Slope Weekday Events Spotlight: April 4-7

Are you ready for an incredible selection of events this week? A Taste of Fifth, Tales from the Crypt, a Jackie Robinson talk, and more.

For even more things to do around Brooklyn, and to add your own upcoming events (some of which we’ll feature in this roundup in the future!), check out our calendar.

Ziema, Daniel Markham, John Calvin Abney, and Julian Cubillos
When: Monday, April 4, Doors: 7:30pm, Show: 8:00pm
Where: Union Hall, 702 Union Street and 5th Avenue
What: Music with a quartet of talents.
How Much: $8, tickets available in advance. 21 and over. This event will be mixed seated/standing. Arrive early for best seat selection.

Elizabeth Isadora Gold presents The Mommy Group
When: Tuesday, April 5, 7:00pm
Where: Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue, between Garfield Place and Carroll Street
What: The Mommy Group, by Elizabeth Isadora Gold, argues for the powerful role that tight-knit relationships among women can have on a mother’s well-being. Gold shares stories covering everything from day care and sleep training to birthday parties and breast pumps to illustrate the importance of community among mothers. Gold will be joined by Emily Flake (Mama Tried) and Maya Shetreat-Klein (The Dirt Cure) for a roundtable discussion of mommy groups.In conversation with poet Danniel Schoonebeek.
How much: Free

Punderdome 3000
When: Tuesday, April 5, 7:00pm (door), 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-$10, available at the door.

Slavic Soul Party
When: Tuesday, April 5, 9:00pm
Where: Barbes, 376 9th Street near 6th Avenue.
What: If you’re looking for “fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Gypsy accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops,” don’t miss Slavic Soul Party, hitting the Barbes stage on Tuesday night. With Jose Conde Trio at 7pm
How much: $10 (strongly) suggested donation.

Tales from the Crypt, a conversation with Ptolemy Tompkins and Mitch Horowitz
When: Wednesday, April 6, 7pm
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424A 3rd Avenue (at 7th Street)
What: A monthly series of provocative and useful dialogues with artists, writers, filmmakers, and scholars who broaden our understanding of the ill-considered and the unknown, hosted by PEN Award-winning historian Mitch Horowitz.The “ghost author” (pun intended) of the mega-seller Proof of Heaven, Ptolemy is a critically acclaimed and intellectually serious proponent of belief in life after death. Is there evidence for non-bodily survival? Ptolemy and Mitch will discuss the public’s fascination with questions of the afterlife, angels, reincarnation, heaven and hell, and whether we can talk to the dead. Ptolemy will also share his experiences growing up as “New Age royalty” in the home of an Atlantis-seeking father, and his own experiences writing his forthcoming book, Proof of Angels.
How much: $10, tickets available online.

Taste of Fifth
When: Wednesday, April 6, 6:30pm
Where: Grand Prospect Hall, 263 Prospect Avenue (near 5th Avenue)
What: Celebrate Fifth Avenue’s acclaimed destination restaurants and legendary watering holes at A Taste Of Fifth at The Grand Prospect Hall. Buying a ticket not only allows you to sample all the savory offerings from our many local restaurants and bars (complementary wine & beer), but you’ll also be benefiting many of our local charities. A Taste of Fifth is a great opportunity to dance the night away or simply enjoy the company of friends and neighbors and catch up on the latest doings on the greatest avenue in the Slope.
How much: $55, Tickets available on line.

Filmmaker Sarah Burns on Jackie Robinson
When: Thursday, April 7, 7:30pm
Where: Brooklyn Public Library — Central Branch, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza
What: Documentary filmmaker, Sarah Burns (The Central Park Five), will screen clips from her upcoming film Jackie Robinson, which examines the life and times of Jack Roosevelt Robinson, who lifted an entire race, and nation, on his shoulders in 1947 when he crossed baseball’s color line with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The film will explore the legacy of a man whose exemplary life and aspirational message of equality continues to be a major influence on the lives of countless Americans.
How much: Free, but please RSVP here.

Brooklyn Free Space Community Series Presents: Talks About Race With Your Preschooler
When: Thursday, April 7, 6:30pm
Where: Brooklyn Free Space, 298 6th Avenue (between 2nd and 3rd Streets)
What: Border Crossers guides us in a discussion with parents on how to utilize creative tools in your explorations of race and racism with their children. Participants learn how children see race, gain skills for approaching age-appropriate conversations with a racial equity lens, and practice strategies to promote positive racial identity development in children.
How much: $10, Tickets available here.

Ellen Chuse: Theme and Variations
When: Thursdays and Fridays, 4:00-7:00pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00am-7:00pm. Through Sunday, April 24
Where: 440 Gallery, 440 6th Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets
What: Ellen Chuse’s fifth solo show at 440 Gallery, Theme and Variations, reflects an exploration of hyper-saturated color along with natural forms that have been part of the artist’s vocabulary for decades. Moving between representation and abstraction, Chuse explores landscape and the body in deeply intimate ways all while creating an ambiguity that encourages the viewer to bring personal associations and experiences to each piece.
How much: Free.

Carlton Scott Sturgill’s Garden of Delights — Installation Opening
When: Through Sunday, April 10 by appointment only.
Where: Gowanus Loft, 61 9th Street #C8 (between 2nd Avenue and the Gowanus Canal.
What: Garden of Delights is a stunning exhibit by New Orleans by way of Brooklyn artist Carlton Scott Sturgill. The work is diverse and challenging, created with paint chips including mosaics, paintings & sculpture. Curation & lighting design by George Del Barrio.
How much: Free. Email colby@vanderbiltrepublic.com to make an appointment to visit.

Hai: Sole Exchange
When: Through April 29. Regular hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 2pm-6pm.
Where: Open Source Gallery, (306 17th Street at 6th Avenue)
What: Healing Arts Initiative and Open Source Gallery present Sole Exchange, a participatory art installation curated by Francis Palazzolo. Sole Exchange explores the intersection between live performance and representational form, utilizing social practices that enhance intersubjectivity. Paintings and drawings by HAI studio members included in Sole Exchange aim to disrupt cultural polarization and destigmatize mental health issues. Participation in this exhibit not only makes the viewer an active participant, helping to increase understanding between individuals, but also increases the visibility of the HAI studio members. To negotiate unspoken and unrealized spaces between people, HAI studio members pictured kinship upon the Open Source walls, creating artwork for the exhibit that explores collaboration and community. Exhibited work validates the input of marginalized communities and encourages a position of strength and stability for the artists.
How much: Free.