It is sorta a public secret that Bushwick’s own brother, Ridgewood is in fact really really awesome. Hiding it’s coolness from Brooklyn under a Queens ZIP, it shows its loving face only to folks open to adventures outside of their favorite borough and simply open to finding that mythical elsewhereness. 

Several galleries and artists of the Williamsburg and Bushwick legacy have moved their artful existence to over the border to Ridgewood. An industrial giant 17-17 Troutman with dozens of art studios and now three excellent galleries (Regina Rex, Parallel Art Space and brand new Bull and Ram) is more than apparent example.

If you go deeper into Ridgewood, you will come across Valentine on Seneca Avenue. Its owner Fred Valentine, a Williamsburg veteran can’t stop praising the peace his Ridgewood location brings him.  The space itself is simply gorgeous, spacious and typical. On Friday night, Valentine will feature a show of four painterly ladies (Lauren Collings , Barbara Friedman, Gili Levy, Shelley Marlow) titled 4 Who Paint. No doubt that these excellent female painters will provide for some Friday night artful enlightment in Queens. Of the strong foursome, I would like to point out Israeli painter Gili Levy. Gili has been proving on a number of occasions that she owns Bushwick’s abstract heart, and rightfully so. Let’s recall her excellent shows at Centotto, Ethan Petit Contemporary or Brooklyn Fire Proof.