BKLYNER Weekday Events Spotlight: December 12-15
We’re getting closer. So head to BAM for a reimagined Nutcracker, attend a Yule Ball, have some Drunk Science for good measure, and more.
Matédors and Elsa Nilsson Quartet
When: Monday, December 12, 7:00pm
Where: ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place (between 1st and Carroll Streets)
What: Elsa Nilsson Quartet: Elsa Nilsson’s music is playful and diversely influenced. She believes that the true beauty of music is its capacity to transcend cultural boundaries. She considers all folk music (including jazz) to have a common thread, and that by weaving those threads together, a deeper, more complete understanding among cultures can be reached.The Mateadors are four friends from different parts of the world who enjoy getting together on a weekly basis in Brooklyn to drink Yerbamate, talk about life and play music together. Their diverse personal backgrounds and cultural influences morph, creating an unique sounding group that blends elements of folk music, jazz and rock n’roll.
How much: $10, at the door
Cine Soiree! Avant-Garde Short Films at the Morbid Anatomy
When: Tuesday, December 13, 7pm-9pm
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 3rd Avenue at 7th Street
What: The Morbid Anatomy Museum welcomes you to indulge the cinematic senses in this spectral séance upon the screen in a short film program selected by Resident Film Programmer and Arcane Media Specialist Joel Schlemowitz From the cine-magic of Melies to Brakhages seminal work shot in the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery of Paris to Marie Losiers mermaids and bird-creatures prowling through Lisbons Museu Nacional de História Natural we will journey through a curious, macabre, and optically plangent filmic underworld. The film itself becomes a spectral phenomenon with images glimpsed in moldering black and white negative, superimposed in rhapsodic abandon, shuffled in flipbook-like pattering.
How much: $8, tickets available online.
Affordable Housing Workshop For Artists
When: Tuesday, December 13, 6pm
Where: Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street (at Court Street), Community Room
What: Downtown Brooklyn will soon be home to hundreds of new affordable housing units. Join the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance for a special workshop led by the Actors Fund tailored specifically to artists and those in the creative fields. The evening will include an overview of upcoming affordable housing opportunities, timeline for availability, deadlines, and tips on the application process, and how to prepare in advance.
How much: Free, please register for the event.
Mark Morris Dance Company and BAM present The Hard Nut
When: Wednesday, December 14 – Sunday, December 18, see performance times here.
Where: BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene
What: Mark Morris Dance Group’s beloved retro-modern reimagining of The Nutcracker comes back to BAM for the holidays. A cascade of wit and wintry beauty, this lavish, gender-bent love letter to the classic transplants E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original story from the straight-laced 1890s to the swinging 70s, with raucous parties, dancing G.I. Joes, whimsical costumes, and a Waltz of the Snowflakes like no other. Based on the comic book art of Charles Burns and featuring Tchaikovsky’s complete original score, performed live by the 53-piece MMDG Music Ensemble, Morris’ lyrical, modern retelling playfully preserves the warm spirit of an essential holiday tradition.
How much: Prices vary, tickets available here.
Maude Gun
When: Wednesday, December 14, 9:00pm
Where: The Way Station, 683 Washington Avenue (Between Prospect Place and St. Marks Avenue)
What: From the Way Station website: “If Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar was written by Patti Smith and Joni Mitchell. And was super cunty. It’s at times irreverent, at times sincere, dense with imagined worlds, rich with harmonies. All in the name of the almighty Female Protagonist.”
How much: Free
Drunk Science Presents: Therapy
When: Wednesday, December 14, 7:00pm (doors), 8:00pm (show)
Where: Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street (between 3rd and 4th Avenues)
What: Drunk Science is an event hosted by comedians Joanna Rothkopf (staff writer at Jezebel), Shannon Odell (neuroscience PhD candidate at Weill Cornell) and Jordan Mendoza (once was pre-med). In each show, three intoxicated comedians compete to present the best scientific dissertation to a panel of real scientists. With Shalewa Sharpe, Michael Wolf, Alyssa Limperis, Guest Scientist: Dr. Ali Mattu, + Ernest Myers as ‘Igor’
How much: $5-8, tickets in advance
Urban Children’s Choir Winter Show
When: Wednesday, December 14, 6pm
Where: Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street (Between Hamilton and Woodhull), Carroll Gardens
What: Join the Urban Children’s Choir for their final performance of 2016. We have been working on a range of new songs and are excited to share them with our friends and families.
How much: Adults, $6 and Children, $3. Tickets available here or at the door.
Holiday Caroling with the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
When:Thursday, December 15, 5:30pm
Where: Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Concert Hall, 58 7th Avenue (at Lincoln Place)
What: All voices and faiths are welcome, and no singing experience is necessary. This event is all about spreading joy to the community. Lyric sheets will be provided, and we’ll end the night with hot chocolate and eggnog back at the Conservatory. Meet at the conservatory for a group warm-up, go caroling around the neighborhood in groups, along pre-planned routes, and return to the Concert Hall for hot chocolate and eggnog.
Greg Humphreys Electric Trio
When:Thursday, December 15, 9pm
Where: Sunny’s Bar, 253 Conover Street (between Beard and Reed Streets), Red Hook
What: Greg Humphreys, Matt Brandau, Keith Robinson play their Electric Trio show of the year. The trio will play at 10pm and a second set at 11pm with special guests.
How much: No cover; tipping appreciated.
The Yule Ball
When: Thursday, December 15, 6:00pm, doors; 6:30pm, show
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th Street at 2nd Avenue
What: You are cordially invited to attend the 2016 Yule Ball presented by Harry and the Potters. Dawn your fanciest wizard robes and gowns, whilst engaging with performances of acclaimed wizard acts: Harry and the Potters, the Potter Puppet Pals, Swish and Flick, Gregory Bros, Ashley Hamel and Blue Milk Run. $5 from each ticket will benefit the Harry Potter Alliance. The Harry Potter Alliance is a non-profit organization that makes activism accessible for young people by using the Harry Potter books as an access point to discuss pressing issues of social justice.
How much: $20, tickets available online.
Elizabeth O’Reilly — Capturing A Moment, On The Canal And In The Night Sky
When: Through November 27. Thursday and Fridays, 3pm-7pm, Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-7pm
Where: Gowanus Souvenir Shop, 567 Union Street between Nevins Street and 3rd Avenue (note new location)
What: For this exhibition Elizabeth O’Reilly presents recent small paintings on aluminum featuring scenes along the Gowanus Canal. Having a studio on the Gowanus for twenty-four years O’Reilly continues to paint along the industrial ruins of the canal, re-visiting sites she previously painted but which have changed in the intervening years. At home in the abandoned precincts of the canal with its solidly geometric shapes, the artist welcomes the immediacy of the smooth surface of aluminum which lends itself to capturing a moment in time. The work captures those moments where we look at the sky or the murky water of the canal and stop for an instance, in awe of the light and the wonder of nature. Sites along the canal have been O’Reilly’s muse for more than two decades, from the sun-lit green hut on the Union St Bridge to the latticed overpass at the Smith & 9th St subway. These paintings, small in size, provide an intimate look at the area, combining the dominance of the man-made with the energy of the natural world, surging forth in wild bunches of weeds softening the vivid color of industry.
How much: Free, art available for purchase.
Deck the Walls: Gifts by Artists
When: Opening on Thursday, December 8, 6pm-9pm and on view through January 1, 2017
Where: Ground Floor Gallery, 343 5th Street near 5th Avenue
What: A holiday show of gifts, made by local artists.
How much: Handmade gifts, mostly under $100.
Downtown Brooklyn Legends Art Gallery
When: Through December 31, regular hours listed here.
Where: Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street at Clinton Street
What: They say you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been. No matter the era, Downtown Brooklyn has always been at the center of Brooklyn’s renaissance, as it evolved from a turn-of-the-century shopping destination to a mecca for hip hop culture, and now, the most famous borough in the world. This Downtown Brooklyn Legends Popup Gallery helps to tell the rich history of the area in a way that speaks to people’s hearts as much as their minds. The hardworking Brooklynites of the past made this borough what it is today, and through the work of these 21 artists, we are telling key stories as Brooklyn speeds into the future. Brought to you by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership in collaboration with Grumpy Bert Gallery and the Brooklyn Historical Society.
How much: Admission rates are listed here.
A Few Good Men
When: Through Sunday, December 18, performance times vary.
Where: The Gallery Players, 199 14th Street, between 4th and 5th Avenues)
What: This Broadway hit about the trial of two Marines for complicity in the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay sizzles on stage. The Navy lawyer, a callow young man more interested in softball games than the case, expects a plea bargain and a cover up of what really happened. Prodded by a female member of his defense team, the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients and, in so doing, puts the military mentality and the Marine code of honor on trial.
How much: Prices and times vary. Purchase tickets online.
Wonderland, an exhibition
When: Through Friday, December 30. Special Gallery Hours: Mondays-Saturdays, 12pm-7pm; Sundays, 12pm-5pm
Where: The Invisible Dog, 51 Bergen Street, between Boerum Place and Smith Street
What: Wonderland brings together more than 20 of our favorite artists that you know and love, artists we’ve recently discovered.Much like the rabbit hole, there is no telling what you will discover—paintings, photographs, sculptures, and illustrations—but we are sure you’ll find something to take home with you.
How much: Free.
Soup Kitchen at Open Source Gallery
When: Thursday, December 15, 7pm
Where: Open Source Gallery, (306 17th Street at 6th Avenue)
What: Each year the Open Source Soup Kitchen brings together artists, cooks, friends, and neighbors for a month of cooking, eating, sharing and celebrating! For as many nights of the month as we have volunteers, we will provide the cookware and utensils–and our volunteer chef of the evening will be responsible for a “one-pot meal” (usually a soup or stew) that can feed approximately 15-20 people–we welcome all kinds of unique dishes from any ethnic tradition! The cook of the night is also responsible for incorporating an artistic element into the evening–it can be a one-night exhibit, musical performance, short play, or decoration of the gallery! This is a free event. If you would like to be a guest, stop by Open Source any night in December between 7:00pm and 9:00pm!
Sign up here.
12th Annual Small Works Festival
When: Through Saturday, December 24. Thursdays and Fridays, 4:00-7:00pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00am-7:00pm.
Where: 440 Gallery, 440 6th Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets
What: 440 Gallery’s 12th annual Small Works Show, a national juried exhibition of 74 works, opens Thursday, December 1. This unthemed show–limited to works that measure 12 inches or less–generates a grand finale to a tumultuous year. Juror JoAnne McFarland has selected pieces that were submitted from Brooklyn artists as well as all over the country. A variety of media and styles is represented, including painting, photography, sculpture, collage and mixed media.
How much: Free.
Surrogate Skin: The Biology of Objects
When: Through February 26, 2017
Where: Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, 80 Hanson Place, Fort Greene
What: Through the works of Doreen Garner and Keisha Scarville, Surrogate Skin: The Biology of Objects is an exposition on the consciousness of materials and how they bear the memory of lived experience. Recalling the medical exploitation of black women’s bodies through grotesque arrangements of silicone, pearls, hair weave, and surgical instruments, Doreen Garner simultaneously refuses and seduces the viewer’s curiosity, effectively returning their encroaching gaze. As a siren for perspectives of black women that have been historically excluded from a more celebratory narrative on scientific achievement, such as Henrietta Lacks, and Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy, three of the only known slave women subject to unanesthetized surgeries performed by Dr. J. Marion Sims, Garner makes explicit the relationship between medical abuse and the socialization of black women.
How much: Adults – $8, Seniors (65+) – $4, Students (with valid ID) – $4, Children (under 12 ) – Free