For more details, CLICK HERE

Plaza Swing Series

The Harlem Blues & Jazz Band: Thursday, June 16, 6:30PM
Central Library, Plaza

These veteran jazz and blues musicians have roots that reach to the 1920s and ‘30s, when they really did stomp at the Savoy! They play in the small group jump band format with one soloist on each of the major jazz band instruments, performing hard-driving Kansas City stompers and sultry blues. Featuring Zeke Mullins on keys Michael Max Fleming on bass Jackie Williams, drums Fred Staton on tenor sax Ruth Brisbane, vocal and Joey Morant on trumpet and flugelhorn. Co-sponsered by WBGO Jazz 88 and Heart of Brooklyn.

Swingtime Big Band: Thursday, June 23, 6:30PM
Central Library, Plaza

This 20-piece band plays authentic recreations of the timeless swing music of such great Big Band leaders as Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington among many others.

Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza
Opened on February 1, 1941, the Central Library is the major reference center for BPL's 60-location system. The library's notable architecture was created to resemble an open book, with the spine on Grand Army Plaza and the building's two wings opening like pages onto Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue.

For more details, CLICK HERE

Celebrates Independence Day on July 2

July's event celebrates Independence Day and the special exhibition Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior. Highlights include:

5-7 p.m. Music: Falu mixes contemporary rock with classical Indian melodies and rhythms.

6 p.m. Performance: The Kathak Ensemble brings the art of Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior to life with traditional Hindu dance and storytelling. Free tickets available at the Visitor Center at 5 p.m.

6-8 p.m. Performance: Performance duo Clean Penny Service washes dirty pennies for visitors using natural methods. Presented in connection with the installation Black Lincoln for Dooky Chase.

6:30-8:30 p.m. Hands-on Art: Discover Vishnu's powerful avatars and sculpt one of your own. Free timed tickets available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.

7 p.m. Curator Talk: Joan Cummins, Curator of Asian Art, on Vishnu: Hinduism's Blue-Skinned Savior. Free tickets available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.

8-10 p.m. Dance Party: Celebrate Independence Day with The Freedom Party NYC. DJs Cosi, Herbert Holler, and Marc Smooth spin tracks by American artists.

8:30-10 p.m. Music: The Raga Chitra Association plays traditional Indian melodies inspired by stories about Vishnu.

10-11 p.m. Late Night in the Galleries

Throughout the evening, a cash bar will offer beer and wine, and the Museum Café will serve a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and beverages. The Museum Shop will remain open until 11 p.m.

HOB Connection Free Shuttle
Saturday, July 2, 5-10 p.m.
The Heart of Brooklyn (HOB), a partnership of the leading cultural institutions located near Grand Army Plaza in central Brooklyn, operates a free shuttle between Target First Saturdays and places to eat, drink, and shop, to support local merchants in surrounding neighborhoods. At each stop, tour guides can suggest local restaurants, shops and bars and provide maps and discounts.

For more details, CLICK HERE

Circus Lives

May 25 - June 28, 2011

The Waterfront Museum & Showboat Barge presents an exhibition of paintings, drawings & mixed media,
by Karen E. Gersch, Carisa Swenson, Carlo Pellegrini, Josiah Dearborn & a mystery Russian painter!

Opening Reception: Friday, June 17th, 6-8 pm

The The Waterfront Museum is located at the foot of Conover St. in Red Hook, Brooklyn, right next to Fairway. Visit http://www.waterfrontmuseum.org for travel directions.

For more details, CLICK HERE

THE CATECHISM CATACLYSM

Rooftop Films, in partnership with BAMcinemaFEST, presents a special outdoor screening of Rooftop alumnus Todd Rohal’s madcap new film: THE CATECHISM CATACLYSM. Rohal’s latest feature follows the storyline of your typical road-trip movie. On a boat. With a priest. Who’s obsessed with bad heavy metal music. Throw in some Japanese tourists with a head-exploding device and a man living inside a concrete highway bunker, and voila, instant classic.

WHEN: Saturday, June 18, 2011
8:00 PM Doors Open
8:30 PM Live Music
9:00 PM Film Begins

WHERE: Outdoor parking lot at BAM Cinematek, Fulton Street and Ashland Place, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Subway: 2/3/4/5/B/Q to Atlantic Ave or D/M/N/R to Pacific St.

Rooftop Films is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and inspire the diverse communities of New York City by showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers and musicians. In addition to our Summer Series – which takes place in unique outdoor venues every weekend throughout the summer – Rooftop provides grants to filmmakers, teaches media literacy and filmmaking to young people, rents equipment at low-cost to artists and non-profits, and produces new independent films. At Rooftop Films, we bring the underground outdoors. For more information and updates please visit our website at www.rooftopfilms.com.

For more details, CLICK HERE

presents Syfy Movies With A View at Pier 1

"Free outdoor movies in Brooklyn Bridge Park have become a beloved summer tradition for thousands of New Yorkers," said Nancy Webster, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. "We are pleased to partner with Syfy and Brooklyn Bridge Park to present Syfy Movies With A View and invite patrons to come early, spread out a blanket, grab some popcorn, and enjoy a beautiful evening in the park."


Syfy Movies With A View at Brooklyn Bridge Park; Every Thursday from July 7 through September 1; DJs at 6:00pm, movies at sundown

Thursday, July 7: Manhattan [R]

Thursday, July 14: Ghostbusters [PG]

Thursday, July 21: Sweet Smell of Success [PG]
Thursday, July 28: Basquiat [R]

Thursday, August 4: An American Tail [G]

Thursday, August 11: Breakfast at Tiffany's [NR]

Thursday, August 18: Crooklyn [PG13]

Thursday, August 25: Rosemary's Baby [R]

Thursday, September 1: Public Vote: choose your own favorite New York story! Check www.brooklynbridgepark.org after August 25 for details.

Music starts at 6:00 pm, and the films begin at sundown. Park concessionaires Ditch Plains, Blue Marble Ice Cream, Brooklyn Bridge Wine Bar and Calexico will be offering food and drinks for purchase.

FREE! On the Harbor View Lawn of Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
See www.brooklynbridgepark.org for more information.
Note: capacity is limited and lawn seating is first come, first served.

For more details, CLICK HERE

Moby to Perform Sneak Preview of Songs from Destroyed at Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn-Based Artist and Photographer Lorna Simpson to Have Solo Exhibition at Brooklyn Museum

Lorna Simpson: Gathered presents photographic and other works that explore the artist's interest in the interplay between fact and fiction, identity, and history. Through works that incorporate hundreds of original and found vintage photographs of African Americans that she collected from eBay and flea markets, Simpson undermines the assumption that archival materials are objective documents of history. The exhibition will be open to the public January 28 through August 21, 2011.

The exhibition also includes examples of Simpson's series of installations of black-and-white photo-booth portraits of African Americans from the Jim Crow era and a new film work.

For more details, CLICK HERE

VIDEO & WINE

Dumbo Arts Center
Thursday, June 16, 2011

Secret Garden Party II: A silent auction and party to benefit Dumbo Arts Center, with open bar, music, and an indoor garden! 6-10PM

Tickets on sale May 16, 2011: $50 advance, $55 at the door

Now with cupcakes from Sweet and Shiny, music from mule skinner Jack Belli of Bougarelli, and sangria! Preview the auction: http://www.dumboartscenter.org/benefit_auction.html

In the great summer tradition, DAC presents a sequel to last year's blockbuster fundraiser! We will have a relaxed, pleasurable garden-themed environment (with real grass!) in which guests will enjoy wine, music, audio-scapes and a surprise or two! Art by emerging and established artists will be sold as part of the evening-long silent auction. Get your advance tickets now!

Dumbo Arts Center (DAC)
111 Front Street, Suite 212
Brooklyn, NY 11201

For more details, CLICK HERE

OBSTACLE

MAY 14 – JULY 17

Surrounding themselves with people and places they love has always been important to Steven and William Ladd. Their initial encounter with The Invisible Dog was love at first sight. The space brought back childhood fantasies of exploring caves, old buildings, and nature. Buckets and barrels filled with trinkets and trimmings left behind from a defunct belt factory lined the floors. Lucien Zayan, envisioning the spirit of the future art space, commissioned them to utilize these materials and create a chandelier for the ground floor gallery. This commission blossomed into a friendship and opened the doors to a professional collaboration – from curating The Invisible Store to curating their first art show.

Steven and William have chosen “Obstacle” as the theme of the exhibition; born from the idea of an obstacle course – something to challenge the body and demand attention in the present. They approached artists and asked them to investigate the work they were making, and how the work relates to obstacles. The Perfect Storm, by Sally French, deals with the loss of her home during the housing crisis. Chris Astley explores force, pressure and weight with concrete forms. In the case of artists Antonia Wright and Ruben Millares, they literally confront theirs with a running start. Steven and William collaborated with their sister Bee Ladd’s education program at PS 58, Project Lab. They spent two weeks talking about obstacles and making art with over 400 students. Art-education has always been an important way for them to give back to the community and to encourage future artists.

51 Bergen Street (between Smith street and Boerum Place); Brooklyn NY 11201; F or G Trains - Bergen street stop

For more details, CLICK HERE

NEW GROUP SHOW

"Based on a True Story" a group show featuring the artwork of Supakitch and Tamiko Kawata.
The show will be on view through July 31st.

Supakitch, was born in Paris and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. He creates works that reveal his passion for Mangas and Japanese culture, while intertwining his love for music, and street art. His paintings often portray current events, natural occurrences, and personal experiences and stories revealed through his character and alter ego Supanimal. "Supakitch composes graphic melodies" in a universe filled with "anthropomorphic" creatures that overpower today's technological world. His most recent focus is his series, Listen To My Picture, where he creates unique vinyl discs that overlay printed circuit boards. Expressing "a scenery of the current music industry," while conveying "the beginning of progress in the field of electronics."

Muriel Guépin Gallery is located at 47 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201; 1.718.858.4535

For more details, CLICK HERE

Natural History

August 5, 2010–August 31, 2011

For three weeks in summer 2010, artist Patrick Dougherty and a team of volunteers constructed a monumental woven-wood sculpture in honor of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's centennial. The result, which the artist titled Natural History, will be on display for the next year, complementing the beauty of the Garden through the seasons. Garden visitors will find the work in the Plant Family Collection near Magnolia Plaza.

Dougherty crafts large-scale sculptures from saplings: weaving, snagging, and flexing sticks into playful, nestlike architectural forms that evoke themes of shelter, habitat, and sustainability. Created of organic matter, his works have a natural life cycle, changing over time as the sticks settle and decay, eventually returning to the earth they grew from.

1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 • For directions to BBG, Click this link.

For more details, CLICK HERE

The Black Box New Play Festival

The Dunes by Craig Pospisil (world premiere)
June 2-26

The financial crisis hits fading film star Laura Robertson when she returns to her home in the Hamptons after her latest marriage falls apart. Her family tries to get Laura's life back on track, but her debts and inability to make painful decisions mean they may also lose those things more valuable than a beach home.

The Altruist by TJ Edwards (world premiere)
June 3-26

When a French billionaire gets bored with life, he decides that becoming president will be his cure. He dons the cloak of an altruist and enlists the help of a political handler, but his drunken wife and obnoxious children do all they can to subvert his self-serving ambitions. A high comedy set in the style of Moliere and written well before Donald Trump's latest shenanigans!

SHORT PLAYS - PROGRAM 1 - June 9-12
Brief Encounters of the Third Kind by Corey Pajka. Directed by Suzanne Adams
Chosen by D.L. Siegel. Directed by Barrie Gelles
The Overnighter by Bianca J. Ursillo. Directed by Brian Michael Flanagan
Fishing on the Ferry by Allan Lefcowitz. Directed by Malinda Sourci
The Greenhouse by Camilla Maxwell. Directed by Robin Leslie Brown

SHORT PLAYS - PROGRAM 2 - June 16-19
The State of Steve by Morgan von Ancken. Directed by Michael McIntosh
Requiem for a Humvee by George J. Bryjak. Directed by Norma Medina
Knock by Anne Phelan. Directed by Liz Thaler
Knock - Knock by Lily Mercer. Directed by Stephen Kaliski
Brooklyn Crossing by Laura Livingston. Directed by Mo Zhou

SHORT PLAYS - PROGRAM 3 - June 23-26
The Alley by Michael DeVito. Directed by Jessica Bashline
Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love by Paul Sambol. Directed by Jessica Bashline
Sibbleger by David L. Williams. Directed by Ari Rosenbaum
With a Shrug by Nicholas Priore. Directed by Robert Haufrecht
Things Like Lamps by Josh Sohn. Directed by Ari Rosenbaum
Along Came a Spider by Judd Lear Silverman. Directed by Michael McIntosh


The Gallery Players is located at 199 14th St., between 4th and 5th Aves. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Take the F Train to 4th Ave. or the R Train to 9th Street. By car: BQE to Hamilton Avenue to 14th Street.

For more details, CLICK HERE

JAPAN & NATURE EXHIBIT

April 27 – June 13, 2010 (Produced by Brooklyn Children’s Museum)

This object-based interactive exhibit invites children and families to discover and explore how their counterparts in Japan celebrate and experience the natural environment. Organized around universal aspects of childhood—family, school, play, and holiday celebrations—the exhibit encourages investigations of how people living in Japan today understand nature through special seasonal and everyday environments and family activities. The exhibit features items collected from Japanese children and selected objects from the Museum’s collections.

CHILDREN OF HANGZHOU EXHIBIT

June 26 – September 5, 2010 (Produced by Boston Children’s Museum)

Children of Hangzhou enables exhibit-goers to visit a real family in a contemporary China and experience the impact of modernization on the lives of the girls and boys in a family that bridges old traditions and new ways of life. Inside recreated models of a Hangzhou apartment, pagoda, open air market, school classroom, rice field, and modern shopping mall, visitors try hands-on activities and participate in the lives of the local children as they go about their daily play, school life, and work in China today.

BROOKLYN CHILDREN’S MUSEUM is located next to beautiful Brower Park, just one mile from Grand Army Plaza, in the Heart of Brooklyn cultural hub. 145 Brooklyn Avenue (at St. Marks Avenue), Brooklyn, NY 11213

For more details, CLICK HERE

Gin in June

Friday, June 10, 6:30 - 8:30 pm - A Fundraiser for the Old Stone House & Washington Park

Drink in history at OSH's spring fundraiser, featuring a tasting and talk with food historian Sarah Lohman. Sip a Gin Sling or a Martinez and graze on 1880's bar food. Get a sneak peek at the model for OSH's first floor gallery renovation and the interpretive play elements for JJ Byrne Playground. Space is limited!

Tickets $45 on-line, $50 at the door

The Old Stone House is situated at the center of Washington Park/JJ Byrne Playground, a 3.5 acre recreation site. We are devoted to supporting the Friends of Washington Park, and developing programming that enriches the site.

3rd Street @ 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn

For more details, CLICK HERE

presents events

Thursday, June 23: History Through Beer
7:00-9:00 p.m.

BHS, in conjunction Urban Oyster, presents a lesson in history told through beer. Join local beer guides David Naczycz and Cindy VandenBosch as they lead a delicious beer tasting using present day versions of historical beers to tell the story of beer, its key role in our civilization and how, ultimately, beer found its way to Brooklyn where it prospered, fell, and now is prospering again. There is no better way to learn about history than by tasting it. The tasting will include six generous tastings of beer along with delicious food pairings of cured meats and cheeses. Through these tastings we’ll get a sense of how everyone from ancient Mesopotamians to Belgian monks to our Brooklyn grandfathers drank their beer and how all of our lives are different today because of beer. Limited seated. Advance ticket purchase recommended. Purchase your tickets here. Tickets: $40 BHS members/$45 non-members.

Home Base: Memories of the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field
An exhibition curated by local high school students in BHS' Exhibition Laboratory program. Through archives, photos and oral histories, the exhibition explores the connection between Ebbets Field, the Dodgers and the Brooklyn community. The exhibit features the history of the team and its fans by digging into BHS’ rich Dodgers collection that includes baseball cards, photographs of the field, ticket stubs, uniforms, seats from Ebbets Field, autographed baseballs, scorebooks from the 19th century, team photos and the famous Dodger Banner from their 1955 World Series win. The exhibition will include humorous and emotional stories from fans and employees of Ebbets Field, recorded by students and BHS staff during the semester. Home Base recalls the thrill and excitement of attending games at Ebbets Field at the height of the Dodgers era.

Brooklyn Historical Society is located 128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201 at the corner of Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights.