The Paddle8 Brooklyn tour continues with Greenpoint!
Greenpoint is located in Brooklyn’s most northern point on the border with Long Island City, Queens. Originally farmland, the borough started being built up as a residential area during the 19th century when rope factories and lumberyards began spreading along the East River to the west. According to NY Magazine, the area is cheaper and safer than adjacent Williamsburg and has a respectable number of restaurants and bars, which is pulling in a number of younger residents.
McCarren Park in Greenpoint is known for its recently resurfaced running track. The park is also a major destination in the summer for volleyball, handball, and soccer. Numerous music events have also taken place at the park, including Wolf Eyes and Brooklyn-based band Vivian Girls.
In the fall, be sure to take part in the “Bring to Light NYC” festival. This is a free, nighttime public festival of art that invites emerging and established artists to make site-specific installations of light, sound, and projection art – creating an immersive spectacle for thousands of visitors. Some of last year’s participating artists included: Amanda Long, CHIKA, Colin Snapp, and Alex Villar.
We can’t get enough of DJ duo GHE20 G0TH1K! The music and fashion duo have hosted numerous parties in Greenpoint and are known for their bass-thumping sound that defies easy categorization. Follow them on Twitter for the latest information on upcoming shows, collaborations and other projects.
We love the nonprofit organization Triple Canopy. Based in Greenpoint, this online magazine, workspace, and platform works collaboratively with writers, artists, and researchers. Triple Canopy facilitates projects that engage the Internet’s specific characteristics as a public forum and as a medium, with its own evolving practices of reading and viewing, economies of attention, and modes of interaction. It is therefore no surprise that their board of directors includes digital media artist Cory Arcangel – known for his artistic exploration of the relationship between technology and culture. Check out Triple Canopy’s Tumblr page!
While visiting Greenpoint, you must check out the Janet Kurnatowski Gallery. Their current exhibition is Kazimira Rachfal’s third solo exhibition The Shiva Cycle. According to the gallery, her elegant and subtle oil paintings offer a proposition of value, one that runs counter to the instantly apparent and commodifying demands of a ‘society of the spectacle’. Another “must-see” on our list is Fowler Arts Collective. This is a studio and gallery collective housing 24 talented artists working in 18 studios. The current exhibition Exquisite, is a blind collaboration between Brooklyn artists such as Elana Adler, Miles Debas, Dave Singley, and Stephanie Terao.
Artists we like in Greenpoint: David Kennedy Cutler (check out Derek Eller Gallery‘s Paddle8 page, who represent Cutler), Mariah Robertson (check out American Contemporary‘s Paddle8 page, who represent Robertson), and Gloria Maximo.
Be sure to browse the BAMart Silent Benefit Auction - hosted on Paddle8 for just 5 more days!