working on the blogs, I’m a member of the NYC Area Metro Modern Quilt Guild, which I’m happy to provide more information about if anyone is interested–just email me. I’ve been meaning to get to a meeting of the Quilter’s Guild of Brooklyn but have never made it–if you go, let me know!
If you’d like to contact Mary:
All questions, comments, tips, thoughts, anything, as always, please email me at ditmasparkblog@gmail.com.
More info on ArtSpace:
What is ArtSpace?
Past ArtSpace posts
ArtSpace #24: Avi Glickstein tomorrow.
- Avi
Tags: ArtSpace, quilts
Posted in Art & Music, Neighbor Profiles |
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Appropriately enough, the first ArtSpace post from yesterday’s artist was the inspiration for today’s piece.
Task for the week: Use a past ArtSpace post as inspiration for a new one
Artist: William Bredbeck
Inspiration: Adam Mayer’s “things we left behind” from September 26th
“Things we left behind”
How does living in Ditmas Park feed/inspire/affect your work?
Despite having lived in New York for the better part of twenty years, I am not a very urban person, so the proximity to Prospect Park is necessary for my happiness. Even though the park has its issues, I love it very much, especially at night, in the snow, or in a storm, when you can pretend you are a million miles away. For similar reasons, I love our “Green Stain” dripping down from the park on Google Maps. I live by the Parade Grounds, and I love the positive energy, the vibrancy of the community, and the feeling that we are all working together to energize the area. All of this helps create the dynamic world that the characters in my work inhabit.
Tell us about the past ArtSpace piece you chose for inspiration – which one, why you chose it, etc. – and how it influenced today’s work.
There were so many great things we created to choose from, but there was just something about Adam Mayer’s imagery in this poem which made me want to step out of my comfort zone and interpret it. Maybe it was thinking back on the excitement of Irene. Or maybe I am just a person who sees things left around and tries to imagine what the stories behind them are.
About William
William has climbed mountains and made oil paintings in Alaska, worked as the lead animator of a show on Nickelodeon, as a crewman on a three-masted schooner, and as a bike messenger in Manhattan. He also plays the saw and the accordion. He currently lives in Caton Park, Flatbush with his lovely daughter and wonderful wife and is the Senior Art Director at Arkadium, a game development company.
If you’d like to contact William, he can be reached at:
wbredbeck@gmail.com
More info on ArtSpace:
What is ArtSpace?
Past ArtSpace posts
ArtSpace #23: Mary Bakija (!) tomorrow.
- Avi
Tags: ArtSpace
Posted in Art & Music, Neighbor Profiles |
Monday, December 19th, 2011
Artist and neighbor Chrissie Dowler, who is a member of the Flatbush Artists Studio Tour (FAST), has been doing commissioned sketches of people’s children recently, which could make a very special gift:
The gift giving season is upon us again. Perhaps you’ve already gone out and moshed you way through frenzied shops on Black Friday, or (gladly) spent the hours at work shopping away on Cyber Monday. If you are still trying to figure out what to get for friends and loved ones this holiday season, consider a gift of art! Please see attached drawings I did for a colleague that had the brilliant idea of giving his lovely wife sketches of their kids. He had the kids put their hand print on their sketch and then had it framed.
She says she will still be able to do them in time for the holidays. If you’d like more information, please contact Chrissie at 917-679-5854 or cdowler@gmail.com.
- Mary
Tags: Chrissie Dowler, gifts, Portraits
Posted in Art & Music, Holidays |
