Weekend Art Events: Sept. 21-23 (Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival, FABulous Fowler! & More)
The autumnal equinox on Saturday officially brings summer to an end, but that won’t stop the many events planned for the weekend.
Don’t miss the first-ever Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival which kicks off on Friday with Soul Summit, continues into Saturday with Community Day, and closes on Sunday with MoCADA’s Community Dance Party. There will be lots of cool arts events and activities taking place across Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn all weekend long.
On Sunday, check out the 44th annual Atlantic Antic taking place on Atlantic Avenue between Hicks Street & 4th Avenue and Flatbush Frolic happening on Cortelyou between Coney Island Avenue and East 18th Street. Learn more here.
Check the BKLYNER Calendar for more events happening around town or to list one of your own.
Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party (Sponsored)
When: Friday, September 21—Sunday, September 23 (seven performances)
Where: Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
What: Everyone’s invited to take part in the sunniest and funniest street celebration in Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! Sesame Workshop features favorite Sesame Street pals Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and more in a brand-new sensory adventure live on stage. Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party!
How much: Tickets start at $19
Photoville
When: Thursday, September 20—Sunday, September 23
Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Bridge Plaza (under the Brooklyn Bridge), DUMBO
What: United Photo Industries presents the seventh annual Photoville photography festival, featuring images by more than 600 artists in 90 exhibitions and installations held inside and around shipping containers. The free fest will also feature panel discussions, artist lectures, seminars, and hands-on workshops.
Brooklyn Americana Music Festival
When: Thursday, September 20 through Sunday, September 23
Where: Various locations in DUMBO and Red Hook
What: The Americana Music Festival returns with fifty free shows at nine locations along the Brooklyn waterfront.
Brooklyn Night Market
When: Friday, Sept. 21, 4pm to midnight
Where: The Well, 272 Meserole Street, Williamsburg
What: This foodie/nightlife event features 20 trendy food vendors serving up small bites for $7 or less. DJ JFuse and an all-night happy hour will keep the mood festive.
How Much: Tickets start at $10
Morbid Anatomy at Green-Wood
When: Saturday, September 22 through Sunday, December 2, Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm to 5pm (opening party Friday, Sept. 21 from 7pm to 8:30pm)
Where: Green-Wood Cemetery, Fort Hamilton Gate House (enter at Fort Hamilton Parkway and Micieli Place)
What: Morbid Anatomy returns to Green-Wood Cemetery for a second residency featuring an expanded library collection and the exhibition Bridging Worlds: The Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead which explores how different cultures envision the afterlife and attempt to communicate with the dead.
Brooklyn Metro Chamber Orchestra
When: Friday, September 21, 8pm
Where: BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Fort Greene
What: Philip Nuzzo directs the opening concert of Brooklyn Metro Chamber Orchestra’s 16th season featuring a celebration of Viennese modernism with performances of Alexander von Zemlinsky’s Psalm 23, Arnold Schoenberg’s rarely performed The Book of the Hanging Gardens, and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
How Much: Tickets $40 general admission, $100 general admission + post-concert reception
The 3rd Annual Brooklyn Stickball Challenge
When: Saturday, September 22, 9am to 1pm
Where: Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, 3059 W 12th Street (between Surf Avenue & the Boardwalk), Coney Island
What: Deno’s Wonder Wheel presents the 3rd Annual Brooklyn Stickball Challenge featuring stickball teams from across the city including the Brooklyn, the Staten Island, and the Harlem Stickball Teams, as well as Stickball Hall of Famers.
East 4th Street Community Garden 40th Anniversary Celebration
When: Saturday, September 22, 9am to 4pm
Where: East 4th Street between Fort Hamilton Parkway & Caton Avenue, Kensington
What: Join neighbors in celebrating the East 4th Street Community Gardens’ 40th Anniversary. There will be mediation, activities for the kids, crafts, classes, belly dancing, music, and more!
Carroll Park Fair
When: Saturday, September 22, 10am to 5pm
Where: Carroll Park, 245 Carroll Street (between Smith & Court Streets), Carroll Gardens
What: Friends of Carroll Park host this annual event featuring vendors, “stoop sales,” face painting, and more. Donations support the work of Friends of Carroll Park.
37th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York
When: Saturday, September 22, 10am to 10pm
Where: Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk, 3052 West 21st Street, Coney Island
What: This celebration of all things Irish features food, dancing, Irish goods, and music by Shilelagh Law, U2 tribute band Unforgettable Fire, and more.
How Much: Tickets $20-$45
PS 9 Bounce Back To School Carnival
When: Saturday, September 22, 11am to 5pm (rain or shine)
Where: PS 9 Teunis G. Bergen School Playground, 80 Underhill Avenue (at St. Marks Avenue), Prospect Heights
What: PS 9’s 7th annual carnival celebrates the school, family, friends, and community. There will be a raffle, carnival games, barbecue, face painting, and five bounce houses! The event will also officially unveil artist Jeff Beler‘s mural adorning the entire school. Titled the STEAM Mural Project (for science, technology, engineering, art, and math), the artwork began in May when Beler created a mural to honor 6-year-old P.S.9 student, Clara Ely, who died of brain cancer. After the school granted Beler permission to paint the entire exterior of the school in June, he enlisted 75 artists to transform the walls and courtyard into a large-scale work of art.
How Much: Entry $5 per family
Brooklyn Flea Record Fair
When: Saturday, September 22, 11am to 6pm
Where: East River State Park, 90 Kent Avenue (at North 8th Street), Williamsburg
What: The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair returns with 60 vinyl, CD, and cassette vendors including record labels, stores, and collectors. RSVP here for a chance to win prizes.
Tree Giveaway with Brooklyn Public Library – Windsor Terrace
When: Saturday, September 22, 12pm to 2pm
Where: Windsor Terrace Library, 160 East 5th Street (at Fort Hamilton Parkway), Windsor Terrace
What: The New York Restoration Project partners with community organizations throughout NYC to give away hundreds of free trees to New Yorkers during the spring and fall. To receive a free tree, recipients must agree to plant it properly in their yard or community garden within the five boroughs and to keep it watered and maintained.
FABulous Fowler! A Celebration of Fowler Square
When: Saturday, September 22, 12pm to 4pm
Where: Fowler Square (at Fulton Street & Lafayette Avenue), Fort Greene
What: Celebrate fall and the re-opening of the Fort Greene public plaza, Fowler Square. There will be musical performances, two General Fowler Fort Greene walking tours, the Community Heroes mini photography exhibition, and more!
Ukrainian Maritime Paintings
When: Exhibition on view from Thursday, September 20 through Saturday, October 20 (Meet artist Yuliya Altas, Saturday, Sept. 22, 1pm to 5pm)
Where: Waterfront Museum, 290 Conver Street, Red Hook
What: Brooklyn’s Sable Gallery presents a Ukrainian group show of marine paintings on the historic barge. A lucky lottery winner will receive an autographed limited print by Yuliya Altas at an event scheduled for Saturday the 22nd.
Salon at Spoke: Voices in Experimental Performance
When: Saturday, September 22, 7:30pm
Where: Spoke The Hub Re:Creation Center, 748 Union Street (near 6th Avenue), Park Slope
What: Spoke the Hub’s monthly performance series features a mix of dance, music, film, storytelling, and circus arts. The first salon of the fall season features a lineup of experimental music-makers, choreographers, visual artists, and filmmakers.
How Much: Tickets $10
Plymouth Church Presents: John Strausbaugh
When: Sunday, September 23, 1pm to 3pm
Where: Plymouth Church Sanctuary, 57 Orange Street, Brooklyn Heights
What: The New York Times‘ Jim Dwyer moderates a discussion with John Strausbaugh, author of City of Sedition: The History of New York City During the Civil War, about New York’s response during the war. Plymouth Church once served as the “Grand Central Depot” of the Underground Railroad, offering a unique setting for the event.
How Much: Free, RSVP here
Performance: Living Quipu by Cecilia Vicuña
When: Sunday, September 23, 2pm to 3pm
Where: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights
What: In conjunction with her exhibition Disappeared Quipu, Chilean artist and poet Cecilia Vicuña will stage a 45-minute participatory performance, combining elements of spoken word, chant, and storytelling. All are invited to participate.
How Much: Free with museum admission. RSVP recommended.
Leigh Blanchard: And Now I See
When: Exhibition on view from Thursday, September 6 through Sunday, October 7
Where: 440 Gallery, 440 6th Avenue, Park Slope
What: This solo exhibition of Blanchard’s recent work explores alternate ways of creating digital images, focusing on “technological flaws.” Loading thousands of images onto various “online artificial intelligence systems,” the artist captures imperfections and creates complex, distorted imagery either organically or by manipulating the software.
Daily Vase: New Works From Alison Owen
When: Exhibition on view from Thursday, September 6—Sunday, October 14
Where: Greenpoint Hill, 100 Freeman Street (at Franklin Street), Greenpoint
What: At the start of 2018, artist Alison Owen began creating a vase for every day of the year—traditional clay vessels, fabric interpretations, paper collages. Her only requirement for the project was that the daily artwork incorporate a vase in some way. Her works are made using items found at other artists’ studios, on the street, or from her daily life. This exhibition displays selections from her project to date.
For Which It Stands—A Contemporary Art Exhibit
When: Exhibition on view Thursday, August 23 through Sunday, October 14, Fridays 3pm to 6pm or by appointment
Where: The Old Stone House, 336 3rd Street (between 4th & 5th Avenues), Park Slope
What: The Old Stone House presents this contemporary art exhibition that connects Brooklyn’s revolutionary history to some of today’s most pressing issues. Artists reinterpret and offer their “fresh take on the flags of the American Revolution and today, including the contradictions inherent in their symbolism.”
Stars In The Night
When: Thursday, September 13 through Sunday, October 14
Where: Locations across DUMBO
What: Firelight Collective presents a four-week limited run of STARS IN THE NIGHT, an interactive and immersive theatrical production that takes audiences to multiple locations across DUMBO’s historic waterfront district. The original story brings twelve audience members on a journey through four locations, including the Empire Stores as well as living spaces, “to witness the fallout when a woman suddenly goes missing.”
How Much: Tickets $125
Nancy Bowen: For Each Ecstatic Instant
When: Exhibition on view from Friday, September 7 through Sunday, October 28
(Opening reception: Friday, Sept. 7, 5pm to 8pm | Artist’s talk: Saturday, Oct. 6, 4pm)
Where: Kentler International Drawing Space, 353 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook
What: “Artistic archaeologist” Bowen reassembles found fragments including maps, stamps, glass, picture frames, and pages from books to create patchworks that explore “what counts as knowledge.”
PÒTOPRENS: The Urban Artists of Port-au-Prince
When: Exhibition on view from Friday, September 7 through Sunday, November 11 (opening reception Friday, Sept. 7, 7pm to 9pm)
Where: Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook
What: More than 20 artists working in Haiti’s capital will be presented in this exhibit featuring sculpture, photography, and film, as well as a garden installation of a recreated Port-au-Prince barbershop.
How Much: Free
Mary Mattingly: What Happens After
When: Exhibition on view from Thursday, September 13—Sunday, November 11
Where: Gallery at BRIC House, 647 Fulton Street (enter at Rockwell Place), Fort Greene
What: BRIC presents an exhibition of work by Brooklyn-based artist Mary Mattingly, who creates photographs, sculpture, and large-scale public art projects that address climate change by “drawing connections between the social and economic forces that make up the current political ecology impacting our environment.” A deconstructed and redesigned 19,000-pound military cargo truck will be on display, encouraging viewers to question: “What happens when an object that embodies both the systemic violence represented by war and by climate change is manifested in a public space?”
