Weekend Art Events: February 8-10 (Black Comix Expo, Bubbles, Brooklyn Flea Record Fair & More)
Happy Black History Month! There are a couple of events lined up this weekend to celebrate the annual observance of African-American history including the return of Myrtle Avenue’s Black Artstory Month and BAM’s Black Comix Expo.
Check the Bklyner Calendar for more events happening around town or to list one of your own.
Kings Theatre Historic Tour (Sponsored)
When: Saturday, February 9, 2pm
Where: Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush
What: Brooklyn’s newly-restored Kings Theatre is pleased to announce the return of the popular historic theatre tour. This tour covers the history of the initial opening in 1929 through the story of the current day restoration to glory in an intimate group setting.
How Much: Tickets $20
Environmental Empathies
When: Exhibition on view Wednesday, February 6 through Thursday, March 28 (8am to 8pm daily)
Where: St. Francis College, Callahan Center Art Gallery, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights
What: This group exhibition explores the connection between empathy and action around climate change, encouraging viewers to “‘put themselves in the shoes’ of future (or current) generations who will experience the effects of climate change or of the plant and wildlife being impacted.”
How Much: Free and open to the public daily
Insider’s Tour: DUMBO First Thursday Gallery Walk
When: Thursday February 7, 6pm to 7pm
Where: Meet in the lobby of Empire Stores, 53-83 Water Street, DUMBO
What: The first Thursday of every month‚ the galleries of DUMBO stay open late, hosting special events and receptions for the First Thursday Gallery Walk. Join Art in DUMBO for a docent-led tour of highlights from this month’s Walk.
How Much: Free, RSVP here
Black Artstory Month 2019: Front And Center/ed
When: Every Friday throughout February
Where: Various locations, Fort Greene
What: The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership presents the 7th Annual Black Artstory Month, FRONT and CENTER/ED, on four Fridays during Black History Month. Curated by Black Gotham Experience, “four stylized productions at the intersection of Black Brooklyn history and fashion” will be presented along or near Myrtle Avenue throughout February. Read more about the Black Artstory Month events here.
How Much: All events are free and open to the public.
Hi-Viz: Australian Political Posters 1979–2019
When: Exhibition on view Friday, February 8 through Sunday, April 14 (opening reception Friday, Feb. 8, 6pm to 9pm)
Where: Interference Archive, 314 7th Street (between 4th & 5th Avenues), Park Slope
What: This exhibition of vibrant screen-printed posters provides a visual commentary of politics in Australia over the past four decades and illustrates the times and events that inspired artists throughout periods of major change. Several topics addressed in the posters are still relevant today, including Indigenous rights, gender politics, unemployment, and the environment.
Voices In The Heights
When: Friday, February 8, 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
Where: First Unitarian Congregational Society, 119 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn Heights
What: The February edition of this music series, dedicated to creating community among musicians and listeners, features cellist Serena Jost, Jeff Jacobs, and fiddler Skye Steele.
How Much: Tickets $15
Brooklyn Flea Mini Record Fair
When: Saturday, February 9, 11am to 8pm and Sunday, February 10, 11am to 5pm
Where: Smorgasburg + Brooklyn Flea Winter Market, Atlantic Center, 625 Atlantic Avenue, Fort Greene
What: The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair is setting up for a special popup at the Smorgasburg Winter Market alongside the Brooklyn Flea! Featuring fourteen of Brooklyn Flea Record Fairs’s top vinyl vendors, the mini fair will offer a variety of offerings for all music lovers.
Inspired by Malcolm X: Healing and Self-Determination Through the 4MX Greenhouse
When: Saturday, February 9, 11:45am to 6pm
Where: Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Avenue, Crown Heights
What: A Blade of Grass is collaborating with Weeksville Heritage Center on a special program focused on healing and self-determination that features a presentation of artist Jordan Weber’s 4 Malcolm X Greenhouse. 4MX Greenhouse was built on the site of Malcolm X’s birth home in North Omaha, Nebraska and “provides a space for the local community to grow food and medicinal plants, engage in spiritual and contemplative practices, and work towards transforming poverty and pollution into sustainable economies.” Representatives from Harriet’s Apothecary, The Black School, The Studio Museum of Harlem, Brooklyn Zen Center, Moon Mother Apothecary, and Sheps Hetep Ancestral Music will also be on hand at the event.
How Much: Free, RSVP here
Urban Glass Open Studios: Bubbles!
When: Saturday, February 9, 1pm to 5pm
Where: Urban Glass, 647 Fulton Street, Fort Greene
What: Bubbles are all around in the glass studio, from the first step in glassblowing to the embellishment of a finished work. Join Urban Glass for hands-on activities for all ages and tour their 17,000-square-foot studio space while learning about the ways that glass, and glass bubbles, are used in art and design. Demonstrations will include glassblowing, flameworking, and neon tube bending.
How Much: Activities start at $25, register here
African Dancing and Folktales
When: Saturday, February 9, 2pm to 3pm
Where: New Utrecht Library, 1743 86th Street (at Bay 17th Street), Bensonhurst
What: Join the New Utrecht Library to experience African folktales woven together through an interactive African Dance class.
How Much: Free
BAM Black Comix Expo
When: Sunday, February 10, 11am to 5pm
Where: BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene
What: BAM celebrates Black History Month with its second Black Comix Expo showcasing work by comic writers, illustrators, and creators of color in a free, day-long event that celebrates diversity, inclusion, and representation in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Co-presented by The Black Comics Collective, the expo will feature more than 20 local comic exhibitors, an immersive Afro-Feminism VR installation, an Afrofuturista panel discussion, a children’s art workshop, and a superhero cosplay showcase.
How Much: Free
PUBLIQuartet: Freedom and Faith
When: Sunday, February 10, 4pm (doors open at 3pm)
Where: National Sawdust, 80 N 6th Street, Williamsburg
What: National Sawdust’s Artists-in-Residence, PUBLIQuartet, will perform works from the string quartet’s upcoming album featuring female composers who explore themes of freedom and faith. Dedicated to presenting music by composers outside of the standard classical canon, the concert will feature works by Meredith Monk and Ella Fitzgerald along with rising stars like Shelly Washington and Jessica Meyer.
How Much: Tickets $29 (in advance) $34 (at door)
Looking ahead…
Roulette’s Archive Launch Party
When: Tuesday, February 12, 7pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue (at 3rd Avenue), Boerum Hill
What: Roulette is hosting a launch party for the unveiling of its historic archive of nearly 4,000 concerts dating back to its first show in 1978. The extensive archive, which is available free online, includes hundreds of audio and video recordings, photos, notes, programs, posters, and ephemera, with much more to come. The launch event will feature demonstrations and special performances as well as introductions to Roulette’s 2019 resident and commissioned artists.
How Much: Free with RSVP
Trevor Noah (Sponsored)
When: Tuesday, February 12, 8pm (doors open at 7pm)
Where: Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush
What: The Daily Show host Trevor Noah launches the paperback edition of his bestselling memoir Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood: the compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed. Born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison, Trevor was kept hidden by his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother, until the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule set them off on a grand adventure. Trevor discusses his book on stage at Brooklyn’s beautiful Kings Theater at this exclusive launch event. All tickets include a copy of the book, to be distributed at the event. Ticketholders are encouraged to arrive early to pass through the theater’s security check and enjoy the opulent visuals and fine concessions in the Kings Theatre lobby.
How Much: Tickets start at $60
Disney’s DCappella (Sponsored)
When: Saturday, February 16, 8pm (doors open at 7pm)
Where: Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush
What: DCappella, Disney Music Group’s new a cappella group featuring 7 world class vocalists, will embark on its first North American tour in January 2019. Created by Disney and contemporary a cappella legend Deke Sharon (Pitch Perfect, The Sing Off, and much more), the tour will appeal to fans of both Disney and a cappella with their modern a cappella versions of Disney hits.
How Much: Tickets start at $39.50
Kings Theatre Historic Tour (Sponsored)
When: Saturday, February 23, 2pm
Where: Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush
What: Brooklyn’s newly-restored Kings Theatre is pleased to announce the return of the popular historic theatre tour. This tour covers the history of the initial opening in 1929 through the story of the current day restoration to glory in an intimate group setting.
How Much: Tickets $20
Ongoing…
Tom Bennett: Paintings and Master Prints
When: Exhibition on view Sunday, December 9 through Saturday, February 9, 2019
Where: Tabla Rasa Gallery, 224 48th Street (between 2nd & 3rd Avenues), Sunset Park
What: Bennett’s artwork features “impassioned brushwork, bold compositions, and rich subject matter” including bucking horses and classical nudes.
Processing
When: Exhibition on view Saturday, October 20 through Friday, February 15, 2019 (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 an exhibition of current work by the members of the Gowanus Swim Society artist collective. The eight artists manipulated their art materials through “intentional, systematic procedures that sometimes incorporate[d] chance,” producing work that borders on representation and abstraction while showing “the evolution of most artists’ work processes.”
Faces Of Downtown Scene By Maria Baranova
When: Exhibition on view Friday, January 4 through Saturday, February 16
Where: The Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen Street, Boerum Hill
What: Maria Baranova‘s two-year “Faces of Downtown” project is dedicated to NYC’s experimental performance community. The photographer has shot more than 200 portraits of off-Broadway dancers, choreographers, actors, producers, playwrights, designers, and directors at her Gowanus studio, including Ivy Baldwin, Yanira Castro, Meg Harper, Bobbi Jene Smith, and more.
Styles of Resistance: From the Corner to the Catwalk
When: Exhibition on view Friday, January 18 through Sunday, February 24
Where: MoCADA Museum, 80 Hanson Place, Fort Greene
What: MoCADA kicks off its 20th anniversary with this fashion-focused exhibit that examines the origins of streetwear and urban fashion, and its evolution from the 1970s to today.
How Much: Admission $16
Lost Angelino: An Immigrant’s Tale
When: Exhibition on view Friday, January 11 through Friday, March 1
Where: South Slope Local/Uptown Roasters, 355 7th Avenue (between 10th & 11th Streets), Park Slope
What: Park Slope artist Gabriel Rivera presents artwork documenting his life’s journey, from emigrating to the United States from Mexico, serving in the Vietnam War, and becoming a business owner, family man, and activist. Read more about Rivera here.
Enrico Riley: New World
When: Exhibition on view Saturday, February 2 through Saturday, March 23
Where: Jenkins Johnson Projects, 207 Ocean Avenue (between Parkside Avenue & Lincoln Road), Prospect-Lefferts Garden
What: The paintings in Riley’s solo exhibit are part of an evolving cycle that investigates themes of historical and contemporary violence, martyrdom, and grief. The recent media reports of reflexive violence perpetrated on African-Americans has blurred the boundaries between the historical record and the problems still facing contemporary culture. Riley’s paintings can be used for remembering and reflecting on grief, but also to investigate the links between the old and new worlds.
Scoring The Stacks
When: Exhibition on view Friday, January 11 through Sunday, April 7
Where: Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Heights
What: Brooklyn-based artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed presents this participatory public art exhibition and workshop series at BPL’s Central Library. Visitors are introduced to the exhibit by a 120-foot site-specific photomural on the balcony of the Library’s Grand Lobby. At the heart of Scoring the Stacks is a series of scores, artworks based on musical notations, that invite participants to interpret/follow instructions that take them throughout the library. A series of public programs will also invite attendees to collaborate in creating lyrics, choreography, and flash fiction using scores contributed by the public.
BRIC Biennial: Volume III, South Brooklyn Edition
When: Exhibition on view from Thursday, February 7 through Sunday, April 7
Where: BRIC House, 647 Fulton Street, Fort Greene and various satellite locations
What: The third edition of BRIC’s Biennial will showcase the work of 19 emerging and mid-career artists in South Brooklyn (Park Slope, Gowanus, Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge) at BRIC House as well as at five satellite locations including Green-Wood Cemetery, La Bodega, NARS Foundation, Ortega Y Gasset Projects, and Trestle Gallery. With this year’s “The Impossible Possible” theme “rather than reflecting our current state of affairs, their work looks inward, whether reflecting the sphere of the personal or some alternate reality.”