It was bitter sweet to hear that Deborah Brown will be closing the little space on Wilson Avenue that has been a home to Storefront Bushwick for over three years. The gallery is, without a doubt, a staple in artsy Bushwick. It has become so popular that its openings have been so packed that the crowd would pour out from the space to the street, resembling a neighborhood block party. Long story short: The party is moving to 324 Ten Eyck because Deborah Brown just bought a huge building and has announced her epic plans for Storefront Ten Eyck – and gave us a tour!
“I hope that people will come here,” said Deborah Brown humbly as she opened the heavy iron door of her new building. The sun was setting and Ten Eyck was bathed in yellow light. You could hear music buzz from a nearby Beast Gym, NYC’s first parkour facility. We walked in and were welcomed by the soft light coming in through multiple skylights, creating beautiful effect of the exposed wood beams standing out against the white walls. But what will strike you the most is just how huge the building is, especially if you’ve seen the size of current Storefront Bushwick. (The new project space feels about 30 times bigger than the current one.) There is a stylish bathroom on the right with an old-fashioned bathtub, a little office, and a big garage door. Deborah plans on keeping the garage door opened for her events.
The building is comprised of four spacious, well-lit rooms suitable to host an art exhibition. It has a wonderful energy – the industrial charm typical of the area is mixed with a feel of Chilean hacienda from an Isabel Allende novel. A heavy table on a tiled floor in the dining area enhances this feel. To make things entirely perfect, there is a magical backyard; although it doesn’t belong to the building, Deborah will be able to use.
“I was bidding against a person who wanted to use the building as a storage space,” Deborah told us. Luckily, another art complex (and not a storage space) will soon join 319 Scholes and 299 Meserole in the East Williamsburg Industrial Park area.
Deborah Brown will be moving her artist studio from Stockholm Street to Ten Eyck as well, and her own art will be permanently exhibited in the building. Storefront Bushwick at Wilson Ave will be open during Bushwick Open Studios and will remain in operation with all its planned programming until the end of 2013.
In the meantime, Storefront Ten Eyck will open for the first time during this Bushwick Open Studios; the opening reception is planned on June 1, 7-10PM and will feature four exhibitions (details below). Our guess is that Deborah Brown is quite the busy bee these days, as she is also co-curating an outdoor sculpture show Rock Street on normally closed off, privately owned Rock Street (between Bogart and Morgan).
324 Ten Eyck is a stunning building and it will surely be a wonderful new playground for Deborah Brown, who is one of the most prolific curators and neighborhood’s activists/supporters. The building will definitely be one of the most exciting destinations to visit during Bushwick Open Studios.
Storefront Bushwick (16 Wilson Ave):
Patrick Berran and Jack Henry (project space: Schmatte with Josh Blackwell, Antonia Perez, Katherine Powers and Randy Wray); May 30-June 23 with opening reception: Thursday, May 30, 6-9PM.
Storefront Ten Eyck (324 Ten Eyck):
Show #1: Shamus Clisset June 1 + 2, noon-7 pm, opening reception: 7-10 pm, show continues through June 23, weekends 1-6PM;
Show #2: “Epic Fail” (Brian Alfred, Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Erik Benson, Deborah Brown, Joseph Burwell, Greg Lindquist, Juliette Losq, Esperanza Mayobre, Tom McGrath and Frank Webster) curated by Erik Benson and Frank Webster, June 1 + 2, noon-7PM; opening reception: 7-10 pm; show continues through June 23, weekends 1-6PM.
Show #3: Deborah Brown Open Studio, June 1 + 2, noon-7PM; opening reception: 7-10PM.
Show #4: NURTUREart presents: The Trees are Thick with Butter, a new performance and exhibition by Matthew Cowan
Rock Street 2013: curated by Deborah Brown and Leslie Heller, sponsored by Frank Brunckhorst Company, LLC, a Boar’s Head distributor on Rock St.
Disclosure: Author of this article works as a gallery assistant at Storefront Bushwick, one day per week.