If there is one weekend of the summer season you need to be physically present in Bushwick, it’s the first weekend of June, which traditionally belongs to the glorious neighborhood-wide celebration of art and community, festival Bushwick Open Studios organized by Arts in Bushwick. It is the time when hundreds of artists open their studios or homes, and invite us into their magical world; it is the time of the best parties and outdoor events, the time for Bushwick to shine and celebrate all that it stands for. So tell your sister she can get married on some other weekend, and dive into the creative, quirky, magical, thriving Bushwick.
Are you getting a serious case of FOMO because of the hundreds of events around you? Inhale, exhale, we got you. We broke down the Bushwick Open Studios area into five districts (East Willy, Morgan, Jefferson, Ridgewick, and JMZ) and hand-picked the most amazing things to see and attend along the way.
We even asked three local art experts for their recommendations and sprinkled them on top of this compact guide. Julie Torres (artist and curator); Christopher Stout (artist and founder of Bushwick Art Crit Group) as well as Jason Andrew (curator; co-founder of Norte Maar and co-owner at Outlet Fine Art gallery) all chipped in recommendations for your total enjoyment of this year’s Bushwick Open Studios! Every day this week we will publish a guide to one district so that you can take it all in and be just ready for BOS 2015!
#1 East Willy
The area of East Williamsburg is frequently referred to as Bushwick, Williamsburg and sometimes even as Greenpoint. The truth is, all of these claims can actually be accurate depending on which corner of Morgan Ave you’re standing. Borders issues aside, the East Williamsburg Industrial Park and its often abandoned factories offer the perfect “laboratory” conditions for creativity in visual arts. Get off at the Montrose or Grant L train stop and explore endless converted warehouses, lofts, and be on the lookout for some excellent street art as well.
1. “Re/Post” curated by Ian Cofre
Storefront Ten Eyck, 324 Ten Eyck St
FRI 6-9PM, SAT 12-9PM, SUN 12-6PM
Curator Ian Cofre brought together 10 artists who externalize the complexity of expanding awareness beyond the self in the Digital Age to evolve a personal language that vacillates between abstraction and representation. On Saturday from 6-9 p.m. the gallery promises a performance of Dr. Zizmor.
Storefront Ten Eyck, 324 Ten Eyck St
FRI-SUN 12-7PM
While at Storefront Ten Eyck, make sure to peek into the studio of painter, the gallery owner and Bushwick die hard, Deborah Brown. Her excellent paintings examine the costumes, coiffures and conventions of self-presentation.
Idio Gallery, 976 Grand St
SAT-SUN 12-6PM
Flavorpill, IDIO Gallery, and Arts in Bushwick invited independent curators to submit exhibition proposals. Curator Jack Henry who won this open call paired the work of Bushwick artists John Crowe and Oliver Jones in a multimedia exhibition to explore the structure of memory.
4. A Group Show @ Livestream Public
Livestream Public, 195 Morgan Ave
FRI 9AM – 11PM; SAT 1-11PM; SUN 12-5PM
What better way to explore the tremendous space of Livestream Public (former 3rd Ward building) than to follow around the art on its walls? A big group show curated by Joseph Meloy features work of some of the favorite Bushwick’s artists such as Michael Alan, Christopher Stout, or Morgan Jesse Lappin.
5. Catherine Kirkpatrick Open Studio
274 Morgan Ave
SAT-SUN 12-7PM
Make use of this opportunity to visit the studio of photographer Catherine Kirkpatrick who besides her excellent work, is also involved with Professional Women Photographers.
55 Meadow St
FRI-SUN 1-8PM
Working in sculpture and mixed media, Jones’ work in part hilarious, part funny remembrance of his personal mythology.
Recommended by Jason Andrew:
7. Panoply Performance Laboratory
104 Meserole St
FRI-SUN all day
Walking across performance disciplines and cultural spheres, Panoply Performance Laboratory, is a brainchild of Esther Neff and Brian McCorkle. For BOS they’ve prepared PERFORMANCY FORUM: CACHE IN, an event that features works dealing with Cache/cash/capitalism and art.
8. Unapproachable America: Imagining the New World
Project 772, 772 Metropolitan Ave #2R
SAT-SUN 12-7PM
Three artists (Claudia Bitran, Billy Jacobs, Matt Ramirez) featured in a group show curated by Jeremy Jacob Schlangen are using conceptions of images to make approaches to what might be called America.
395 Johnson Ave
SAT 11-6PM, SUN 11-7PM
Multidisciplinary artist, Cate Woodruff, makes photographs using layers of reflective surfaces and homemade lenses to bend and distort the boundaries of matter beyond the existence of form.
Exit Room Gallery, 270 Meserole St
FRI-SUN 11AM – 9PM
Known as Studio Sweet Home, two artists from Colombia and Puerto Rico,Yeimi Salazar and Melvin Sanchez have been collaborating for almost six years and together. Their storytelling crosses between animation, performance, sculpture and installation.
Check out also our BOS 2015 Guide to Morgantown