Birds of a feather flock to… Bushwick, Brooklyn. That’s the latest New York neighborhood to be officially dubbed an “artist mecca.” Ah, the perks of affordable arty ‘hoods. Space, community, stuff to do, space and stuff to do together as a community, and of course, the ever-elusive sweet spots with affordable housing and studio space. With a little help from our friends, we set out to locate more of these artist-friendly residential clusters in New Orleans, Moscow, Beijing, and beyond. Of course, these are just a few and they’re always changing, so feel free to join in the discourse and drop a suggestion!
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We recently ventured to Bushwick to catch a glimpse of the Brooklyn Artillery Art Fair, which promised to be “our answer to the art fairs of Basel and Armory, but more than that… a cache of ongoing creative events and happenings that will take place throughout the building and neighborhood.” We expected the multi-gallery show to be similar to many of the Bushwick art fairs and open showings we’d been to in the past — disorganized and housed in a dingy space, with nary a curator to be seen. However, when we arrived at Castle Braid, we found a group of bright young creatives all working towards a goal of forming a true artists collective in Bushwick, something rare if not extinct in this modern age. Read More »
We just read that 18 visual artists received a boost in the form of $450,000 in grant money from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation. As the Detroit Free Press reported, “Advocates say the fellowships could have a galvanizing effect on the local arts scene — boosting public perception of an overlooked community, inspiring artists to create more ambitious work and offering them an incentive to remain here rather than leave for New York or elsewhere.” Plus, next year the grants will recognize non-visual artists.
Does this spell a mass exodus from Brooklyn, the current unofficial borough-of-choice for struggling artists, toward a land free of gentrification and trust-funders? Let’s take a look at the evidence. Read More »
Stretching: The Truth by GRETCHEN REYNOLDS – You know those annoying stretches they made you do back in Phys Ed? They might actually make you weaker. [NYT]
Palin Prank Call: Canadian Comedy Duo Convinces Palin She’s Talking To Sarkozy by staff – A Canadian comedy duo convinced SARAH PALIN that they were French President NICOLAS SARKOZY. This post includes the awesome audio. [HuffPo]
If Obama Loses, Who Gets Blamed? by JOHN DICKERSON – How an Obama loss would point to a huge judgment error by pollsters, anaylsts and the media — and is this one thing we’re all too scared to talk about. [Slate]
I made 100 phone calls for John McCain by ANGELA VALDEZ – A freelance journalist tries her hand at scripted campaign calls and realizes that most people don’t use landlines and those who do mumble. [Salon]
A Brooklyn Mitzvah: Converting the Hipsters by KAITLIN BELL – Rabbis attempt to recruit secular 20- and early 30-somethings who are taking over Brooklyn’s slowly gentrifying Bushwick nabe. [NYO]
