BKLYNER Weekday Events Spotlight: December 5-8

Of course, the holidays are here, but you still should carve out some time for a Queerious Trivia Night, puns galore, and getting tied up. Literally.

Queerious Trivia Night
When: Monday, December 5, 8:00pm
Where: The Way Station, 683 Washington Avenue (Between Prospect Place and St. Marks Avenue)
What: Hosted by Ms Quizzle, Queerious Trivia is a monthly trivia night that caters to LGBTQIA and Queer identified people. It runs about 1.5-2 hours long and includes prizes, interactive games and two rounds of questions centered on a general theme. This event hopes to contribute to building community among the large number of queer identified people living in and near the Prospect Heights neighborhood. Stay for the  DJ dance after-party.
How much: Free

Tunisia Meets Kosovo; Ayman Boujlida & Taulant Mehmeti
When: Tuesday, December 6, 8:00pm
Where: ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place (between 1st and Carroll Streets)
What: Tunisian jazz dummer Ayman Boujlida and Kosovo-Albanian jazz guitarist Taulant Mehmeti will be performing their orginal music and arrangements of their native folk music, a combination of rich Tunisian north African folk, Kosovo/Albanian and Balkan traditions, odd meters, Indian konnakol and modern jazz. Both Ayman and Taulant will be performing two sets together. The first set features the music of Taulant Mehmeti followed by a second set featuring the music of Ayman Boujlida. Both sets will be joined by Gabiel Chakarji on piano and Jill McKenna on Bass.
How much: $8, at the door

Punderdome 3000
When: Tuesday, December 6, 7:00pm (doors), 8:00pm (show)
Where: Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street (between 3rd and 4th Avenues)
What: Punderdome® is New York City’s wild & crazy monthly pun competition created and hosted by comedian Jo Firestone and her “Rodney Dangerfield impersonator” alleged dad, Fred. Part of New York’s comedy landscape since 2011, the Punderdome® has been a regular fixture at Littlefield since 2012. The first 18 individuals/duos to sign-up at the door have a chance to participate in competitive spontaneous pun-making. Pun-masters are determined by the “Human Clap-O-Meter” who “accurately and scientifically” assesses levels of audience applause. “Mystery Box” prizes are awarded to the top two competitors. Warning for the faint of heart: the ’Dome is THE spectator sport, it gets loud – decide to attend at your own risk!
How much: $8, tickets in advance; $10 at the door.

2nd Annual Roots & Ruckus Fest
When: Wednesday, December 7 – Friday, December 9, 9pm
Where: Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street (Between Hamilton and Woodhull), Carroll Gardens
What: It’s happening again! Last year we celebrated 10 years of Roots n’ Ruckus- a decade of free music- at Jalopy Theatre and School of Music. It was the most fun thing we ever did, so we are doing it again!
How much: Free, buy bring cash to tip the bands.

What Rough Beast? Contending with Trumpism
When:  Wednesday, December 7, 7:00pm, doors; 8:00pm, show
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th Street at 2nd Avenue
What: Please join us for a live recording of the Podcast for Social Research, an event sponsored by the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research! This session of the podcast responds to the urgent need for critical reflection in the wake of the recent, deeply divisive presidential election. Guests Kazembe Balagun (Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung) and Bhaskar Sunkara (Jacobin) will convene together with BISR faculty including Tony Alessandrini, K. Soraya Batmanghelichi, Raphaële Chappe, Ajay Singh Chaudhary, Samantha Hill, Audrey Nicolaides, Rebecca Ariel Porte, Suzanne Schneider, and Jude Webre. What went wrong in the lead-up to the election? And what is to be done in its aftermath? How should we define Trumpism and and how can we understand it? In addition to contending with these questions, this panel will wrestle with the implications of an increasingly authoritarian executive branch, the problems of political resistance, and the question of how afraid we should really be. A sequel to our first, election-themed live recording of the podcast, which took place in October, this event will be free and open to the public. 21+.
How much: Free, suggested donation $8.

Park Slope Women’s Shelter Annual Tree Lighting Festivities
When:  Thursday, December 8, 6:30pm-8pm
Where: 14th Regiment Armory, 1402 8th Avenue (between 14th and 15th Streets)
What: CAMBA’s Park Slope Women’s Shelter will host its 20th Annual Tree-Lighting Ceremony. Tree-lighting festivities include cookies, hot cocoa, music and holiday lights. The evening also honors the shelter’s many volunteers, who dedicate their time and talents to helping women in the shelter. The event is open to the public and children are welcome, but RSVPs are requested. For more information and to RSVP, call 718-369-7226.

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:  Opening on Thursday, December 8, 6pm, running 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.

Tie & Talk: A Rope Bondage Social
When: Thursday, December 8, 7pm-9:pm
Where: Please, 557 5th Avenue (at 15th Street)
What: Join us for a night of mingling and a quick tour and introduction to the artistic world of Shibari! We’re hosting this event with an atmosphere curated to foster authentic connections within the BDSM community. Meet other like-minded individuals to discuss and explore your interests in rope play and bondage. This is an opportunity to socialize as well as to practice your craft – show off your talents and that new knot you just mastered, and engage in skillshare amongst peers! Bring rope if you desire; rope kits are also available for purchase in-store if you’re feeling playful. Here at Please, safety and consent are our top priority, so kindly respect the boundaries of all attendees. Our in-house rope mistress will be present to facilitate and provide guidance throughout the evening. Whether you’re a novice or savant, whether you prefer to tie or be tied, this is a healthy space for all rope enthusiasts to congregate and fraternize.Admission includes one drink. Additional drinks available by donation. Please note, this is not a workshop. For comprehensive instruction, check out our calendar for monthly rope classes! However, we will have our rope specialist Yin Quan in attendance to talk rope with you!

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: Saturday, December 3, 6pm-10pm, opening reception, Saturday, December 3 to 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 8, 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

Taxidermy: Art, Science & Immortality featuring Walter Potter’s Kittens’ Wedding
When:  Through, December 6, 12pm-6pm everyday. Closed Tuesdays,
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 3rd Avenue at 7th Street
What: This exhibition seeks to illuminate the strange and profound human connection to preserved animals through the exhibition of seldom-seen taxidermied treasures from private collections. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be The Kittens’ Wedding, the final and perhaps most unforgettable of all of the works of Walter Potter, completed in the 1890s. Equal parts perverse and adorable, and utterly spellbinding, The Kittens’ Wedding transcends kitsch through its tenderness and sensitive attention to detail. The Kittens’ Wedding was created by Walter Potter, a self-trained British Victorian country taxidermist best remembered for a series of anthropomorphic tableaux in which he posed stuffed animals such as kittens, rabbits and squirrels as if engaging in human activities. These works were exhibited for nearly 150 years until the museum he founded was divided at auction in 2003. The pieces then moved the homes of private collectors around the world, most of them never shown since.
How much: Admission to the exhibition & library is $12. Seniors and students are $8, and children 12 and under are free.