This month had so much amazing art it takes two posts (one for the extraordinary art days with my sis, one for the lonely days after she returned to her coast). Here’s the rest of what I saw this month:
Brew Reading Series at Hungry Ghost
I need to go to this every time, because it’s always worth it. The readers never fail to be fantastic, and bonus: I walked away with a copy of Sara Lipman’s short story collection! She read some unpublished pieces that completely blew me away. I was also enthralled by Joe O’Brien’s poetry collection which melds the worlds of 1990s music and 1920s women.
Whisper or Shout at BRIC Arts Media
I don’t even know where to start with this, so I’m posting the event info here. You need to see it. There are so many, really really great pieces, but the highlights for me were several stunning (reach-inside-and-squeeze-your-breath-out) series by Shaun Leonardo. I also really loved the haunting photographs from Matt Black’s Geography of Poverty series exploring the often unseen side of migration.
BRIC is now officially one of my favorite spots in Brooklyn.
Slide 1: From Matt Black’s Geography of Poverty
Slide 2: (Top) Johnathan (Bottom) Trayvon by Shaun Leonardo
Slide 3: Laquan McDonald (1 of 2) by Shaun Leonardo
Slide 4: Laquan McDonald (2 of 2) by Shaun Leonardo
Rattle & Hummmm at Odetta Gallery
This was a double-down art night trek in Bushwick. I started with the group show Rattle & Hummmm at the Odetta Gallery. There were several interesting pieces, but the standout was this gorgeous 24-foot Nancy Baker installation:
Nancy Baker at Odetta Gallery
(Also, as I was leaving I caught the perfect light on some really great graffiti)
NSFW @ Outlet
Ok, here it is: my first negative art review. I wanted to like this so much…but it was kind of terrible. I loved the idea – female artists painting male nudes. But sadly I felt the art itself was neither skilled enough nor imaginative enough to be successful as anything other than straightforward pictures of naked man-bodies. Left feeling a little let down…
Come on, ladies. We can do better.
Panel Discussion: The Role of Culture in Social Change Brooklyn Musum/Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art
I feel like my instagram caption says it best: Holy sh!t, I was just in the same room with all these legends: Kathleen Cleaver, Monica Dennis, Jamal Joseph, Carmen Perez and Laura Whitehorn. Panel was (brilliantly) moderated by Soffiyah Elijah.
It was such an incredible experience to hear these intergenerational activists speak/respond/interact with contemporary issues of social change. Again, so amazing to live somewhere with access to these kinds of events…that are free and hosted by really great organizations. (Have I ever mentioned how much I love the Brooklyn Museum?)
