This is it. New York City’s biggest annual open studios event, Bushwick Open Studios (BOS), is set to happen this coming weekend, and it would be easy to get lost in the chaos of it all — except we’re here to help!
Presenting our useful guide to some galleries, group shows, studios, and even an art fair you should check out this weekend. We’ve also included some cafes, bars, and restaurants to make it all a little easier. And did we mention that Hyperallergic is a proud media sponsor for the event? Yup, we are.
There are some other shows I’d like to recommend but they aren’t listed below because they aren’t officially part of the BOS program, like the Justin Berry solo show at Interstate Projects, the tribute to Dennis Oppenheim at Valentine Gallery, and the Friday night performance art program at Grace Exhibition Space.
Also, don’t forget to follow Hyperallergic on Instagram for pics from BOS all weekend.
Now remember, this weekend is all about artist open studios, so make sure to explore as many as you can. But, as you probably know, BOS is about so much more.
The complete list for BOS 2014 is at artsinbushwick.org/bos2014/directory. And here is our convenient Google Map of our picks.
Galleries & Art Fair
From the new art fair on the block and the only blue-chip gallery space in the area to scrappy new gallery spaces and apartment galleries, Bushwick has the breadth of NYC’s art scene. I’ve selected a variety to give you a taste (and this is just the tip of the iceberg).
NEWD Art Fair
When: Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 12–7 pm
Where: 592 Johnson Avenue (592 Johnson Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
The inaugural edition of NEWD, the neighborhood’s second art fair (lest we forget the short-lived Bushwick Basel) will fill a 7,000 square foot warehouse space during Bushwick Open Studios. Participating galleries are American Medium, Law Office, Marina T. Schindler, Rawson Projects, Regina Rex, Residency Unlimited, Sardine, Signal, Theodore:Art, and Season. Here is my interview back in April with the founders.
Galleries at 56 Bogart
When: Saturday, May 31, 6–11p, Sunday, June 1, 12–5p
Where: 56 Bogart Gallery Building (56 Bogart St, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
This is a large gallery building with 14 galleries (though some may be closed or showing else, like NEWD, for BOS). Robert Henry Contemporary, Life on Mars, Momenta, and Nurture Art are all good places to start but you’ll probably end up spending an hour or some wondering these spaces. Protip: There are tons of artist studios on upper floors.
Matt Town’s Soap
Matt Town, “Soap (speed)”, (2014), hand-developed silver gelatin print, 11 x 14 inches, edition of 3 (image via Microscope Gallery)
When: Friday, May 30, 1–6p, Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 12–7p (opening reception Sat, May 31 at 2–5p)
Where: Microscope Gallery (4 Charles Pl, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
This Bushwick artist’s first solo show, Soap by Matt Town will focus on a 16mm celluloid film and sculptural installation about the creation and test drive of a soapbox derby car. Carefully orchestrated with a crew, the performance explores what it means to create in a city that can feel hostile to artists.
Inhabiting Ten Eyck
When: Friday, May 30, 5–9p, Saturday, May 31, 12–10p (opening reception: 7–10p), Sunday, June 1, 12–6p
Where: Storefront Ten Eyck (324 Ten Eyck St, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Curated by Karin Bravin, Inhabiting Ten Eyck will be taking place at one of the neighborhood’s premier spaces will featured a wide range of artists that will inhabit every corner of the gallery. Who should you expect? Lisa Beck, Devon Dikeou, Nathan Dilworth, Dave Eppley, Julie Evans, Ivelisse Jimenez, Beth Krebs, Rita MacDonald, Matt Miller, Elizabeth Riley, Julie Schenkelberg, Peter Soriano, Rachel Mica Weiss, and Etty Yaniv.
Tom Friedman’s Paint and Styrofoam
When: Friday, May 30, 12–6p (event 6-8pm), Saturday, May 31, 12–6p, Sunday, June 1, 12–6p
Where: Luhring Augustine Bushwick (25 Knickerbocker Ave, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Just like the title suggests, Tom Friedman: Paint and Styrofoam will features a selection of new works all comprised exclusively of paint and Styrofoam. Surprise!
Out All Night Photo Exhibits
When: Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 12–6p
Where: Outlet Gallery (253 Wilson Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
In the front gallery, 28 black and white photographs from 1973–1981 provide a glimpse of Kleinberg’s life as documentary photographer capturing the NYC’s downtown scene. In the back gallery, 22 black and white images (2010–2014) by Alex Singh capture the spirit of the art world, contemporary culture of New York, and his travels around the world with the Japanese electropop band Trippple Nippples. Out All Night is photography with energy, and celebrities.
Legend Anew
When: Saturday, May 31, 2–7p
Where: Centotto (250 Moore Street, Suite 108, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Dozens of (mostly) Bushwick artists show in this long-running apartment gallery curated by Paul D’Agostino. Containing too many artists to list here, Legend Anew is a salon-style gathering of like-minded artists.
Discrete Systems from Giselle Zatonyl
When: Saturday, May 31, 6–11p, Sunday, June 1, 12–5p
Where: Transfer Gallery (1030 Metropolitan Ave, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Zatonyl models in 3D space and describes Discrete Systems as “a framework that can be used as an analogy for many situations, but was specifically generated by feelings of entrapment that emerge from consumption and production anxiety… [including] social media, in which indefinite narratives become distilled into simple, digestible content (like hashtags) that exist in a nebulous space framed by a rigid structure of information.” This gallery always has excellent shows, so do-no-miss.
Group Photo Shop at Silver Projects
When: Friday, May 30, 6:30–9p, Saturday, May 31, 12–7p, Sunday, June 1, 12–7p
Where: Silver Projects (796 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
I adore this little photography gallery on Broadway, and this time they will be exhibiting the work of Michelle McLaughlin, Erin O’Keefe, and Coleman Downing in Photographs 2.
Leeza Meksin at Airplane Gallery
When: Friday, May 30, 6–10pm, Saturday, May 31, 12–7p, Sunday, June 1, 12–7pm
Where: Airplane Gallery (70 Jefferson St, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
Born in Moscow, and part of Ortega y Gasset Projects, Leeza Meksin will be creating an outdoor installation in the gallery’s backyard. Check it out.
Stone Dreams at Orgy Park
When: Saturday, May 31, 12–7p (opening reception 7–10p), Sunday, June 1, 12–7p
Where: Orgy Park (237 Jefferson St, Suite 1B, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
Featuring new sculptures by Orgy Park’s founder Steve Mykietyn and paintings by London-based artist Keef Winter, the press release for Stone Dreams quotes Henry David Thoreau, and obtuse lines like “Our dreams sit like stones inside of us glowing, filling the vessel with radiance and pleasure.” Sounds fun.
Marissa Perel at Pseudo Empire
When: Friday, May 30, 6p (event at 8p), Saturday, May 31, 11a–6p, Sunday, June 1, 11a–6p
Where: Pseudo Empire (476 Troutman St., Suite 1, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
I’ve never been to this space but it’s BOS so try something new. A solo show of work by Marissa Perel, whose multi-faceted practice crosses between performance, dance and installation, looks like fun.
Group Shows
There are some group shows this year that look really fantastic. Communal Table looks great, the massive Do It Yourself show in the old 3rd Ward building looks like a must-see, and the sculpture show on Rock Street looks very very promising. Not sure how this happened by most of the shows on this list are sculpture shows. Am I sensing the return of sculpture to the NYC art scene? I hope so, because for years I kept hearing people complain that’s impossible to create sculpture in NYC-size studios. Maybe that’s no longer true?
Communal Table
When: Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 12–7 pm
Where: 1182 Flushing Avenue (1182 Flushing Ave, 2nd floor, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
Communal Table is a group sculpture show in the “truest sense,” meaning that the work will be presented in close proximity to each other, emphasizing the relationships and references among the art. The list of exhibitors is stellar, including Andy Cross, Marc Andre Robinson, Ellie Murphy, Marykate Maher, Lars Kremer, Ian Umlauf, Rico Gatson, Danielle Webb, Ben Pederson, Lynn Sullivan, Joy Curtis, and Letha Wilson.
Do It Yourself Show
When: Friday, May 30, 6–10p, Saturday, May 31, 12–7p, Sunday, June 1, 12–7p
Where: 195 Morgan Avenue (195 Morgan Ave, Ground Floor, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
40+ Bushwick artists have been curated into 11 individual exhibitions (each with their own curator) in the former 3rd Ward space in the East Williamsburg Industrial Park. I guarantee you’ll find something you’ll like at the Do It Yourself show, which is the third and final year of this collaborative project organized by Julie Torres.
Real on Rock Street
When: Saturday, May 31, 10–12p (opening reception, 3–5p), Sunday, June 1, 12–6p
Where: Rock Street, between Bogart St. and Morgan Ave (Rock St, between Bogart St. and Morgan Ave, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Curated by artist Deborah Brown and gallerist Lesley Heller, this is an outdoor sculpture show featuring work by Fanny Allié, Jesse Bercowetz, Julien Gardair, Daisuke Kiyomiya, Will Kurtz, Juliana Cerqueira Leite, Tom Otterness, Kurt Steger, Lynn Sullivan, Tyrome Tripoli, Hans van Meeuwen, and Melanie Vote.
Mixtape! Group Show
When: Friday, May 30, 6–9pm; Saturday, May 31, 12–7pm; Sunday, June 1, 12–7pm
Where: 195 Morgan Avenue, (195 Morgan Ave, Floor 2, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Curated by Sophia Alexandrov and Todd Bienvenu, Mixtape is exactly as it sounds, a string of favorites that will include artists Joe Anthony-Brown, Todd Bienvenu, Katherine Bradford, Lauren Collings, Joy Curtis, Dan Flanagan, Emily Noelle Lambert, Gili Levy, Meg Lipke, Lauren Luloff, Sangram Majumdar, Jason Mones, Alexander Nolan, Mark Petersen, Matt Phillips, Kyle Staver, and Dwain Thomas Walters II. What’s not to love?
Harthaus
When: Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 12–7 pm
Where: 1042 Hart Street (1042 Hart St, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
An annual art show (that only pops up during BOS) curated by Jessica Oliver Ralli, features 15 Bushwick artists and installs their work around their home on Hart Street. There are usually some lovely surprises.
Eternal Misunderstandings in the Car Park
Sculpture by Jim Osman
When: Friday, May 30, 6–8p, Saturday, May 31, 12–7p, Sunday, June 1, 12–4p
Where: 18-66 Troutman St., Car Park (18-66 Troutman St., Car Park, Bushwick, Brooklyn)
An outdoor sculpture exhibition, Eternal Misunderstandings in the Car Park (great name!) is in a car park and it is all about artists who take risks (formal and otherwise) with their art.
The show will feature art by Jim Osman, HeeChan Kim, Alva Cal y Mayor, Michael Kirk, Andrew Cornell Robinson, and Michael Tong.
Artist Studios
This was the toughest but I decided to through and choose a few artist studio buildings and individual listings to recommend for those of you who might be new to this game. Almost all artists love to chat about their work, and if you really want to make someone’s day BUY SOMETHING! Here are my very very limited picks. Check out the complete listings here.
1717 Troutman Street (1717 Troutman St, Ridgewood): This is a mothership of studio buildings and one I’d suggest you check out (it also houses a number of galleries). Check out the BOS directory for more info on the 36 artists opening their studios. — various times
117 Grattan Street (117 Grattan St, East Willilamsburg): A wonderful studio building that is worth a look, check BOS listings for the 19 artists who will be opening their spaces here. — various times
1013 Grand Street (1013 Grand St, East Williamsburg): There may only be 8 artists opening up their studios in this building but I suggest you check it out. — various times
Brent Owens and Jenn Brehm (5 Central Ave, Bushwick): One of the finest sculptors working in the neighborhood, Owens is a master of Appalachian Moderne (of Redneck Bauhaus, whatever you prefer) and he will be doing a collaborative drawing project, Person, Place or Thing, with his wife, artist Jenn Brehm, and he says you can join in, have a cold one, and do some drawing. — Saturday, May 31 (12–6:30p) and Sun, June 1, 12–7p
“Dr.” Lisa Levy (In front of 56 Bogart St, Bushwick): Levy will be bringing three of her performance personas (psychotherapist, grandma, tv host) to make you laugh, cry, and look at her perplexed. — Saturday May 31, 1–3pm, Sunday June 1, 1–5p
Ellie Irons (Center for Strategic Art and Agriculture, Silent Barn, 603 Bushwick Ave, Courtyard, Bushwick): This may not exactly be an “open studio” but Silent Barn’s vibe is not exactly “gallery” either. So check out Irons’s garden and visual art exhibition. Here’s a description: “Utilizing CSAA’s garden to grow plants pervasive in, but non-native to Bushwick, Irons will use her harvest to create colorants for infographic maps tracing the plants’ origin and territorial expansion.” — Saturday, May 31, 12–7p, Sunday, June 1, 12–7p (event at 2 pm)
Andrea Burgay and Andrew Lundwall (1465 Myrtle Ave, Ridgewood): These two collage artists found each other online and discovered similarities in their practice. Come check out their artistic kinship, and, btw, the two artists will meet in person for the first time on Saturday for their “show.” — Saturday, May 31, 12–6p, Sunday, June 1, 12–6p
Richard Kostelanetz (The Wordship, 1051 Wyckoff Ave, Bushwick): Kostelanetz isn’t doing a conventional open studio, but rather showing his work, along 50 newly published book art books. — Saturday, May 31, 12–7p, Sunday, June 1, 12–7p
MORE INFO AT ARTS IN BUSHWICK, AND PICK UP A GUIDE TO THE FESTIVITIES AT ONE OF THE 9 HUBS.