Rest up now, Bushwick—we have a busy weekend ahead of us!
The Bushwick Film Festival is taking place, showcasing the work of dozens of independent filmmakers around the neighborhood. Arts in Bushwick’s 10th annual Open Studio weekend is upon us as well. Also in the mix? The art series called BOOM, short for Bushwick Organizers and Owners Movement. And this is all on top of the standard plethora of local happenings that take place every weekend.
Here are a couple offerings from under each umbrella that are noteworthy—good luck planning your itinerary!
Bushwick Film Festival
The Film Fest’s Thursday evening red carpet kickoff screening of heavy-hitting drama “I am Gangster” is definitely going to make for an evening to remember—as is the Friday night screening of science fiction thriller “Diverge,” which makes extensive use of Bushwick and Ridgewood as a backdrop for the film’s suspenseful action.
Bushwick Open Studios
As always, presenting highlights from among the artists and galleries participating in Bushwick Open Studios is tough.
We will definitely be swinging by the traditional Seeking Spaces: Making the Future art exhibit curated by Julie Torres. Arts in Bushwick will present their book “Making History Bushwick” that celebrates 10 years of the festival in the neighborhood. The exhibition opening will be held at David & Schweitzer Contemporary, a new gallery at 56 Bogart Street on Friday from 6 to 10 p.m.
A few other Bushwick-centric offerings include longtime local photographer Meryl Meisler’s Bushwick Chronicle, which documents of the rise of Bushwick’s thriving arts community, with an opening reception and discussion at Stout Projects on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Brooklyn Cartoonists and Illustrators showcase, featuring the work of Stranger than Bushwick creator Jeremy Nguyen, a contributor to Bushwick Daily, and sponsored by Lagunitas Brewing Company and Henry’s Wine and Spirit at Kávé Espresso Bar goes on at 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening.
BOOM
BOOM’s mission is grandiose and buzz-wordy — “to activate collaboration between the neighborhood’s organizers and artists, celebrating the evolving diversity of the community and its wealth of creators,” and the festival lineup includes some creative powerhouses whose respective practices explore the dearth of, and need for, diversity, representation and intersectionality in the greater art world.
Dev Hynes debuts a short film as part of a film-focused multimedia event, which was curated by Monica Mirable, at Syndicated at 8 p.m. on Friday night. On Saturday night, Papi Juice, a dance party celebrating queer and trans people of color, takes over Lot 45 from 10 p.m. until the early hours of the morning.
And beyond
Paper Jam Small Press Fest holds its sixth gathering, adding an animation showcase, at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, on Saturday at Silent Barn.
The venue The Gateway celebrates its first year in business at its home on Broadway at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Wendy’s Subway helps to host a festival of avant-garde Polish written arts with talks at 5 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Fuchs Projects presents a new book called Bushwick Forever on Friday at 6 p.m.
All-female local punk band The Meltaways releases a new 7 inch at Suburbia with support from the bands Big Eyes, Wet Nurse and HVAC at 8 p.m.
Bushwick Community Plan organizers invite the public to explore the neighborhood’s streets and seek ways to improve the neighborhood’s transit infrastructure, meeting up at MayDay Space at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Never a dull moment! Enjoy, Bushwick!
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the number of artists participating in Bushwick Open Studios. A statement from Arts in Bushwick clarifies that “We have 400 event listings and many more artists presenting their work. Listings are not equivalent to one artist, as multiple people often share each space. Overall we have close to 1600 artists in our directory, which is an increase in about 500 over last year. Last year we had about 550 event listings. The number of event listings for this year reflects fewer parties and a few people who didn’t realize there was a date change.”
Cover photo: Bryan Ellingson via Flickr