SAVE THE DATE: RED HOOK INITIATIVE'S 8TH ANNUAL TASTE OF RED HOOK IS SEPTEMBER 30TH

 

“Taste of Red Hook” will take place on Tuesday, September 30, 2014, from 6-9pm at Pioneer Works, Center for Art + Innovation (159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn).

 More than 40 local restaurants, distilleries, and wineries will offer a wide sampling of their signature dishes and drinks. “Taste of Red Hook” is the annual fundraiser for the Red Hook Initiative (RHI), a community-based nonprofit that works to confront poverty through a model focused on youth development, community building, and local hiring.

 "Taste of Red Hook is a unique event in our neighborhood," says Jill Eisenhard, RHI's Founder & Executive Director. "It is one of the few occasions where small business owners, home owners, public housing residents, elected officials, and local supporters are all gathered under one roof. Not only is it a fun event, the proceeds also contribute to true systemic change and pathways out of poverty for Red Hook youth."

"We've participated in Taste of Red Hook since it first began eight years ago, and are proud to be a part of it," says Ben Schneider, co-owner of The Good Fork, a nationally acclaimed restaurant. "Taste is a special night of the year when Red Hook businesses get together to eat, drink, and celebrate our community."

All proceeds from Taste of Red Hook go to RHI, winner of the 2012 New York Magazine Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. RHI employs over 100 local residents, a majority of whom are teenagers or young adults. Many of these youth participants will be present at the event to speak about their role at RHI.

 

Tickets for RHI’s only fundraiser of the year are available on the RHI website: www.rhicenter.org

 

This year's event is sponsored by Terra CRG, The O'Connell Organization, aptsandlofts.com, Kamco, Koya Leadership Partners, Massey Knakal, New York Water Taxi, EILEEN FISHER and International School of Brooklyn.

The following establishments are some of those that will participate in Taste of Red Hook 2014: Alma, Baked, Blue Marble, Brooklyn Crab, Brooklyn Ice House, Court Street Grocers, Defonte's, Fairway Catering, Fleisher's Pasture-Raised Meats, Fort Defiance, Good Fork, Grindhaus, Hometown, Hope & Anchor, IKEA, Jack from Brooklyn, Kevin's, La Slowteria, Margaret Palca Bakes, Mark's Pizza, Nightingale9, Pok Pok NY, Raaka Chocolate, Red Hook Bait & Tackle, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Red Hook Winery, Six Point Craft Ale, Steve's Key Lime Pie, The Chocolate Room, Uncouth Vermouth, Van Brunt Still House, Whipped Pastry Boutique, and Widow Jane.

BIKIN' IN BROOKLYN: IT TOOK A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CYCLIST

I am proud to be a lady biker.  A Brooklyn-based lady biker.
But I wasn't always one.  I was too scared to ride a bike alone and in traffic.

My man bought a bike for me many years ago when we were newer to Brooklyn.  I rode a few times with him, and that was it.  I was too scared to ride in traffic on my own, so Pink Bike sat idly, chained up to to a street sign on our block. 

Years passed.  I joined a health support group at a local YMCA. We set goals each week and rallied around each other to reach those goals.  One week, I said to the group "I am going to get on my bike and ride it for TWO BLOCKS to the neighborhood park." "That is a great goal!" said the group.

I was scared, I mean really scared, to get on the bike without the company of my husband.  I did not know traffic rules.

But I got on the bike, and started pedaling toward the park. 

Once my trip was underway, a strange thing happened: I got to the park, but instead of stopping there, I kept pedaling.  I somehow remembered the way, more or less, to a path by the water that went through Brooklyn Bridge Park and then into DUMBO.

Wait a sec, how did this happen?

I pedaled home, not believing what I had done.  When I got off my bike to lock it up, I was shaking pretty hard.  I don't know if it was from fear, fatigue, or both.

But I had done it - I had ridden my bike through traffic all by myself!

It's weird, because adults aren't supposed to get excited when we overcome fears.  But I think we should! And we should celebrate our successes and share stories of overcoming fears with other adults.  Why?  Because it breaks down the isolation we experience around the fears we carry, and  because we can help inspire each other to address our fears with support.

Example:  I was chatting with one of the employees of the place where I bank.  He told me he would love to learn how to swim, but never had taken it on because of a near-drowning experience he had when he was very young.

I told him about my experience with riding a bike alone. I said that I thought it was much easier to deal with fears with the support and accountability of a group, like the one I was part of at the Y.  I told him that the Y taught people just like him how to swim.

The next time I came into the bank, I asked Banker Man if he had taken any steps toward swimming. He said he had told his girlfriend about the idea, and that they were thinking about taking a swim class together.  I was so excited to hear this!

Back to biking for a minute.

There are some other things I did to keep building courage and support around being a lady biker.  I discovered a great organization called WE BIKE NYC.   WE BIKE is a community of women who ride bikes and who provide a safe space for women to ride together regardless of speed, skill, and riding style.  Every month, they offer different events to get more women on the road. These events include social rides, training rides, mechanics workshops and field trips.  

I went to a WE BIKE Rules of the Road workshop, a social gathering at a Lower East Side bar, and met up with some WE BIKE cyclists in Red Hook after they had rode their bikes in from Manhattan.  (I'm not quite ready to do the Brooklyn-Manhattan round trip yet.)

I also went to the New York Bike Expo just to hear a group of women panelists speak about Women's Biking in NYC: Your Questions Answered.  Very inspiring!

And guess what?  I did once injure myself, trying to be a bad-a**. Yes, that's right, I tried to jump a curb, but did not have enough speed to clear it.  So I sustained a painful soft tissue injury on my hand for a number of months.  But I survived and kept going.

Now, basically anywhere I would normally walk to, I ride my bike. 
Also, my bike has gotten me out of some pinches, like the time the F train was not running and I was going to be late for a doctor's appointment where I would have been fined for not showing up.  I hopped on my bike, raced through traffic to another subway line, and got to my appointment.

One last thing:  I am still scared when I ride my bike.  But I am also having a great time.  I am so glad I decided to push past the initial fear, with the help of a great group, and pursue my desire to ride. 'Cuz now I can ride like the wind!

Do you have any fears that you have overcome with the help of a group or another person? Do you have any current fears you would like to overcome?  What might be a next step for you?

Whatever your goal may be, I am here cheering you on!

COME THIS SATURDAY TO A SNEAK PEAK OF SEW FAB, LESLEY WARE'S SOON-TO-BE-PUBLISHED BOOK

I am beyond excited that my friend Lesley Ware will be hosting a sneak preview of Sew Fab: A Guide for Pre-Teen Fashionistas,  the book into which she has poured her heart, soul, and wisdom.

 Lesley has spent the last bunch of years teaching sewing to girls, and leading fashion camps where girls get to conceptualize and create their own fashion designs.  And now we get to glean all of her amazing expertise as a teacher, fashion expert, mentor, and skilled artist, and craftswoman.

I hope to see many people I know at her book preview.  She will be showing some of the projects featured in the book.

Lesley, I wish you much success and many adventures with your soon-to-be published book!

Here are the deets of this Saturday's gathering:

 Sew Fab Preview
Saturday, August 9th, 2014
6 PM -  9 PM

RSVP: hello@thecreativecookie.com

Sweet Lorraine Gallery
183 Lorraine Street
Red Hook, Brooklyn 11231

*show open from August 9th - 29th*

  

SAY G'DAY TO FROSTED TART!

This here is Frosted Tart, a roller derby gal who is visiting NYC from Melbourne, Australia.

I just met her on the NYC subway.

Frosted skates for the North Side Rollers, and more specifically, with The Sisters of Anarchy.  (See her second from left.)

I looked up the Rollers on the internet.  They describe themselves as "a women’s flat-track roller derby league, located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. We’re a not-for-profit association, owned and run by our members, and we train and play in the Reservoir/Preston area. We’re also an Apprentice League in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)."

She and I chatted for a minute about Drew Barrymore's awesome lady roller derby film called Whip It.  Haven't seen it yet?  Please do!

REACHING FOR A STRANGER

When someone starts starts shouting on the subway, I usually freeze up and pray that it ends soon. But not this time.

A few days ago, there were crazy problems on Manhattan-bound subways, and we passengers were being bumped from train to train and sent back into Brooklyn. 

One woman loudly proclaimed that she had been on 5 trains, and was being sent back to Brooklyn for the second time.  She started cursing and shouting, then began to cry.  People were either staring at her or looking away in discomfort.  I mean, nobody is supposed to act like that in public - right?  And I know that there is this training a lot of us get to mind our own business in public places, especially if someone seems like they're on edge.

The woman said out loud, but to no one in particular, that she was supposed to be picking up her daughter from school in Manhattan.  I thought about going over to her, hesitated for a minute, then finally decided to head her way.  Sitting across from this woman, I offered to go above ground with her and call her daughter's school.  Her story was pretty involved, but I just listened and told her several times that it wasn't her fault.  She got calmer and softened. I've felt like this woman before - enraged and panicked at the same time - but kept the feelings tucked inside.

It's definitely an interesting challenge to intervene in spots where people could use a hand in the moment and out in the public sphere.  Maybe the mom being super harsh with her child on the subway is actually overwhelmed and could use some friendly contact with another adult.   Maybe the teens who are being disruptive at the park could use an ally to come over and joke around with them.

Of course, it always makes sense to use one's discretion when approaching a tense scenario.  Maybe it's good to recruit  others to help in a dangerous situation instead of trying to handle it solo. But I think we're all more capable, creative and courageous than we think we are when it comes to being thoughtful in the direction of "strangers" out in public.  

We can always try, and make mistakes, but it's sometimes better to actually do something and learn from the experience than to be passive out of fear.

We don't always have to know each other in advance in order to offer comfort or assistance to each other.  We don't have to occupy an official role, title or position to come to someone's aid in a public space.   Appoint yourself whatever title you need to step up to the plate when a situation needs your courage and intelligence.  Be a Minister of Kindness in the workplace.  Be a Keeper of the Peace on the subway and in the streets. 

I'm curious to hear about where you've thoughtfully intervened in a tense public situation. What was the outcome? What did you learn from the experience?

Let's support each other to be wisely brave out there in the parks, subways, grocery stores and sidewalks.  Our communities need us to stay on our toes and ready to take action at a moment's notice. 

Whether it lasts 30 seconds or 30 minutes, your act of courage in someone else's direction could make all the difference in the world.

Photo credit: sizmanabc.blogspot.com

WOW! BROOKLYN NEW SCHOOL IS GREEN BEYOND BELIEF!

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating in a tour of The Brooklyn New School to learn more about its incredible efforts to promote sustainability.  The tour was organized by Emily Fano, who heads up the New York Eco-Schools - National Wildlife Federation.

After going on the tour, I understood why this school was recognized with the Green Flag by the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program.  The staff there - from the principal to the science teacher to the sustainability coordinator - work closely as a team to help the whole school community conserve natural resources and incorporate environmental education into the curriculum.

What first impressed me is that BNS has its very own Sustainability Coordinator, Johanna Esteras. This seems crucial in pulling all the different sustainability efforts together, so it's not just people doing their own thing off in different corners of the school.  The fact that there is a dedicated staff member tells me that this is a big priority for the school.

The other thing I noticed is that as Johanna showed us around the schoolyard and its various eco-friendly projects, different children came up to her to make contact and to chime in about these various projects.  They seemed to have a great tie with her and a real sense of ownership over everything.

Also, it was clear that Johanna has good relationships with different staff, and I thought "Right! All of this is possible because of those solid, cooperative connections."

Here are some of the other reasons BNS is outstanding in the field of sustainability:

* The school  has its own green blog: Ecorama.  Do check it out!

* Students took on a variety of sustainability initiatives; these included forming an Eco-Action team, increasing green space and biodiversity on school grounds, saving energy, and implementing award-winning waste reduction measures.

* The school recycles and composts 75 percent of its cafeteria food waste, turns hard-to-recycle items into art projects, and is an official city Compost Project demonstration site.

 * The school’s garden includes a “pollinator palace” and bug hotel,

* BNS students learn about a variety of globally important issues across the grades and curricula:

First graders raise crops in the school garden, use the compost they produce from their cafeteria scraps on their raised beds, and harvest and serve their produce. They explore green spaces in and around the school community — including parks, community gardens, and other urban farms.

Second graders learn about the importance of water as they engineer ways to collect water, including: designing a water filtering system, creating rainwater catchment systems, and building pipe systems to meet a variety of challenges. This spring, they created pipe systems to irrigate the school’s gardens.

Fifth graders study weather and climate change and the benefits of alternative energy sources. They demonstrate what they learn at the school’s yearly sustainability “science fair” — Ecorama.

 * Students and staff have ventured out into their community to plant and care for trees, participate in ecological restoration and cleanups at nearby Plumb Beach, and raised and released native pollinators like monarch butterflies.

* Other gems include the Green Studio — a room devoted to sustainable projects and activities; the cafeteria recycling stations; an outdoor composting center and garden, and the Eco-Casita — an outdoor classroom in a converted shipping container, topped off by a green roof.

Photo Credit: Cynthia Carris

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING HOMES AWAY FROM HOME

JJ Byrne Playground is a Home Away from Home

First thing in the morning, I pedal out to either a local park or the lounge-lobby of a small neighborhood-based hotel.  Doing so helps me clear my mind and start the day on an upbeat and note and energized mood.

There's something useful about finding a spot that's away from home, to get a bit of distance from day-to-day routines, but not go too far away, so I can return to my abode with some fresh ideas and inspiration for living.

When I was very young, and not able to go far away on my own, there were a few homes away from home.  One was the forts I built with my brother in our living room.  We took hours to fashion these structures where we could have our own space, a place to fill with sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals.  A little bit later, maybe during middle school years, I sometimes pitched a camping tent in our backyard to create the same kind of thing, only I would use bring a short wave radio in there to listen to music.

During college and post-college years, when I was became an east coast transplant from CA, my refuge became the Doylestown, PA  home of our dear family friend Rosie McVay.  Rosie, who gave me my own cozy room to sleep in, would include me in fun projects like making chocolate chip scones, washing down her patio furniture, and working in the local community garden.  She was like a Godmother to me, and I regarded her as a more laid-back, socially conscious version of Martha Stewart.  Rosie was so active in her community, that the mayor declared her 50th birthday "Rosie McVay Day" there in Doylestown.

Now, in midlife, I have several homes away from home.  One is my graduate school library, which is where is where I go to write and think.  While the local branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is much closer to where I live, it's a bit too wild and woolly for real concentration and reflection.  Plus, the school has a cafeteria with gluten-free options!

Another retreat spot is a local boutique hotel.   The staff there is relaxed about having non-guests hang out in their lounge, so I often pedal out there very early in the morning to have a glass of water and read out of an inspiring book before heading home to eat breakfast.

A third spot is 2 places rolled into one.  It's The Old Stone House, a historic site in the center of Park Slope that also encompasses J.J. Byrne Playground.  It's a super short bike ride away from our place, and a great place to start the day:  it's filled with quick, mischievous black squirrels that are fun to watch; early-rising parents with their young children; and a few folks doing their a.m. exercise routine.

What are your favorite homes away from home, and what do you love about them?

CREATE GOOD KARMA: HELP THIS BROOKLYN ARTS 'N CULTURE BLOGGER FIND HER NEXT WORK OPPORTUNITY!

Dear Friends,

I hope this note finds you well and enjoying Spring! I am excited to be celebrating the 10th year of my blog, Creative Times.

If, after taking a look at the info below, you have an idea of someone who you think I should meet, or an opportunity I should know about, please send me an email. I value your creative input!

I am looking for part time work close to my home in Carroll Gardens. Ideally, it would be a bike ride or short subway ride away.

I would love a job that allows me to use some combination of these talents:

• Community- and team-building
• Writing/researching/promoting the arts and culture scene in NY
• Connecting people of different generations
• Facilitating hands-on, interactive learning experiences

Specific settings that appeal to me are ones which center around these themes:

• Arts- and culture- related (especially the performing arts!)
• Literature/books (especially children's books!)
• Local community work
• The natural environment (e.g. parks and gardens)

Here's a little bit about my background: I'm a seasoned, Bank Street-trained educator and Brooklyn-based arts and culture writer with a history of providing hands-on, inquiry- and play-based learning experiences in school, nonprofit, and museum settings, including The Brooklyn Museum, The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, and The Brooklyn Children's Museum.

Currently, I am a docent in the Education Department at The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. There, I welcome parents, caregivers, tourists, and children into The Fragrance Garden and help them connect to opportunities to learn about the natural world. I also help run children's activities for members-only and special events. I would like to do similar work in a similar setting.

My appreciation of the rich cultural landscapes of Brooklyn and Manhattan is reflected in my work as Editor-In-Chief of the blog Creative Times. Now in its tenth year, Creative Times shines the spotlight on the performances and projects of New York's literary, performing, and visual artists and cultural institutions.

Here are some sample work projects:

• Collaborated with a team of 25 organizers to plan and oversee GO, a historic borough-wide open studio weekend designed to foster personal exchange between 1700 Brooklyn artists, their communities, and The Brooklyn Museum. Resulted in 147,000 studio visits in a single weekend.

• Conceptualized and Co-produced The Brooklyn Blogfest, an annual event for 300 bloggers, journalists, and community leaders. Recruited and managed 30-person volunteer staff. Organized monthly, neighborhood-based gatherings of Brooklyn bloggers.

• Consulted with Bank Street College of Education to use social and new media platforms to publicize alumni events; galvanize alumni activity on LinkedIn group and Twitter accounts; and strategize content areas and recruitment of writers for alumni blog.

• Managed PlayNet, a grant-funded project at The Brooklyn Children's Museum designed to increase educators', parents’, and caretakers’ understanding of play and capacity to facilitate play with children.

Thanks so much for your support! Please feel free to email me with questions or ideas.

How to Contact Me

Eleanor Traubman
ETraubman@gmail.com
creativetimes.blogsgpot.com

IT STARTED WITH AN IMAGE: MY ADVENTURES AT THE BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDENS

The image that led me to The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

A little more than a year ago, I kept getting images in my mind of flowers, plants and trees, and of me being surrounded by these things.

During that time, I found a greeting card (pictured above) which perfectly captured the feeling of what I wanted to be around.  Putting the card on my desk where I could see it each day seemed easier than going through all the steps of making a vision board.  So I just let the image stay there for a good long time so it could stay in my consciousness.

As the days passed with the garden-themed card on my desk, I started thinking about the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, and decided to go up there during the the weekend of the Sakura Matsuri cherry blossom festival.  It was a total madhouse, just thick with the bodies of thousands of people.  I made my way into the Visitor's Center where I happened to run into BBG's Director of Visitor Services and Volunteers, Lou Cesario.  He was an affable, down-to-earth guy with a fun guitar tattoo and stories of growing up in a big, Italian family.

I told him that I was interested in being part of the BBG, and he sent me online to apply to be a volunteer.

I was recruited to serve as a docent in the Education Department, and was lucky enough to be trained by two fantastic women - Shaquana Boykin and Ashley Gamell. 

Fast forward a year, and I am still in my post as an education docent, helping children, parents, educators and caregivers interact with all the mystery and magic of The Fragrance Garden, a section of the BBG which is set up so that everything in it can be smelled or touched.  After arriving in the morning, we docents set up several stations - a worm bin so that people can learn about composting (they can even hold the worms!); a story mat full of picture books about the natural environment; and one or two information tables full of objects which relate to the theme of the week and which the children can explore in a hands-on fashion. 

The information table has been a home to all kinds of interesting things - seeds of a variety of  shapes and sizes; nests; gourds; plants; objects related to pollinators.  We almost always have a scavenger hunt where children can check off things they find in the garden.  Sometimes, they get to pot up plants.  It's so rewarding to see young people, including toddlers, as well as adults, make a connection, their very own personal connection, with the natural environment. 

Aside from serving in my post as a docent, I've also had a blast helping to run children's science and art activities as the members-only and special events of the BBG.  Last spring, hundreds of young people came and decorated cardboard top hats with every kind of craft supply under the sun.  Feathers, ribbons, and pom poms were flying everywhere that day, and I could see the NY Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham a few feet away, snapping photos of the children and the hats.

There's such a positive vibe at the BBG, and everyone - staff, volunteers, and visitors - are so friendly, that it's hard to NOT feel good while you are there.

I've particularly enjoyed my interactions with President Emeritus Betty Scholtz, who has been at the gardens for 50-plus years.  She comes by car service almost every day, gets around on a walker, and is extremely sharp and interesting. She is my inspiration!

I love hearing behind the scenes stories of how people let their pets loose here (they are not supposed to), and tales of how raccoons sneak into places they are not supposed to be and end up scaring people.  I keep thinking about what a great movie that would make, a movie about how the animals take over the gardens at night, have dance parties in The Palm House, read books in the library, and have relay races on the Cherry Esplanade.

This year, there are two special things happening at the BBG: They are celebrating the 100th year of The Children's Garden and they are receiving an honorary medal from The Institute of Museum and Library Services. The award will be presented by Michelle Obama at The White House.

I look forward to many more years of adventures and friendships at the BBG, and am glad I let that image guide me to this very special, important, and magical place.

YOU ARE INVITED: OPENING RECEPTION FOR MIKE SORGATZ SOLO SHOW "SIX BRIDGES" THIS FRIDAY AT URBAN FOLK ART GALLERY 7-10 PM

Six Bridges at Urban Folk Art Gallery - Work in Progress

Six Bridges at Urban Folk Art Gallery Believe it or not spring is almost here and so is Mike Sorgatz's new solo art exhibit at Urban Folk Art Gallery. Mike will be showing a combination of paintings and prints - including a series of six paintings of the Brooklyn Bridge.    You can view the event page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1426904957556186/ Hope to see you there! Opening Reception March 21st from 7-10pm 101 Smith Street, Brooklyn http://www.urbanfolkart.com/

BRIC ARTS MEDIA PRESENTS "BROOKLYN GOES TO THE OSCARS" ON FEBRUARY 18

February 18, 2014 · 7:00 PM

BRIC House Stoop

FREE

Brooklyn goes to the Oscars with this Stoop Series featuring nominated films selected by Filmwax Radio’s Adam Schartoff.

Filmwax Radio is a 30-minunte program on BBox (Brooklyn Community Radio) that consists of interviews with folks from the Brooklyn indie film scene. Schartoff, a long time resident of Brooklyn, is founder and programmer Filmwax.

BRIC’s Stoop Series illuminates the arts and life around us in Brooklyn through artistic performances and presentations, framed by dynamic conversations with some of the city’s most innovative artists, thinkers, and tastemakers. Programs will explore the performing arts, film, media, visual arts, spoken word, and other creative fields. Engage with of the most innovative artistic voices in Brooklyn's ever-expanding cultural scene on the monumental interior stoop of BRIC House, Brooklyn's new home for the arts in downtown Brooklyn. Free, on most Tuesday nights.

OTHER UPCOMING "STOOP SERIES" EVENTS:

February 25: The Shed Storytelling Salon
March 4: Into the Loop: Friendly Falcons
March 25: Bklyn Artisanal Army
April 29: Real Characters


BRIC Arts | Media House
647 Fulton St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Tel: 718.683.5600
Fax: 718.802.9095
Email: bric@BRICartsmedia.org

Subway to BRIC House:

2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St
B, Q, R to Dekalb Ave
C to Lafayette Ave
G to Fulton
Steps from the Atlantic Terminal and the Long Island Railroad

BRIC HOUSE PARTY THIS SAT FEB 8: FIND YOUR WOW FACTOR, FEAT. CHERYL and BUSHWIG

2 PM | FREE DAYTIME ACTIVITIES


8 PM | Dance Party featuring CHERYL and Bushwig $10 Adv / $13 Door


Find your WOW factor, as BRIC celebrates individuality and imagination with a host of all-ages activities. Dance the night away with performers from Bushwig, Brooklyn’s annual festival of queer expression, drag queens, and music. CHERYL, Brooklyn’s video and performance art group, caps off the night with its exuberant sound and high-spirited displays of creativity sure to bring out your inner party monster.






SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
All Day
Boardgames!
Come play games such as Checkers, Connect Four, Candyland, Uno, Twister and more on the Stoop and in the gallery, all day long!
FREE | GALLERY & STOOP


2-4pm
Digital Remix
Green screen activity engaging visitors of all ages to create masks and props to perform with in front of a personally chosen green screen fantasy environment.
FREE | FLOOR TELEVISION STUDIO


2-3pm 
Family Dance Class: SOCA with instructors from The School at Mark Morris Dance Group
SOCA is a fun dance experience accompanied by Soca music (a blend of calypso and soul music created in the early 60s). The class will start with a short warm up, teach you some basic moves, and end with a short choreography sequence. No previous dance experience required.
FREE | BALLROOM


3:30-5pm 

Super Storytelling and Bookmaking Activity with 826NYC
826NYC, which is the home of the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., will lead youth and families through creating a character, imagining a dramatic storyline, and resolving the scene with heroic style. Participants will walk away with their very own book and have the opportunity to share their story with the crowd!
FREE | GALLERY & STOOP


5-6pm
Brooklyn Free Speech TV Screening
Hosted By Amar Taborn of Love We World Tour, we'll check out the colorful variety of short videos produced by everyday people here at BRIC House, including:
*  Dare 2 Dream: A Father’s Guide to Success – Teaching the values of being a father  (Produced by Coach Stevan Lynn.)
*  Paper Girl - A colorful exploration of fashion and entertainment (Produced by Ftema Raysor.)
*  The Hambone Show – Edgy sketch comedy that tackles real life and the movie (Produced by Powell Burns.)
FREE | STOOP


6:30pm
Paris Is Burning Screening
Paris Is Burning is a critically acclaimed documentary filmed in the mid-to-late 80s, chronicling the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it.
FREE | STOOP






8-11pm
Dance Party!
CHERYL with a performance by BUSHWIG
$10 | BALLROOM
To purchase tix to dance party, click HERE

BRIC House Ballroom

A flexible performance space (240 seated to 400 standing capacity) that accomodates a wide variety of configurations and performance styles. Located on the first floor of BRIC Arts | Media House. 

Location

647 Fulton Street
(Enter on Rockwell Place)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Google Map

Contact Information

Tel: 718.683.5600

Directions

2/3/4/5 to Nevins St | B/Q/R to DeKalb St | G to Fulton St

FREE PUBLIC EVENT ON SUNDAY FEB 9 - SEEING COLOR: CASTING AFRICAN AMERICANS IN SHAKESPEARE

 Seeing Color: Casting African Americans in Shakespeare

 

 Sunday, February 9th, 6:30pm

  Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, NY
  

 RSVP at humanities@tfana.org

In this 50th anniversary year of the Civil Rights Amendment of 1964, Theatre for a New Audience presents “Seeing Color: Casting African Americans in Shakespeare.”

The panel includes actress, poet, and playwright NEHAISSAIU DeGANNES, actor JACOB MING-TRENT, Shakespeare and ‘race performance’ scholar AYANNA THOMPSON (George Washington University), and award-winning actor JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON. Moderating the panel will be KATHARINE GOODLAND (College of Staten Island), who has interviewed hundreds of actors, directors, producers and artists for her groundbreaking project, “Mythologizing Cultural Trauma: Representing Blackness in Contemporary American Shakespeare Productions."

"Seeing Color" is intended to cut to the heart of colorblind casting in Shakespeare today, asking not ‘do we see color’ but ‘should we see color,’ especially in Shakespeare. Focusing specifically on the performance history of African Americans in Shakespeare and the experience of black actors and theatre professionals today, we will explore these and other questions in a determined attempt to define and question our perceptions of race.

The event will take place on Sunday, February 9th, 6:30pm, at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, NY.

To RSVP or for further information, contact humanities@tfana.org or visit www.tfana.org.

CHECK OUT THE AWESOME OFFERINGS OF THE ALL NEW BRIC HOUSE

You might know BRIC as the force behind the Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival held in Prospect Park.  They've been running that show since 1979, but they've also acted as a creative home for Brooklyn's arts and artists.

BRIC is about three main things - contemporary art, performing arts, and community media.  Up until recently, these three divisions have been housed in 3 separate places.  But now, happily, each component lives under one big roof called BRIC House.

Located at 647 Fulton Street  (at Rockwell Place), BRIC House sits amongst other great art organizations and instituations like BAM Harvey and 651 Arts, Mark Morris Dance Center, and Theatre for a New Audience.
Here is a description of BRIC's spaces, taken directly from their website:

• A flexible Performance Space (240 seated to 400 standing capacity), known as the BRIC House Ballroom, equipped with a sprung floor for dance and flexible seating to accommodate a wide variety of configurations and performance styles. An entirely new professional resource for the performing arts in Brooklyn, the Ballroom also features dressing rooms, a green room for artists and state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment –supporting high-quality production values.
  
• An intimate, flexible Artist Studio dedicated to emerging and mid-career artists, with an audience capacity of 75 for rehearsals and performances in workshop settings. This space can also transform into a workspace for visual artists.
  
• A 3,000-square-foot Gallery with dramatic 18-foot ceilings permits major exhibitions focused on emerging and mid-career artists and curators. A Project Room adjacent to the gallery will be an added resource for video work, BRIC’s emerging curator program, small-scale exhibitions and experimental curatorial projects.
  
• A state-of-the-art public access television center includes a new glass-walled studio and control room on the ground floor of the facility (fully visible to the public), as well as fully renovated and upgraded studios, editing suites, public equipment and media training lab on the second floor.
  
• The Stoop, an all-new public cultural gathering space, featuring free, drop-in programming for all ages.
  
• A café from Hungry Ghost, a Brooklyn-based coffee bar and café.
  
• Classroom space to expand BRIC’s media education program.
  
• All programming spaces, as well as the lobby, are to be fully wired to the master control room to support live cablecasts of select events to over 500,000 Brooklyn households and beyond on the web.
  
• BRIC House is open every day. Free admission to the facility. 

BATALA ALL WOMEN PERCUSSION BAND ROCKS IT AT BRIC HOUSE

                                                                                       

I was looking for ways to experience BRIC House, "a multidisciplinary arts and media center designed to support artists and engage the public."

So when I read on BRIC's Facebook Page that they would be filming an all-women's AfroBrazilian Samba Reggae drumming band live and that the public could attend for FREE, I jumped at the opportunity to be there.  

Wow, so glad I ventured out in the cold!  These women produced some seriously powerful and joyful sounds.  Their director explained that there are many Batala bands all around the world, but only 5 of them are all women; New York's group is one of the 5. 

Turns out that two of my friends - Anne Pope and Keka Marzagao - are in the group. What a great surprise!

One nice thing to note about BRIC's new space is that there is a beautiful cafe where you can grab a tea or some grub and enjoy it while you watch a performance right there at The Stoop.

BatalaNYC has shared the bill with the likes of Reggie Watts and Cyndi Lauper.  They've also opened for The Rolling Stones50th Anniversary Tour.  They've performed at the NYC Figment Festival, The World Maker Faire, The Museum Mile Festival, The Mermaid Parade, and many more big events.

BatalaNYC gives some of their background info on their site:

The music of Batala originates in Salvador de Bahia, in North Eastern Brazil.  The international Batalá family owes its existence to Giba Gonçalves, a drummer and composer from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In Brazil, he was one of the founders of Cortejo Afro, an arts education project to help underserved young people living in poor communities.  When he moved to Paris in 1997, he started up Batalá in Paris as the European wing of the project. Batala has since spread to over 30 international cities.

THIS SUNDAY, JAN. 5: FREE PUBLIC LECTURE ABOUT THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE

Creating a Theatre for a New Audience: The Intersection of Architecture, Design, and Theatre

FREE PUBLIC EVENT

 

Sunday, January 5, 2014 at 5:30pm

 

Theatre for a New Audience

 

at Polonsky Shakespeare Center

 

262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn

 

In 2000, Harvey Lichtenstein, recently retired executive director of BAM, invited Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA), a modern classical theatre, to build its first home in what was previously known as the BAM Cultural District. Established in 1979, TFANA produces Shakespeare alongside a wide range of other major authors.

Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director, wanted space that would be both intimate and epic, but without one fixed perspective, so that artists could change the configuration of the stage and audience depending upon the needs of a particular play and production.

Over the next year, TFANA will host a series of free public discussions, which will focus on how theatrical design can support art. Part One of the Series is a conversation between Jean-Guy Lecat−scenic designer and architectural consultant for Peter Brook’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris and BAM Harvey Theater, and consultant to Jeffrey Horowitz on the Scripps Mainstage at TFANA's Polonsky Shakespeare Center−and Randy Gener, award-winning editor, writer, critic, and artist

NEED HELP GETTING ORGANIZED FOR THE HOLIDAYS? LOOK NO FURTHER!

Attention busy New York women!

Do you feel overwhelmed by your holiday to-do list?

 Would you like to start 2014 with less clutter and more breathing space?

Let a veteran professional organizer help you to:

* Break down holiday to-do lists into manageable steps

* Get your holiday cards and gift-wrapping done

* Set up clutter-free zones in time for house guests and parties

* Clear your desk and get a great filing system in place in time for 2014!


For more information: ETraubman(at)gmail(dot)com

Eleanor has been organizing busy New York women since 2000. Her work has been featured in Time Out New York • Fitness • Family Circle • Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn • The Brooklyn Paper

THE MAGIC OF SPECIAL TIME

Special time is the practice of regularly setting aside time to follow a child's lead in play. This article originally appeared in Park Slope Parents.

It’s no mystery that one of the biggest gifts you can give to your child is the gift of time and your undivided attention. It’s tough to give our complete attention these days, given that our adult plates are spilling over with projects, chores, errands, and concerns about what’s going on in the world. And with all of our portable electronic devices at hand, it’s getting harder to slow down the pace at which we live our lives.

There’s a great ritual you can add to your routine that will make it easier to protect the “undivided attention time” you give to your child, whether he is an infant or a teen. It’s called Special Time, and it has a huge and visible impact on the quality of your relationship with your child.

Here’s how Special Time works:

Tell your child in advance that you are setting aside a particular day and a certain length of time – somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour works well – to do exactly what he or she wants to do. By letting your child know ahead of time, you give your child a chance to start working on how to use the Special Time. Ideally, you can carve out this time on a regular basis – whether it’s weekly or a couple of times a month. Make it something your child can depend on and you’ll both reap the best rewards.

Follow up on your promise! Do not answer the phone, scan messages on your BlackBerry, chat with other adults, or wash the dishes during that allotted amount of time. It’s your job to fully respect your child’s mind and see where it takes the two of you. Pay close attention to your child’s verbal and non-verbal cues about what role s/he wants you to take on during Special Time. One child may want to you watch him in whatever he chooses to do; another might want you to play a more physically active role in her chosen pastime.

Believe me, it’s going to be tempting to guide or tweak the play in some way. Resist the pull to say “Hey, here’s an idea” or “Let’s do it this way.” Really see and follow where your child’s mind takes the two of you. If feelings of discomfort, boredom, or frustration arise for you during Special Time, just take mental note of them and keep going. Later, when you’re out of earshot of your child, you can vent to another adult about whatever came up for you. That way, you can keep coming back to Special Time with a fresh perspective.

Special Time, especially if done on a regular basis, has enormous benefits for your children and your relationship with each of them. By providing a safe space to try out ideas without reprimand or interference, you help build your children’s trust in you and the world around them. By following their minds completely, you help them gain confidence in their own thoughts and initiatives.

Special Time strengthens your connection to your child by letting you get to know your child in a different way. By paying close attention to facial expressions, gestures, words, and ideas, you learn more about skills your child wants to master, information he or she aims to make sense of, and tensions or fears to work though.

Over time – or maybe even right away! – your child may use something that happens during special time as a pretext to work through some big emotion that’s built up over time. Even if you don’t know where the upset is coming from, stay close during the tears or the anger, and let the feelings show until s/he is done and ready to go back into the play.

If you decide to give Special Time a try, let me know how it goes! I’d love to know about your successes and what you learn. I’ve been doing Special Time with young ones for more than 20 years, and I still discover something new about them, about me, and about the process each time.

BLOCK PAR-TAY!

Egg Toss

Decorated egg

Mike and John hanging out

Beans the Hotdog dressed as a hot fudge sundae

Three years ago, one of the dads on our street (shout-out to Warren Cohen!) decided to organize a block party.  Word had it that 10 to 15 years had passed since there had been one on 1st Street in Brooklyn, NY.  He got some of us together for a meeting at a local bar, and we brainstormed ideas for activities.

"There's a lot of young children on our block, so maybe we should just have quiet activities."

The more experienced people who had grown up in the neighborhood set me straight: "So we'll have a DJ and a bouncy castle for starters."

I sat back and listened; clearly, they were the pros!

As it got closer to the actual event, more people stepped forward with ideas: a pet parade, bike decorating, temporary tattoos.  I volunteered to run a name tag table so people didn't have to be awkward if they didn't know each other's names.

A few days prior to that first block party, signs went up telling people to move their cars off the street.
The night before and the morning of the party, the cars disappeared as if by magic.  More magical, still, was the beautiful empty of the street presenting itself to all of us residents to fill it with whatever we wanted to.

The morning of that first party, there was a buzz of excitement in the air.  Young people came out of their homes and looked around, then came out to play with each other.  Slowly, the adults brought out tables and grills with food to share.

Then the bouncy castle arrived.  Bouncing happened, then the castle deflated and was driven away.

There was a pet parade, and one of the pets was a chicken brought over by a guest of one the street residents.  There was also a dog with a cape.  Some of the children brought out their stuffed animals, and came along for the procession.  It looked like something out of an Ezra Jack Keats book.

Then along came the DJ, and the children did tons of group dances - the Electric Slide, the Cha-Cha, a modified version of the Thriller dance.

The day stretched into evening, more food came out, more people kept talking to each other, the children kept playing, and when it was truly dark out, guys came around selling glow-in-the-dark toys that broke within the hour.

I was exhausted, but so happy, the day after that first block party.  Having a space - a physical space - and also the span of an entire day and evening for all of us to put aside our other responsibilities to just BE with each other was such a treat, and helped us remember each other during the rest of the year even amidst our busy lives.

Since that first block party, there have been two more.  In last year's event, an egg toss was added into the mix.  Also: Beans the dachshund arrived at the pet parade dressed in a soft sculpture hot fudge sundae outfit.   In this year's festivities, the children created a Wizard of Oz skit which they performed for a bunch of us.  People sat on a picnic blanket in the middle of the street until it was time to go to bed.  I ran my third year of the name tag-making table, where people could write their name and street number. 

I hope that this tradition continues on for many years to come.  It is such fun, and a terrific reminder that each block is a community unto itself.

Long live the block par-tay!

WHAT I LEARNED FROM FLOATING

Every time I see Angelica, one of the lifeguards at the YMCA, I want to run up and give her a hug.  Why? Because Angelica is the one who introduced me to floating.

I swim regularly at the Y, and count on my swims for the relaxation and rejuvenation that I feel afterwards, not to mention the cardiovascular benefits.  So imagine my dismay when a podiatrist, after x-raying my newly-fractured toe, told me not to go swimming.  I obeyed her orders for a little while,  and complained to my husband.  The surgical shoe I was wearing to protect my toe was throwing my whole body off kilter, causing other problems on top of the injured toe.  I was in dire need of the comfort that only a swimming pool could offer.

Finally,  my wise husband said "Why don't you just go to the pool?  I'm sure you can figure something out."  I listened to his advice, and showed up in swimsuit and bandaged toe next to the lifeguard on duty. 

"I'm not supposed to be here, I said to her.  I fractured my toe and my podiatrist said not to swim.  But I love the water."  Very calmly, she said "Put on a flotation device - it will keep your feet from touching the bottom of the pool."

Intrigued, I walked over to the big plastic bin of blue butterfly bandage-shaped flotation pieces and fastened one around my waist.  Once in the water, I was in heaven.  I was floating!    I laid back a bit, did not kick my legs, and used my arms to propel myself backwards.  What made it even more fun was that I was in the recreational lane with other people wearing flotation devices, everyone from older adults to babies to teens.  Everyone looked as happy and relaxed as I felt.  Why had I not done this before?

I had not floated before because I was too busy getting my half a mile of laps done.  Like other lap swimmers, I come with my goal and am focused on accomplishing that goal; there is no fooling around, no margin for fun.

There are so many great things about this floating business; here's a few of them:

* My head is above water, so I'm able to see all the great things going on around me - dads swimming with their babies; grandparents swimming with their grandchildren; people on the other side of the glass wall using the elliptical machines; families eating Chinese takeout in the pool observation room; lifeguards doing their jobs; swimmers kicking noisily in the lap lanes. I could also make contact with people if I wanted to:  I admired one lady floater on her robin's egg blue nail polish and she laughed with embarrassment.  Some of us floaters smile at each other, as if with a shared understanding of how happy it is to be floating.

*  I get to switch up my routine and experience the water in a different way.  When I'm doing straight laps (the crawl), I feel like my job is to push the water away.  When I'm floating, I am more focused on the sensation of being supported by the water.   It feels like a relationship that is based more on a certain elegant trust, rather than friction, tension, or trying to get through something.

*  I am focused more on enjoyment of being in the pool rather than rushing to get a specific task done.   I feel more in play mode, rather than in work mode. One day, I decided to try out an idea, which was to wear two flotation devices instead of one. I wrapped one around my hips and one around my waist.  By doing so, I was able to sit up straight, as if in a car, and still propel myself forward or backward with my arms.  This was the most fun I had had so far as a floater!

So these are my takeaways from this whole experiment in floating.  Let me know if any of them resonate with you:

* Even when we get orders to not do something,  it's handy to use one's own judgement about what's best to do, especially if instructions are rigid or based in fear. 

* There are helpers everywhere,  if we believe that there are and allow them to show up in our lives.

* Sometimes, it's useful, and even transformative, to take the activities we engage in all the time and approach them differently.

* Finally, it's interesting to reflect on this question: Where else in my life can I allow myself to float?