Art Slope Will Turn Neighborhood Into Enormous 9-Day Art Installation

The cultural backbone any neighborhood, city, or region is strengthened by the hands and ideas of artists. While Park Slope Stoop aims to cover all multi-disciplinary in the neighborhood, it’s nearly impossible. The talent is simply everywhere.

And speaking of talent everywhere…

Beginning Saturday, the community will be exposed to the first offering of Art Slope, a nine-day arts festival which will take over the neighborhood — Prospect Park included. The multi-disciplinary event will take place between Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 25.

The festival is sponsored by the Park Slope Civic Council, and was founded by Gilly Youner, who is co-President of PSCC. Expect art installations, film, photography, music, dance, as well as artist workshops and panels.

“I see art as being a filter for seeing the world,” Youner told Park Slope Stoop. “I’ve been in Park Slope for almost 30 years, and the art here seems hidden sometimes. This is a chance to be able to see artists’ work. And artists will also be able to see each other’s work.”

Youner, who is an architect, told us she’s been dreaming about this event for some time. “When I was young, my mom taught at summer camp,” she said. “She would do a project where she’d stretch canvas over poles. People would paint on the canvas and then cut off bits of it and take them home. It was an outdoor happening. My mom was an inspiration for this festival.”

Youner also cites the Venice Biennale, Figment, and Storm King Arts Center as influences for Art Slope.

“This is really a barn-raising,” she says, speaking about the immense help from the artists and Slope community. “This could never happen without the energy that’s being contributed by volunteers. The event comes from community and is sustained by the community.”

So where is Art Slope taking place? The first thing you want to do is download a map to see the many and diverse venues. The galleries and studios throughout the neighborhood will certainly host exhibits, but you can see performances and work at Park Slope Copy Center, Nailbed, Tarzian Hardware, and many other “less traditional” venues.

In addition, Prospect Park will host 10 large art installations in collaboration with Prospect Park Alliance and the New York City Department of Parks. “We are proud to continue this partnership with Art Slope,” said Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “Free public programming that enables people to explore the Park is a key part of our mission, and these ten art installations will further those goals and highlight a number of Park landscapes.”

And in the spirit of full community collaboration, Park Slope Stoop is also getting involved. Stoop Editor Donny Levit will moderate a panel organized by Open Source Gallery which includes artists George Del Barrio, Sean Qualls, A. E. Souzis, Dale Williams, and Monika Wuhrer called The Intersection of Art and Collaboration at Brooklyn Central Library’s Dweck Center on Saturday, September 24 from 3pm-4pm.

BRIC TV’s Brian Vines and Aaron Watkins interviewed Art Slope founding director Gilly Youner and Zaneta Sykes, Music Coordinator Committee Chair

So how do you keep up with everything going? The Art Slope website provides a search by venue, search by artist, and the full venue map.

Here are some opening event highlights:

Opening Night Party
When: Friday, September 16, 8:30pm-11:30pm
Where: ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place (between 1st and Carroll Streets)
What: Misery Loves Company‘s repertoire includes 60’s, 70’s & 80’s country, folk, rock, reggae and soul plus original tunes. Their unique sound which includes harmonica, 12 string guitar, 6-string guitar, percussion and three part harmonies, and their familiar and original feel good tunes have the audience smiling and singing along.

Event Launch: “Wearable Art Walk”
When: Saturday, September 17, begins at 11:30am
Where: Washington Park, 344 5th Avenue. The walk will begin in the 4th street cul de sac, 344 5th Ave
What: Participants are invited to come up with creative, art inspired costumes, and to start gathering at 11:30 AM in the 4th Street cul de sac adjacent to Washington Park. At noon the “Walk-ers” will set off from Washington Park, up the 3rd Street sidewalk to Prospect Park West (PPW)– then take a right up to 9th Street, turn around and head back down PPW to 3rd Street and home to Washington Park. The Walk will be lead by a funky marching band, our majordomo, the artist Maria de Los Angeles (who paints paper gowns with the history of her Mexican immigrant family and other social themes), and a master of ceremonies, the Brooklyn artist and curator Myra Kooy.

If you’d like to get involved, there are still volunteer positions available.  Youner is hoping to make this a biennial event that the community can continue. You can help by donating.

Youner believes the event is vital to the goals of the PSCC. “We have a lot of things that enhance neighborhood. We want to bring people together in engage them — in a somewhat different way.”