This weekend, The Invisible Dog, Boerum Hill’s exciting center for the arts (51 Bergen St.), will begin hosting the Walls and Bridges arts and ideas series. In it’s third iteration, this 10-day event is a “series of performances and critical explorations uniting French and American thinkers and performers from the social sciences, philosophy and live arts” as curated by the Villa Gillet, presented by France’s Conseil de la création artistique.
Saturday from noon to 11pm, come by for A Tale of Two Chefs, Gastronomic picnic. French Chef Mathieu Rostaing Tayard from Lyon’s Le 126 and American Chef Brian Leth, currently working at the Vinegar Hill House, will be putting together a a special, gourmet lunch box meal. Reservations are suggested here, though we’ve been having problems getting the right link. Check here for the full program.
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Boerum Hill Hosts Franco-American Arts Series
Hello Atlantic Antic
It’s that time again. Put on your comfy shoes, tie your children to your waist and head on out to the Atlantic Antic, the quintessential BoCoCa fall event. A little late this year, the Antic will take place this Sunday, 2 October on (yes) Atlantic Ave from Hicks to 4th Ave. Billed as the largest street fair in NYC, it is comprised of local and national vendors intertwined with restaurants and boutiques, as well as music stages and cultural performances. Kid-friendly activities include pony rides, face-painting, storytelling, bouncy castles and tours of vintage buses at the Transit Museum. Come hungry for local delicacies and lots of beer–the fair runs from noon to 6pm come rain or shine. Here’s a schedule of events in case you want to do some planning. See you there (or at least pass you in the crowd).
Come Think About Thinking With Neil LaBute at BAM
You think you’re so smart. It’s ok. So do we. And according to the folks running the Between the Lines program at BAM, 87 percent of university students consider themselves above average in the thinking department. But we can’t all be that clever, can we? If you’d like to hear that question debated by some truly elevated panelists like Adam Kolber, Neil LaBute & Tim Harms, Emanuel Derman and Tim Wu, come check out Think You’re Pretty Smart at Brooklyn Academy of Music this Thursday, 22 Sept at 8pm (bar opens at 7:30). The entrance fee is just $10 and you can meet your fellow smartypants at the BAMcafé.
Governor’s Island Labor Day Fun and Free Bike Sunday
I am not afraid to say it: I LOVE GOVERNOR’S ISLAND. And if you’re like us, home for the big Labor Day weekend, then there are even more reasons to head out on the ferry (full schedule here).
Celebrate Labor Day Weekend with Free Bike Sunday and the Pepsi Playground: Come by for this weekend’s Free Bike Sunday and borrow a bike for free, for up to one hour, courtesy of Pepsi. This Free Bike Day will be bigger and better than ever, as visitors will be able to borrow free bikes from Bike and Roll’s Pershing Hall and Colonels Row. Also, stop by the Pepsi Playground on Monday anytime from 11am to 4pm and play with free toys and lawn games. The Playground will be located on the Parade Ground, and will feature space hoppers, kick ball, croquet, touch football, giant Jenga, hula hoops, Frisbee golf and pogo sticks. Music and other activities will be happening all day long.
NYC Unicycle Festival: Saturday will be a day of unicycle races, games, shows and more. Visitors will be able to watch unicycle hockey, basketball, world record attempts, a one-wheeled show by the public and participate in games and relays. The fun starts at noon so get ready to enjoy some one-wheeled fun in the middle of the Island.
4 Heads Art Fair Opens This Weekend:The 4 Heads Art Fair returns for the fourth year in a row to Building 12. The 4heads jury has chosen 120 independent artists of merit and a select number of innovative galleries to participate in the fair, which runs every weekend in September. Each participant is granted space in Building 12, a former military barracks on the Island’s eastern shore, and is given free reign to design his or her own exhibition.
The epic scope of the 2011 fair includes 116 rooms of sculpture, photography, painting, video, sound, and object installations. While featuring artists from as far away as Switzerland and Morocco, the fair will also provide a unique venue for a large number of New York talents. Highlights this year will range from Jonathan Smith’s photographs of eerily quiet nighttime cityscapes, to Susan Camp’s sculptures made from gourds grown in moulds, to a group exhibition by NYFA’s Artist as Entrepreneur Boot Camp, to Naomi Campbell’s work, made from x rays and light.
Each weekend there will be different events and programs in and around Building 12 as a part of the Fair. Be sure to stop by when you come out this weekend and throughout September!
DUMBO All-Day Family Festival
The dog days of summer are upon us, and if you’re one of the many staying in Brooklyn for the run-up to back-to-school, here’s a family event you won’t want to miss. The All-Day Family Festival at The Archways in DUMBO takes place on 20 August, 10am to 5pm, and includes a fab line-up of live music, family yoga, face painting, balloon twisting and arts and crafts. In the mood for some shopping? Check out the local vendors hawking their wares at the community market place. Here’s a current entertainment schedule, though you may want to check in here for updates as the day gets closer:
10am: Bonga! Afro-Haitian Drum and Songs – an all-ages interactive family performance
11am: The Itty Biddies
12:05pm: P for Puppets presents: “One, Two, Tres”
1pm: Rolie Polie Guacamole
2:05pm: Erin Lee and the Up Past Bedtime Band
3:10pm: Still Saffire
4:15pm: The Mini Max Players
City of Water Day Festival Hits Brooklyn
We’re surrounded by water in NYC. And though I still think the city has a ways to go before it utilizes the waterfront to its fullest (oh how we love ye Barcelona), it’s nice to see local government making an effort with this weekend’s City of Water Day Festival. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, an alliance of more than 550 waterfront stakeholders, the family-friendly event takes place this Saturday 16 July, 10am to 4pm, at Governor’s Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Here’s a calendar of free events fyi:
On Pier 1
11:00am – 4:00pm: Free boating
Free kayaking with Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse. Children under 18 must have an adult present. No reservations necessary, first come first serve.
On Pier 5
11:00am: Kayak Demonstration
Members of QajaqUSA and Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse will demonstrate a variety of rolling techniques that were developed to recover from various situations that seal and walrus hunters encountered such as injured hands and arms, loss of a paddle and entanglement in harpoon lines.
On Pier 6
11:00am – 2:00pm: Water-themed art projects
Explore boats and water-themed arts and crafts project with Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Playground Associates.
12:00pm – 2:00pm: Try to catch a fish and watch a squid dissection
Make your own amazing casting machine from a recycled soda can (bring your own if possible) and use it to try and catch a fish. While your line is out, watch a big squid dissection and learn how it attacks prey and defends itself. Led by Master Angler Bill Fink and Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy staff.
11:00am – 5:00pm: Tug and Barge tours
Participate in dockside tours of the 1907 tugboat Pegasus and the Waterfront Museum’s 1914 Lehigh Valley Barge #79.
1:00pm, 2:30pm, 4:00pm: Jeff Newell’s New-Trad Quartet
Enjoy three river music sets performed live from the Waterfront Museum Barge.
Governor’s Island, mainly on the north side of the island in Nolan Park
Waterfront Activity Fair with a theatre program, fishing, watershed demonstrations and an art program.
Children’s Activities including a critter touch tank, Colonial Dutch Apple Pressing & Crafts opportunities, relays & games and a slide.
Guided Historic Boat Tours around the harbor
Tango Dancing
Kayak Rolling Demonstration
Waterfront Bike Riding
Bouncy Castles
Activities by the Harbor School
Harbor Education Task Force Meeting
Live Music and Numerous Options for food
Opera in Gowanus
Recently, I realized my days of heading to the ballet, opera, symphony, etc. have dwindled significantly. Chalk it up to parenthood or laziness, but my cultural barometer has been hovering at about two percent. So it was with great happiness I noticed Vertical Player Repertory’s new opera, playing right here in Gowanus 8 to 16 July. The Cobble Hill-based company will perform Francesco Cavalli’s 17th century comedy La Calisto under the stars in the gritty courtyard of a 19th century factory building, home of the interdisciplinary gallery and reading room Proteus Gowanus (534 Union St. at Nevins St.).
Performances are scheduled for Friday 8 July, Sunday 10 July, Thursday 14 July, and Saturday 16 July, with rain dates on Saturday 9 July, Monday 11 July, Friday 15 July and Sunday 17 July. All shows are at 8pm and tickets are $30, available here, or by calling 800-838-3006. So you can get your culture on without hailing a cab.
Summer Arts at Pierrepont Playground
Looking for some educational programs for the kids? A Summer Arts Program will be conducted by the Micro Museum of Cobble Hill at Pierrepont Playground, beginning Tuesday, 5 July. The programs are funded by individual contributions to the Playground Committee, as well as generous annual contributions from the Brooklyn Heights Association, and best of all, it won’t cost a thing. From the mailing list: We will offer Science and Movement classes on Mondays from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm and Creative Arts classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 am – noon. These programs are recommended for children aged 4 and up. All classes are held at Pierrepont Playground. A parent or guardian must be present at all times.
Huge DUMBO Stoop Sale
Looking for something to do this weekend? This super-sized stoop sale is not to be missed. Organized by the DUMBO Improvement District, the DUMBO Parents Organization and Half Pint Citizens, this community sale takes place this Saturday, 18 June, at The Archway under the Manhattan Bridge. With hipsters and YUPPIEs abound, this ain’t your momma’s second hand sale. DJ’s from the Halcyon will be spinning all day to keep you entertained and a dance party will begin at 2pm with DJ Kai. Runs from 11am to 4pm.
Brooklyn Height’s Vineapple-Eat, Hang, Caffeinate
Loving the idea of this new cafe in Brooklyn Heights. Vineapple, located on Pineapple St. between Hicks and Henry, opened last week and is trying to be a cool and cozy hangout for telecommuters, freelancers, parents and students alike. Oh, and you casual coffee drinkers can stop by as well. According to The Brooklyn Paper, owner Pooja Raj “imagines her new space as a living room for the neighborhood, with comfy couches, local art on the walls, a lending library, and books and chalkboards for kids.” Expect beverages like Stumptown coffee, Harney and Sons tea, wine, beer, Boylan’s Root Beer, Mash Soda, Pellegrino, yerba mate, iced coffee and iced tea, as well as local pastries from Pickle Petunia Bakery including bagels, scones, quiche, muffins, cookies, breakfast bars and whoopie pies.
I will be curious to see if everyone can get along. Will writers stopping by with their laptops feel comfy with kids running around eating whoopie pies? Only time will tell.
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