Imagining An Ideal City: Brooklyn Utopias Show At The Old Stone House

What would your ideal Brooklyn look like? How would you re-imagine our public spaces? That is the question behind a show curated by Katherine Gressel entitled Brooklyn Utopias: Park Apace, Play Space, which use opened at the The Old Stone House. Local artists responded to the challenge with imaginative, whimsical ideas that certainly would make this borough a more green, more friendly and certainly a more livable place.

“Brooklyn Utopias: Park Space, Play Space” Exhibition

From April 5 to June 24, 2012 

At The Old Stone House

336 Third St. between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, Park Slope 

(718) 768-3195

Brooklyn Utopias is an ongoing exhibit and event series, founded in 2009, in which artists, youth, activists, architects, designers and urban theorists consider differing visions of an ideal city through the “concrete” example of Brooklyn.Brooklyn Utopias: Park Space, Play Space at the Old Stone House & Washington Park (OSH) now brings together 19 artists and arts groups to address the ideal design, planning and use of public parks. Parks, playgrounds, and other public gathering spaces were historically designed as solutions to a range of urban problems from eliminating neighborhood blight to promoting health and wellness. Brooklyn, and New York City as a whole, are home to some of the grandest endeavors in urban landscaping–from Olmsted and Vaux’s Central Park and Prospect Park, to Robert Moses’ numerous playgrounds and pools, to the new Brooklyn Bridge Park—as well as grassroots neighborhood efforts. Artists in Brooklyn Utopias: Park Space, Play Space were invited to respond to existing notions of “utopian” park design and use, and/or envision their own. The exhibit corresponds with opening ceremonies for the newly renovated Washington Park/J.J. Byrne Playground surrounding OSH. This provides a perfect opportunity to reflect on the future of our parks.

Exhibiting Artists: Stephanie Beck, Lynn Cazabon, Center for Urban Pedagogy, Tamara Gayer, Christine Gedeon, Groundswell Community Mural Project, Rebecca Hackemann, Husk, Bettina Johae, Karen Kaapcke, Jess Levey,Cheryl Molnar, Will Pappenheimer, Marina Zamalin

With temporary workshops and events led by: Tracy Candido, Center for Urban Pedagogy, Circle Rules Federation, Gigantic Mechanic, Groundswell Community Mural Project, Bettina Johae, Will Pappenheimer, Triada Samaras, Kat Schneck

As part of the show, Interdisciplinary Artist and Coalition for Respectful Development Co-Founder Triada Samaras, will present a mural making/ artist activist workshop entitled Public Voice. Public Dream. Public Place: A Collaborative Mural Making Workshop to brainstorm creative solutions for Public Place." The workshop will be held on April 28th, 2012, from 5 to 7 PM

What is your vision for Public Place? In this creative artist/activist workshop, with interdisciplinary artist/activist, Triada Samaras, and CORD, we will brainstorm this question and the possible future uses of “Public Place” for our community. The area once known as Citizens Gas Works, a manufactured gas site, and now commonly called, Public Place, is a highly contaminated plot of land along the equally contaminated Gowanus Canal, bordered by Smith, 5th, and 9th Streets in Carroll Gardens. Designated as a “public recreation space” in 1975, Public Place can still inspire us to dream and to create a better future for our local neighborhoods, including our very own public park and recreational areas for our use and enjoyment in the Carroll Gardens/Gowanus area. We will depict our collective dreams using collaborative mural making.

For a complete schedule of show events, click here

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