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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Toxic Gowanus Canal: Local Teens Create " Airborne Contaminants" Masks

Local artist and activist Triada Samaras just sent me the photos above from a project she worked on with local teens at Starting Artists, the non-profit organization that benefits under-served teenagers in Brooklyn through hands on training in the arts and entrepreneurship. Nice to know that the kids are getting involved in "saving the canal" that runs through their neighborhood. Great Job!
I'll let Triada tell you more:

Local teens from Starting Artists started an "Airborne Contaminants Masks" project this week at their local, artspace at 211 Smith Street in response to their feelings about living near the polluted waters and banks of the toxic Gowanus Canal. After a presentation by Brooklyn Utopias? Exhibition Curator, Katherine Gressel, and by participating and visiting artists, Triada Samaras, and Susan Konvit, these teens artists expressed deep concern over their health and safety in the event of a Gowanus Canal clean-up.

The on-going mask project, which may include works in other art/s media, will be a testament to their feelings. The teens expressed a clear desire for the safest and most comprehenive Gowanus Canal clean-up available to the public. Many live close enough to the canal to smell it on a "bad" day and cross it daily on their way to school and back.

The "Airborne Contaminants Masks" project that will be submitted in early November to the Brooklyn Utopias? Teen Art Exhibition at Starting Artists.

All Brooklyn Teens are eligible to submit an art work to this show.
Brooklyn middle and high school students: click here to submit artwork to the Brooklyn Utopias? Submissions DUE NOVEMBER 5!

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"Brooklyn Utopias?" Show Opening Tonight At Brooklyn Historical Society

Photo credit: Gowanus Lounge

The "Democracy Wall" at 360 Smith Street

Friend, artist, and Carroll Gardens activist Triada Samaras will be part of the Brooklyn Utopias? show at the Brooklyn Historical Society, which opens tonight. Brooklyn Utopias? asks artists to consider differing visions of an ideal Brooklyn. it is a "series of art exhibits and public programs in Fall 2009 that engages artists, youth, and community organizations in an urgent dialogue about Brooklyn’s future."

Triada will present the "Democracy Wall" which was created as a community outcry against the development at 360 Smith Street. Triada writes:

A Utopia to me is a place where all the voices of a neighborhood can be heard and respected. It is a place where those who live, work, raise their families and invest their future in a community are able to participate in the shaping of its future, aiming to benefit the greatest number of people, not a greedy few.

My project re-visits a rather utopian moment in the recent history of Carroll Gardens: one in which several grassroots organizations sprung up with no other motive other than to preserve and protect the quality of human/natural life that exists in several small, human-scale Brooklyn communities. While Brooklyn has indeed experienced a rapid “boom” recently, it has historically occupied the place of offering an “alternative lifestyle” from the frantic pace of Manhattan, with more “human-scale” development and more natural environment. For this reason, many Brooklyn residents have experienced despair at the thought of losing their once cherished “oasis” neighborhoods.

This photo installation documents the “Democracy Wall,” a collaborative street art installation in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn from May 2007 to April 2008 initiated by local residents and to which I was a frequent contributor. This wall helped catalyze the rapid emergence of CORD (Coalition for Respectful Development) in Carroll Gardens in June of 2007, and the creation of the CORD petition and CORD blog and newsletter. It marked the beginning of extensive grassroots work done by the residents of Carroll Gardens to protect their neighborhood’s original planning scheme.

Carroll Gardens is named for the area's signature setback gardens, which were planned with great foresight by surveyor Richard Butts in 1846. In that year, a law established the gardens on the four Places between Henry and Smith Streets and deemed that the courtyards "shall be built on a line 33 feet 5¼ inches" that "shall be used for courtyards only." Unbeknownst to the general public until very recently, Carroll Gardens does not have adequate zoning or historical preservation laws that ensure that this scheme will remain intact.

To preserve and maintain the thoughtful planning of Mr. Butts, the community sought a new building moratorium on all projects in Carroll Gardens until the critical land use issues facing the community could be publicly discussed and aired. Before this time, the public had been largely shut out entirely of the process of self-determination and developers were quick to seize arcane loopholes to construct out of scale and out of context buildings in Carroll Gardens.

In my project I wish to remember those who courageously fought the development of one such building, the Oliver House/360 Smith Street, and who eventually won the Carroll Gardens Zoning Text Amendment. I also hope to inspire artists and residents in other communities to fight for their rights to have a say in their future. The “Democracy Wall,” situated on the fence around the Oliver House construction site and containing constantly-updated flyers, visual cues, and painted conversations, became a tool for engaging local residents in the Oliver House and zoning protests. It promoted discussion and debate in a public space, within an increasingly privatized urban environment. While the neighborhood is by no means a Utopia (yet), the community spirit shown in greater Carroll Gardens/Gowanus over the past two years by a dedicated and united community has been “Utopian” to say the least.

Triada will take part in the Panel Discussion : "Utopian Urban Planning:" Artists and Community Leaders Discuss Brooklyn's Future." at Sunday, October 25, 2009, 2-4pm, Brooklyn Historical Society

Below are the highlights of the The Brooklyn Utopias? show

Brooklyn Historical Society
Thursday, Oct. 1,
5:30-7:30pm

128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, First Floor
www.brooklynhistory.org

Come see the work of over 30 artists exploring differing visions of an ideal Brooklyn, related works from the BHS historic collection, and even huge towers made out of recycled shipping materials.

Also, you are invited to participate in various FREE public programs coming up in October, bringing the artists in dialogue with community leaders and visitors about important issues facing Brooklyn today. Please see complete info at www.brooklynutopias.com. Next week, we will have the following events at the Old Stone House partner show:

Thursday, October 8, 6-8pm
"Do it Yourself Utopias:"
Artists and community groups consider sustainable Brooklyn Living
Featuring special guests Mary Mattingly and Ian Daniel of the Waterpod Project, Stacey Murphy of BK Farmyards

At the Old Stone House
5th Avenue between 3rd & 4th St. Brooklyn, NY 11215
What would it take for Brooklyn to grow its own food? Build with recycled materials? Strengthen local communities?
"Brooklyn Utopias?" artists will present their ideas for a more sustainable, “green” Brooklyn. They will receive feedback from guest presenters The Waterpod ProjectBK Farmyards, who will also discuss their work building sustainable local communities (see bios below). This will include hands-on demonstrations of projects you can do at home!

Saturday, October 10, 11am-1pm
Exhibition Tour with Curator Katherine Gressel and artists
At the Old Stone House
Part of the Open House New York weekend at the Old Stone House, October 10-11, 2009 and

This informative tour will provide background on the exhibit, and give you the chance to ask questions to "Brooklyn Utopias?" curator, designers, and participating artists.


And, the following event at the Brooklyn Historical Society in late-October:

Sunday, October 25, 2009, 2-4pm, Brooklyn Historical Society
"Utopian Urban Planning:" Artists and Community Leaders Discuss Brooklyn's Future

Brooklyn Utopias? artists and art historians will debate their ideas with community leaders, architects and urban planners, and the general public, with a focus on large-scale planning initiatives. Guest speakers include representatives of Transportation Alternatives, Propeller Group and Alex Gorlin Architects/Nehemiah Spring Creek Houses, and others TBD.

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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