Good Wood opening (Village Voice)

Quite a pool party, but…NYT reports today that as plans for McCarren Pool to convert back to its original purpose, the Open Space Alliance has its sights set on the Bushwick Inlet Park.  It’s pretty much North Williamsburg, but close people.

“Bands like these deserve a crowd like that.” Gothamist reviews a Todd P. hot and sweaty show at Market Hotel, after also linking to our very own concerns of an MTV “invasion.”

Bushwick and Chelsea go head to head. Wow. The Village Voice is really promoting our apparent “gallery district” on Flushing.  This is the second article in two weeks on the subject.

Fun was had by all. For those of you who could not make it to the album release party of Welcome to Bushwick, a compilation of fourteen local bands, here are some pictures from the event at Northeast Kingdom.

So. Much. To do this weekend!  What will savvy Bushwick Culture fans choose?  Tonight, local genius performance art troupe Eagle Ager kicks off their annual summer tour with a whole new extravaganza at Space Space.  Friday brings the opening of Papa B Studios‘ latest show “Our Lady: Work by 8 Women Photographers” sponsored by the illustrious L Magazine, AND Goodbye Blue Monday hosts the musical stylings of Brooklyn-based band Backwords guest-starring our favorite trumpet-playing poet Pat Nugent.

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For yet another year, dire predictions — mostly from Puerto Rican friends — went unfulfilled in Bushwick as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade aftermath went off without much more than some whistling and occasional house-shaking bass. Marc Anthony won the music-from-car-stereos contest hands down, thanks mostly to his Hector Lavoe covers in recent movie El Cantante. Exuberant flag-waving ruled the day — in fact, we were surprised at how many people found holding a flag on a street corner or out a car window for hours on end to be entertaining in the least. I’d like to remind my Puerto Rican neighbors that while I agree that their island of origin is a wonderful place, brash patriotism is obnoxious — “preciosa será sin bandera….”

The decision to schedule Bushwick Open Studios on the same weekend was either brilliant or negligent, but I’m not sure if we’ll ever figure out which it was.

Con Lab performing as part of the Bushwhack Series at the Bushwick Starr. See more photos>>

“Whimsical” is a wonderful word. I have a friend who was just offered a job at a design company with the word “whimsical” actually in the job title: “Whimsical Creative Director.” The word means “given to whimsy—fanciful or eccentric,” but also refers to something that is subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change. For his job, I imagine the word means that he is expected to revolutionize the status quo by infusing it with downright nutso ideas that will scare stockholders but hopefully attract a new wave of attention from the un-pleasable, un-shockable, yet tirelessly new-newness seeking public.

The “Bushwhack Series,” the first annual Bushwick-based performance festival which took place this past weekend at the Bushwick Starr, was wholly whimsical—fanciful, eccentric, and entirely unpredictable. It pleased me, and shocked me, and was so new-new it almost smelled new. To clarify, the works were new, but the performers, creators, and curators were clearly seasoned pros.

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Chauncey Street balcony houses. See more from this set>>

I went on the latest BCUE walking tour of Bushwick, this time focusing on the southern tip of the neighborhood. Bushwick Specialist Adam Schwartz (of Up From Flames fame) led some 20-odd folks around, getting down to the Trinity Cemetery and up to Irving Square Park, going through the side streets along the way. I’m not sure if the route was selected for this purpose directly, but we went by some lovely homes, and not the kind of thing I would have expected.

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If you have a studio you’d like to be featured here in the run-up to Bushwick Open Studios, we’d love to come and meet you and take some photos. I don’t know how many of you have your studios set up and ready to show this early, but if you happen to be ahead of schedule, give us a shout.

The inspiration is last year’s “emergency” post for my neighbor, who didn’t make the deadline for the print materials, but it’s now the top result on Google for BOS, besides the Arts in Bushwick site itself.

by BOS participant Deborah Brown

Maggie from Arts in Bushwick wants to make sure everyone knows they have until this Thursday, May 15, to register for Bushwick Open Studios and be included in the printed materials. If you don’t make the deadline, you can still be listed on the website.

Historian and teacher Adam J. Schwartz invites you to tour Bushwick’s South End with him.

“Bushwick is a bustling neighborhood with a sleepier southern side. We’ll be taking in Bushwick’s more distant past, including the Irving Square Park area, as well as Trinity Cemetery, where almost every gravestone is cast from metal. The historic houses lining the leafy streets of Southern Bushwick date from a late 19th century real estate boom. We’ll learn about this boom that occurred against the topographic demands which guided development in the area. This eye-opening stroll will demonstrate the need for historic preservation in this rapidly changing community.”

Adam worked on last year’s Up From Flames exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society, and has given other walking tours in Bushwick. There is a $13 fee for participating, and it helps support the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment. Founded in 1978, BCUE is “dedicated to educating individuals about the built and natural environments of New York City.”

Saturday, May 17, 1-3pm

Meet at the NE corner of Chauncey Street and Broadway, under the J Train elevated line.

Visit BCUE for more info or contact Ruth Edebohls at 718-788-8500 x 217.

Photo of Bushwick Creek from Trainweb page on Long Island stations.

Bushwick history genius John Dereszewski wants you to take a walk with him down the path of Bushwick Creek.

“Discover and explore a long lost body of water that once formed the Greenpoint-Williamsburg border and continues to influence life in these two communities to this day. This trip will also trace the all-but-forgotten course of one of Brooklyn’s oldest railroads. Finally, this journey will end at the oldest settlement in northern Brooklyn — the original town of Bushwick, which isn’t even in the current neighborhood of Bushwick.”

John has proven his expertise in these pages with his informative comments and on previous walking tours he has helped conduct in Bushwick. There is a $13 fee for participating, and it helps support the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment. Founded in 1978, BCUE is “dedicated to educating individuals about the built and natural environments of New York City.”

Saturday, April 5, 1-3pm

Meet at the Bedford Ave. stop of the L train, at Bedford and North 7th St.

Visit BCUE for more info or contact Ruth Edebohls at 718-788-8500 x 217.

I love kooky flavors of ice cream!

“Ad Hoc Art Gallery and Wheeler’s Frozen Desserts are hosting an interactive food gala in Brooklyn on Sunday, February 24th at 1:30PM. The menu will include Platinum Patron margarita, Moet-Rose champagne, and Mojito sorbets as well as 5 other surprise flavors of ice cream. Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan, will provide legendary cakes & cookies to complement the desserts.

“Ad Hoc Art Gallery will be showcasing ‘Pop Subversion’ featuring Robert Williams, founder of Juxtapoz magazine, as well as over 30 established and emerging artists.”

Sunday, February 24 @ 1PM
Ad Hoc Art Gallery
49 Bogart Street
Unit 1G / Buzzer #22