Saturday, June 28, 2008

AMERICANS WHO TELL THE TRUTH / WE WILL BE HEARD
























In college, I had this incredible professor named Bud Schultz (Bud is pictured above in the middle of me and my friend Chapin Spencer). Bud taught a class called Radical Ideas in Education and assigned great reads by Paulo Freire and the likes.

Bud had a huge respect for our thinking and he also was a real support for student activism. Bud was also my advisor until he retired from his teaching post. My school and my studies were not the same after he left. But he stayed in the minds of many of us on campus, students and professors alike.

Recently, as I passed a neighborhood book store, one book in particular caught my eye. I thought to myself "This looks like something Bud could have done." And sure enough, I was right. Bud's new book, which he created with his wife, Ruth, is called We Will Be Heard: Voices in the Struggle for Constitutional Rights Past and Present. I like what blogger Scott Lewis says of the book:

"We Will Be Heard is the result of over thirty years of passionate work by Bud and Ruth Schultz and could very well be the most important book ever published in this decade. [The book]covers nearly a century of individuals standing up for freedom of association and expression from the 1920s to the present. Noted Georgetown Law Professor David Cole calls it 'the most beautiful political book you will ever read'. There are more than 90 first-person accounts, accompanied by stirring portraits where you can see the pain of the struggle yet the resilience and determination on these individuals faces who demonstrated remarkable courage by refusing to be silenced. The stories of Janet Nocek, Ray Rogers, Jim Guyette, and Hany Kiareldeen and others should be required reading."

Shortly after I saw Bud's new book, I discovered a project similar in nature called Americans Who Tell The Truth. Rob Shetterly, an artist who lives in Maine, did portraits and short biographies of more than 50 Americans who exemplify integrity and courage. He turned the collection of portraits into both a book and a curriculum and now spends much of his time talking to young people in school about the project.
Bud Schultz, my college prof, noted that both he and Rob covered some of the same individuals in their respective books, including Pete Seeger, Harry Hay, and Dan Ellsberg.

I am heartened and inspired by how Both Rob and Bud have used their artistry to highlight individuals who speak and work for justice.

Friday, June 27, 2008

CREATE GOOD KARMA: HELP THIS BLOGGER FIND A NEW JOB

MY GOAL: A job (part time is fine) that allows me to do what I love to do, am good at doing, and am already doing in my life!

WHAT I LOVE TO DO AND AM GOOD AT DOING:

Using blogging as a vehicle for building community.

Meeting, interviewing, writing about, and bringing together writers, artists, entrepreneurs, parents, philanthropists, community-minded folks.

Bringing people together for a common purpose or cause.

Introducing people to each other.

Connecting people to tools and resources for personal and professional development.

Choreographing, conceptualizing, and collaborating.

Making people laugh.


OTHER SKILLS & INTERESTS:

Team-building * Going Behind the Scenes and Getting the Scoop * Muppets * Comedy * Dance Facilitating Group Workshops * Client Relations * Children’s Literature * Theatre * Pageantry

IDEAL WORK SETTINGS:
New York-based publications (blogs, newspapers, magazines)
Local radio, television, or film

Libraries
Organizations related to culture/the arts - museums included
A place where creativity, human relations, collaboration, and a sense of humor are valued
Community-based organization
Natural environment/outdoor setting – e.g. Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

HEROES/HEROINES:
THIS WOULD BE GREAT:
If you hear of or know of a person, job opening, or organization that you think would be a good fit for me, let me know via email or phone. 917 499 7395 or ETraubman@aol.com

REWARD:
My undying gratitude!

LET A VETERAN BLOGGER HELP YOU START YOUR OWN BLOG

WHY WRITE A BLOG?

  • Boost business /sales

  • Market your ideas, products, services

  • Expand your network of personal and professional connections

  • Connect with customers, friends, clients, colleagues

  • Show what you do beyond your resume

  • Increase your confidence and skills as a writer or photographer­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

  • Share your voice with the world!
Let a veteran blogger (me!) help you launch your own blog! Call to set up an appointment: 917-499-7395

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

THE ART OF POSSIBILITY

"You are more likely to be successful, overall, if you participate joyfully with projects and goals and do not think your life depends on achieving the mark because then you will better be able to connect to people all around you. On the whole, resources are likely to come to you in greater abundance when you are generous and inclusive and engage people in your passion for life. There aren't any guarantees, of course. When you are oriented toward abundance, you care less about being in control, and you take more risks. You may give away short-term profits in pursuit of a bigger dream; you may take a long view without being able to predict the outcome. In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold."

Monday, June 23, 2008

HIS FIRST RAINBOW

On Sunday evening, while it was still sunny outside, there was a huge rainstorm. Right away, I wondered if there would be a rainbow. I walked outdoors, and sure enough - there it was right up there in the sky. As I walked along Bond Street toward Atlantic, I stopped a couple of families with young children and asked "Hey, did you see the rainbow?" You had to stand at certain places to see it. One mom was so excited when she saw it and then exclaimed "Thank you for showing us. This is my son's first rainbow!"

I felt like I had done a good deed for the day.

Image from Dream-A-Lot

Sunday, June 22, 2008

STUFF I'VE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT

What happened to that wonderful waitress, Lucy, after the beloved Cafe La Fortuna closed down?

What will happen to the books and employees of the magical Donnell Library while the building they are in is being fancified for their new room-mates/property owners?

What is the singer Natalie Merchant up to these days?

What are Webstarr and Young B of Chicken Noodle Soup fame up to these days?

How can I meet Kenny Ortega, the guy who choreographed and directed Newsies?
I would love to see him at work and interview him for my blog.

Are some of the (former)child actors from Newsies still friends, since they spent so much time together rehearsing all those incredible dance numbers?

Does Jack Black see a parallel between the characters he played in Nacho Libre, School of Rock, and Kung-Fu Panda?

Where is Julie Taymor (pictured above) when she dreams up all her ideas? What is she up to these days?

Will I ever be as flexible as I was when I was ten?

Will I ever realize my dream of having an Arts Loft - a giant space where I bring people together around visual and performing arts? How could I bring myself one step closer to that dream?

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Friday, June 20, 2008

SOME INTERESTING EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY-BUILDING


























It Takes a Village to Raise an Artist
Painter Mike Sorgatz has started an online community of artists in Brooklyn.
At http://www.artinbrooklyn.com/, Mike is creating an online gallery showcasing the work of Brooklyn Artists.

It Takes a Village to Raise a Neighborhood
Petra Symister, creator of Bed-Stuy Blog, uses words and images to highlight goings on in her neighborhood in terms of real estate, local business, politics, transportation, and the art and culture scene. One of Petra’s neighbors is now contributing a regular feature on the blog called Meet Your Neighbors. For the record: People have moved to Bed-Stuy because of what they’ve read on Petra’s blog.

It Takes a Village to Raise a Family
My friend Susan was asked to be the Social Action Committee Chair at her synagogue. She now pulls together synagogue members (many of them elderly adults) and her own family members, including a teen and pre-teen, to do all sorts of projects. Now, her children have a whole slew of other adults who care about and watch over them.

It Takes a Village to Raise a Community Garden
In 1986, Lily Yeh collaborated with the residents of an underserved North Philadelphia neighborhood to build a community park. Her Village of Arts and Humanities has grown since then to encompass several parks, gardens, a community center and regular performances and events. (Portrait of Lily above by Rob Shetterly, creator of Americans Who Tell the Truth.)

It Takes a Village to Raise a Grocery Store
At the Park Slope Food Coop, more than 10,000 members take turns working at jobs there so that all of us can buy locally-grown, pesticide-free or minimally treated produce; pasture-raised and grass-fed meat; free-range, organic and kosher poultry; fair-traded chocolate and coffee; wild and sustainably farmed fish; supplements and vitamins; imported and artisan cheese; freshly baked bread; bulk grains and spices; environmentally safe cleaning supplies for 20-40% less than we’d spend in a regular grocery store.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

SOME RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING

BOOKS BY MARGARET WHEATLEY, INCLUDING:

Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time


Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future

A Simpler Way

Margaret is a woman who has been teaching, writing, speak about, and practicing the art of community-building with an emphasis on “radically new practices and ideas for organizing in chaotic times.”

BOOKS ON AMAZON.COM ABOUT BUILDING COMMUNITY

MEETUP.COM is an online social networking portal that facilitates offline group meetings in various localities around the world. Meetup allows members to find and join groups unified by a common interest, such as politics, books, games, movies, health, pets, careers or hobbies.

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES, which offers these trainings:

How to Turn a Place Around is an introduction to the Placemaking principles and process. The two-day workshop is held twice a year in New York City, and is geared toward a broad spectrum of professionals and community activists

An introduction to developing and maintaining successful public markets, How to Create Successful Markets, is also offered twice a year, in New York City or a host city. Tours of public markets and interviews with market managers are essential elements of the course. The course builds upon the work PPS does around the world in creating public markets as a catalyst for social and economic change

Streets as Places is a two-day training seminar held in New York City three to four times a year. The course introduces participants to new ways of thinking about streets as public spaces and shows how Placemaking can build great streets and great communities. Streets as Places features a walking tour of recent street improvement projects in NYC, an on-site Placemaking street audit, and open discussions about current transportation issues and challenges.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

START YOUR OWN BLOG ALREADY!

WHY WRITE A BLOG?

· Boost business /sales

· Market your ideas, products, services.

· Expand your network of personal and professional connections

· Connect with customers, friends, clients, colleagues

· Show what you do beyond your resume

· Increase your confidence and skills as a writer or photographer

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Let a veteran blogger (me!)help you
launch your own blog!
Call now to set up an appointment
917-499-7395

Monday, June 16, 2008

BROOKLYN BLOGGERS ARE BUILDING COMMUNITY

Three years ago, when I moved to Brooklyn with Mike, I had a very clear goal: to build community here. I wanted to lay down some solid roots in the way of relationships, and I was open to the forms they could take – creative collaborations, friendships, work partnerships, neighborhood acquaintances.

Writing a blog has turned out to be an excellent vehicle for building community. First, there are the people that I interview: I gathered some of those folks and started a monthly goal-setting group for women artists. Then there are other bloggers: I found them in 2006 when Louise Crawford of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn organized the First Annual Brooklyn Blogfest. From there, a group of us decided that we Brooklyn bloggers would meet monthly. So we formed The Brooklyn Blogade .

Here’s what the Blogade does: In order to promote geographic diversity, we rotate the job of hosting the monthly get- together. So far bloggers from seven different areas of Brooklyn have hosted the brunch in a neighborhood restaurant or café. We also created a Google group so that we can communicate online. We talk about everything from how to get more folks involved to how to handle attacks from readers.

Last month, I helped organize the Third Annual Brooklyn Blogfest. What was great about this Blogfest is that at least half of the Blogade members, plus non-bloggers, stepped up to the plate and took on jobs to make the Blogfest a big success. My friend Pete Solomita, who I had interviewed for my newsletter, volunteered to be the DJ. Julio of E-String Technologies was the stage manager. Joyce Szuflita made the signs. Adrian Kinloch organized all of the technical aspects of the evening.

I’m talking about the world of Brooklyn bloggers because I want you to know that it possible to create community wherever you are. You can build community around your faith, your paid work, your work as a parent, your love of dogs, or your love of hiking in upstate New York. Start making in-person connections with people who share similar passions and concerns and watch the quality of your life skyrocket.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

TRIBUTE TO MY DAD ON FATHER'S DAY: A CONVERSATION ABOUT PAGEANTRY





















Dear Dad,

It’s fun thinking about the things we have in common, including our mutual love of the following things:

Chocolate
Naps
Being in nature
Swimming in the ocean
Silly stuff / humor/ whimsy
Email
Communicating with people
Facilitating communication between and among people
Theater and pageantry

On the topic of theater and pageantry, it was fun reminiscing with you yesterday about all the great shows you took me to before I had even turned 10, shows like Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, and The King and I. I appreciate that you thought of bringing me to those shows and I’m glad we got to do that together.

Interviewing you about your relationship to theater and pageantry helped me further understand and appreciate how you cultivated a sustained love and value of these things. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in the deep yet easy-to-understand way that is your signature style of communicating ideas.

Love,
Eleanor
Your Daughter of 38.5 Years

INTERVIEW WITH MY DAD ON THE TOPIC OF PAGEANTRY
(Please note that in some places I have taken the liberty of paraphrasing what my dad said.)

Eleanor: How would you define pageantry?

Dad: Pageantry is an art form that is a combination of music, symbols, costume, and dance that communicates at all the levels of how humans experience things – through the intellect and through emotion, the heart. Pageantry touches us in ways that intellect alone does not. It is a way of acknowledging, remembering and celebrating life.

Pageantry acknowledges what music, symbols, stories and art forms touch us and have meaning for us. It helps us remember who we are and pulls us to be more human, to be the best we can be. That is pageantry at its best.

Eleanor: What are some of your early memories of being exposed to theater and pageantry?

Dad: When I was in first grade [in public elementary school in Los Angeles], our school celebrated May Day. We had a May Day pole with ribbons hanging down and each one took a ribbon and walked in a circle around the pole with it. This represented a new dimension of life for me.

The school took us to see many operas, for example La Traviata . I was given a lot of culture in this way. They also took us to see the Los Angeles Philharmonic. We were bused to all these events.

I remember the costumes, the lighting, how the stories were told in art form. We were taught what the stories meant before going to the shows and we were taught who to look for in terms of the characters.

In terms of pageantry, there were school graduations and in college, there was pageantry surrounding football games. There were also parades like the Rose Parade. I remember marching bands at Cal Berkeley football games and seeing those bands touched me.

Eleanor: What has been the appeal of pageantry to you?

Dad: Pageantry has given me a strong sense of belonging, community, purpose, strength, and the idea of overcoming adversity by becoming excellent. I have always been vulnerable to inspiration.

Pageantry is important in shaping children, especially if things are not going perfectly at home.

It’s important to have public pageantry. A few people, a small remnant of people who have a strong sense for idealism and excellence can create pageantry in a way that can teach, affect, and lift up the whole community.

It is important to participate in pageantry, too, to be an actor in it and not only a recipient. We participated in some marches to help prevent war in Iraq.

Eleanor: What made you decide to take us to those musicals when we were younger?

Dad: You should have those experiences when you are really young. When I took you to see The King and I, I encouraged you to run behind the scenes to see the actors in the dressing rooms. You said “Aren’t you coming with me?” and I said “No, you can do it.” And you did that while I waited at the stage door.

Eleanor: If you were going to put on a pageant today, what would it be about?

Dad: It would be a pageant that shows the beauty of the races, religions, sexes, preferences, nations, and animals. It would be an acknowledgement of beauty and life. I would just celebrate it!

Dad's name is Len Traubman. He lives in San Mateo, CA with my mom Libby. They pioneered the Jewish - Palestinian Dialogue Group. For more info: http://traubman.igc.org/global.htm

Saturday, June 14, 2008

THERE IS MAGIC IN THE WEEDING

Every week, I have been weeding in a different part of my life.
These have been my projects so far:

Weeding Paper Files

Weeding the Rolodex

Weeding Computer Files

Weeding Clothes

Weeding Toiletries

Weeding Kitchen Stuff

Weeding Books

It takes discipline to do something each week on this path and the rewards are great.

I have noticed that after each weeding project, I feel freer, lighter, more open for new people, experiences, opportunities, miracles, to come my way. And they are coming my way, one person and experience and miracle at a time.

De-cluttering, like gardening, is an ongoing process. You keep plucking out the stuff that is no longer useful, relevant or beautiful to make room for new growth.

THE BOUNCE BACK BOOK - BRAND NEW FROM KAREN SALMANSOHN

The Bounce Back Book: How to Thrive in the Face of Adversity, Setbacks, and Losses is the newset book of speaker and author Karen Salmansohn. What I like about this book is that Karen encourages people to actually face and deal with their feelings in tough times, rather than mask them with substances or other distractions. I wrote to Karen: Remember that old aspirin commercial where they sang "I haven't got time for the paaain, no I haven't got time for the paaain?" That song pretty much sums up our society's views on dealing with physical or emotional struggles. Just numb it out and everything will be cool!

Karen offers a generous and varied menu of ideas on the topic of dealing with adversity - 75 of them, actually! Plus the book has a red cover made of -- yes! -- bouncy, rubbery material. Clever woman, that Karen.

GO SEE NATE'S PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE BROOKLYN LIBRARY

This in from Nate Kensinger of kensinger.blogspot.com

I want to invite you to my upcoming photography exhibit at the Brooklyn Library on Grand Army Plaza. Its titled "Twilight on the Waterfront - Brooklyn's Vanishing Industrial Heritage" and is about the Brooklyn industrial waterfront. It features rare views inside places like the Domino Sugar Refinery, Admirals Row, and underneath the Atlantic Yards.

The show opens on June 18th and goes to August 30th. On June 18th, there will be a "meet the artists" viewing of the work from 7:30pm to 9pm, in the Grand Lobby of the library.

It's very bold of the Brooklyn Library to be exhibiting "Twilight on the Waterfront" right now, especially since it opens on the same day as the Red Hook Ikea, and features several photos from the historic structures that were destroyed during the Ikea construction process. Also, most of the photos in the show were taken in off-limits places, places that the developers and corporations who control the Brooklyn waterfront don't want the public to see.

As you probably know, I'm a Brooklyn based photographer, living in Park Slope... my blog is at kensinger.blogspot.com and more information about my show can be seen here:http://kensinger.blogspot.com/2008/05/photo-exhibits.htm

Please email me if you have any questions about the exhibit. And please feel free to invite other people or organizations who you think would be interested!

TEN TIPS FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY

1. Use the internet to create or join a community of people who share your interests or concerns. Meetup.com is a great vehicle for doing that.

2. Take it beyond the internet: Get out there and meet face-to-face with people you’ve met on the internet. Nothing replaces human contact. The Brooklyn Blogade (see pics above) is a monthly gathering of Brooklyn-based bloggers and friends which meets in the various neighborhoods of the borough. The Blogade is a great example of using the internet to build human relationships.

3. Walk your block. Every morning, I pass by and say hello to the same neighbors, shopkeepers, and crossing guards whose names I make a point of knowing. If people have a “fixed point” – e.g. behind the store counter, in front of their house, by the crossing walk – it’s easy to greet them each day.

4. Participate in local, ongoing projects – e.g. park cleanups, a community garden, meetings with local merchants. Strong communities are based on relationships that are built over time.

5. Make friends with people across (artificial dividers of) age, race, class, strengths, and life experiences. Do you remember adults from your young life who encouraged you and paid thoughtful attention to you, even for a few minutes? Do that for a young person you know.

6. Fundraise for causes you believe in. Fundraisers are a great way to get to know other people and to bring people together. They don’t have to be fancy.

7. Address what keeps you back from being part of groups. Most people have some unpleasant memories associated with being part of groups. Some people had a rotten time in school. Some people grew up in harsh family lives. Some people were dragged to religious services every week. So, there is fear about losing individuality or having our individuality discounted or disrespected.

Know that it is possible to shape groups so that they honor both a collective life and the amazing contributions and strengths of each individual, including you.

8. Keep in touch with individual people. If you see Suzy Q at a neighborhood association meeting once a month and you’d like to get to know her better, call her to go have lunch sometime. The life of a community is as strong as the relationships that individual people have with each other.

9. Speak, read, write and paint about the things that matter most to you. The more you put yourself and your interests out there in the world, the more chances you will have of finding people who share those interests.

10. Decide what your community-building goals are and start strategizing your plan to get there. Many of us are encouraged to have goals for our career, family, financial, or love lives but we’re not really taught that community is important or how to build it for ourselves and our families. Instead, we’re encouraged to prize geographic or career/economic mobility over staying put and developing relationships and community over time.

Some examples of goals:

1. I’d like my family to be part of a community of ten other families who share friendship, outings, meals, and childcare responsibilities.

2. I want to create a community of fifteen women artists who support and track each others’ progress over a three year period.

3. I’d like to have a group of five to seven close-knit friends who get together regularly for lunch.

4. I’d like to coach an athletic team for my son or daughter and bring together the families as much as possible.

5. I’d like to organize college students in my city/borough/state to help register people to vote in the next presidential election.

Where do you want to be in one year? In five, ten, and twenty years? Do you want to be surrounded by people that you respect and care about and who respect and care about you? Think about your big goals and start taking small, daily steps to reach them. Over time, our lives either contract or expand. Our world gets either bigger our smaller. It’s up to us to decide and shape how we want our lives to be.

Friday, June 13, 2008

PEPPER, WISE DOG OF PRESIDENT STREET

PHILLIP AND PEPPER

Almost daily, I walk by Phillip and Pepper's house and have a brief visit with them.

If the weather is nice, Phil is usually sitting out front saying hello to passersby. He knows many of their names and they know his.

Phil keeps a beautiful garden and he sits next to that in a plastic chair. Pepper is with him, soaking up the sun.

Phillip is a retired order clerk from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. He bought Pepper nine years ago. It's good to see them enjoying life together.

EVERYTHING HAS A DEEP DREAM












I've spent many years learning
how to fix life, only to discover
at the end of the day
that life is not broken.

There is a hidden seed of greater wholeness
in everyone and everything.
We serve life best
when we water it
and befriend it.
When we listen before we act.

In befriending life,
we do not make things happen
according to our own design.
We uncover something that is already happening
in us and around us and
create conditions that enable it.

Everything is moving toward its place of wholeness
always struggling against odds.

Everything has a deep dream of itself and its fulfillment.

* Written by Rachel Naomi Remen, taken form Margaret J. Wheatley's Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time

HAIRSPRAY TREADMILL MARATHON (DAMN, I'M SORE!)

I don't what came over me yesterday. I think I got excited about getting back into shape. I went to the YMCA, did some stretching and weight-lifting, and then got on the treadmill. I turned on the little tv screen and - lo and behold! - the movie Hairspray was playing, ad-free.

I've already seen movie Hairspray twice (the re-make, not the original). I tried to rent it, but however the company made this particular DVD made it incompatible with an older model of a DVD player that we have. Since I can't rent the movie, I thought "Why not sieze the moment and watch it now - THE WHOLE THING?!"

I usually stay on the treadmill for half an hour at most, doing two miles on an incline. This time, I stayed on for AN HOUR AND 45 MINUTES, doing somewhere between 6 and 7 miles. Boy, did I get the adrenaline pumping. It was actually a great feeling to know that I could push myself further than my regular two miles. And I had a blast re-re-watching one of my favorite movies.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

MY FRIEND SARK'S NEW BOOK IS COMING OUT ON AUGUST 5!

My friend SARK's newest book, Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper is coming out on August 5. She just emailed me to let me know that my blog will be mentioned in her new book and that she is hosting a blogging festival in July to promote Juicy. I think I hear a vacation calling to me!

Here's some information about the book, taken straight from Amazon.com. You can pre-order the book from them.

Product Description
Write and share what’s in your heart! Let SARK show you how. Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper is your non-judgmental witness, resoundingly supportive friend, and practical guide to the craft of writing and storytelling. For anyone who knows that a writer lives within them but doesn’t know how or where to start; for writers who need new ways to work past their blocks and be reinspired; for anyone who loves SARK’s wise words and art, Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper will help start the ink flowing and keep it going.

About the Author
SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) is the bestselling author and artist of fifteen books, including the national bestsellers Succulent Wild Woman, Bodacious Book of Succulence, Eat Mangoes Naked, Prosperity Pie, and Fabulous Friendship Festival. She is an acclaimed speaker and teacher, and is the CEO and founder of Planet SARK, a thriving business that promotes empowered living. SARK lives in San Francisco; visit her at http://www.planetsark.com/.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

ARTIST'S SPACE AVAILABLE ON DOUGLASS STREET

This in from Elise Long, Director of Spoke the Hub:

"Many of you ask me to keep you posted when space becomes available at the Gowanus, so this just in: there seems to be some transitional movement this summer in one of the ground floor spaces at the Gowanus on Douglass Street. Regina, who is a painter and holds the lease there, is looking to share the space with one or two others I think. Please contact her directly if you are interested in this workspace share (Regina McFadden <Regmcfadden@earthlink.net>)

I think Regina might also be open to re-structuring the current space layout too if necessary, so talk to her. We --- Spoke the Hub -- are upstairs, musicians next door, visual artists on 2nd floor, architect on 3rd, etc. It is truly a great group of creative people in the building right now!

Regina sez: Great work space for reasonable price. Approx. 180 sq. ft. for $525/month. Turn-of-the-century industrial building. Space has exposed brick walls, very high ceilings, private (locked) with shared bathroom, kitchenette and 500 sq ft. common area (which can be used for shows, meetings, etc.) 24-hour access and on-call building management.

Artists & small businesses/freelancers appropriate; not a corporate environment!"
Available immediately. 295 Douglass Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue.

LAVENDAR LAKE THIS FRIDAY AT SPOKE THE HUB

This just in from Elise Long, Director of Spoke the Hub:

Dear Friends,

This Friday is the last of our Spring "NY Matters" Film Series.

The film is "Lavender Lake," one that I have been wanting to see for eons myself and I am really hoping you will join me. The film-maker will be there, and hopefully Michele de la Uz (Fifth Avenue) and Craig Hammerman (cb6) as well, which could make for a very interested post screening discussion.

I will provide the cold lemonade (and beer!)

A Brooklyn community battles over a suddenly desirable urban landscape in
Lavender Lake:Brooklyn's Gowanus Canala documentary by Allison Prete

Screening & DiscussionFriday June 13, 2008 7:30pm

SPOKE THE HUB 295 Douglass Street // btwn 3rd & 4th Aves. // Brooklyn

This event is part of New York Matters: a Film Series about Community

For Further Information, Directions, & Reservations:718.408.3234 //

http://www.spokethehub.org/Suggested Donation: $5

BRIT IN BROOKLYN HOSTS BROOKLYN BLOGADE ON JUNE 22ND


JUNE BROOKLYN BLOGADE

Sunday June 22nd at 12 nOON • Root Hill Cafe •
4th Avenue and Carroll

(Take the R Train to Union)

Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn is hosting this month's blogade so naturally the emphasis will be on photoblogging. Anyone who regularly posts images will find it useful and Adrian will be on hand to answer your questions.

If you are thinking of starting a blog you'll be in great company as there'll be bloggers around who'll be happy to chat with you about setting something up.We'll also talk about copyright, fair use and backing up your work.

There will be the regular 'shout out' where eveyone gets to talk a bit about their blog and the chance afterwards to share your blogging experiences, gripes, groans and news.With or without a blog *everyone* is welcome, and we're especially keen to meet new bloggers in less represented turfs!

The Brooklyn Blogades are a monthly meet and greet for bloggers, blog readers, and people who are thinking about becoming bloggers. It's a great opportunity to network and to learn a thing or two about blogging. It's also a great way to learn about new blogs.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

WE SURVIVED SURVIVOR

Mike Sorgatz and I spent the entire weekend of May 30 - June 1 traveling back and forth between Carroll Gardens and DUMBO. We had the good fortune of attending DAC (Dumbo Arts Center's) Survivor: An Artist's Opportunity Workshop. Amazingly, the weekend was FREE - an opportunity made possible by The Joan Mitchell Foundation and The Dedalus Foundation.

Survivor consisted of a daily series of panels and presentations containing information about how artists could get their work out into the world. Visual artist Melissa Potter talked about how to create a kick-a** artist porfolio. Linda Park from NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts) familiarized participants with NYFA Source, the nation's most extensive online directory of awards, serivces, and publications for artists, which features more than 8500 programs.

Tucker Neel introduced GYST (Get Your S*** Together), a database program designed by artists for artists to keep track of artwork, business aspects, proposals, and mailing lists.

New School faculty member Sarah Schmerler led a interactive two-hour workshop about how artists can pack a punch in a statement about their work.

Each day was a raffle for the attending artists to meet with a curator for a "Doctor Session." Mike won a session with independent curator Tania Duvergne, who gave him feedback on how to get his paintings into galleries.

A heartening aspect of the weekend was how much the presenters emphasized the importance of artists building a community of peers and the importance of generosity in terms of sharing resources and information with one another.

HEY ARTISTS: STOP LIVING UNDER CLUTTER!

Clutter represents unfinished business and unfinished business zaps your energy.

Clutter detracts from your real work, which is........MAKING ART!

Would you like help de-cluttering

your studio?

your desk?

your files?

your closets?

your office?

Call Eleanor @ 917-499-7395

Eleanor Traubman has been helping artists and entrepreneurs get organized since 1999. She has been featured in Time Out New York, The Brooklyn Paper, Family Circle, Sun Times Chronicle, and Fitness.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

CHECK OUT THIS FISH MY BROTHER CAUGHT!

Last weekend, Adam "Trout" Traubman (my lil' bro) broke the Aqua Hunters record for biggest Ulua from a kayak. This baby weighs in just under 50 pounds. To learn more about the kayak fishing trips my brother leads in HI, go to this site http://www.kayakfishing.com/schools.html