Category Archives: Community

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW BARCELONA VI RECAP

[Photos by Marcelo Aurelio and Oscar Ciutat]

Saturday the 31st of April was a gorgeous spring day in Barcelona, so we could have the projection and dinner in the patio that makes CC Pati LLimona famous, in the middle of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, and next to the ruins of the old Roman city wall.

In Spain, we like to have dinner very late, so we have made a slight change to the traditional SLPS routine: we started having some cold beers and chatting, while the production staff from Pati Llimona was setting up the last details, followed by the slideshow itself, and then dinner. As usual in Spain, also, people tended to arrive late, so we really did not start the projection until 8:30…

We had a very good attendance, around 100 people showed up; some well known friends from that had attended other SLPS shows in Barcelona, but lots of people for which this was the first time, and did not know really know how the whole thing works: “where do I leave all the food stuff I brought?”

The slideshow was really interesting. We had a wide variety of very different work: from the lovely portraits of Barcelona people of Enric Mestres, to the very intriguing work of Oscar Ciutat about animals in the zoo. We had also some international presence, Renaud Cousin from France and Piere Liebert from Belgium, though none of them could attend the show in person, so this year we had to give our prize to “the perosn who has travelled further to attend the show” to Marcelo Aurelio and Sonia Gimenez, who came from Terrassa (only 40 Km away from Barcelona!)

Dinner, after the slideshow, was delicious! We had all types of different foods and plenty of time to talk both about the different works presented, what’s happening in the Barcelona photography scene, and everything under the stars.

Motley Cru: Field Trip to Brooklyn Oenology

A team of Brooklyners hit the sunny streets of Williamsburg last week to enjoy Motley Cru*, among a score of other fine wines produced by our vintner neighbors Brooklyn Oenology, a wine shop, bar and art gallery on Wythe Ave (just a few minutes walk from the Bedford L train). With gratitude to our gracious host/winemaker Alie Shaper, we left BOE having not only indulged our sense of taste, but with significant knowledge of the beverage.

Setting this purveyor apart from the vast lot of other wine shops/bars is that the majority of BOE’s offerings are produced by BOE themselves, on Long Island, and using NY state grapes, predominately from the Finger Lake and North Fork regions. Each bottle of BOE wine is adorned with a custom label created by a NYC artist, whose work can also commonly be found decorating the walls of BOE’s Brooklyn tasting room. Said tasting room is a cozy, sun-drenched den wrapped around a half-moon bar, on one side offering for sale bottles of wine, whiskey and a selection of various local products, and on the other providing patrons a place to relax and sip (and munch on a cheese plate). As an additional offering, BOE produces a monthly wine CSA club where members come to pick up four bottles: two from BOE and two from a rotating cast of local guest wineries.

[*no, not that Crüe]

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NYC LAUNCH OF RED, WHITE & VIEW RECAP

[Photos by Jen Plaskowitz and Dan Teran]

[Text by Casey Kelbaugh]

On a lovely spring night in Manhattan, about 300 people squeezed into the free co-working space, Wix Lounge near Union Square for a lively evening of art, food, drink and music. The occasion was the inaugural edition of Red White & View in New York City. After a couple years of producing very popular events in Tel Aviv that showcase the works of 5-8 emerging artists with proceeds going to various charities, RWV decided to bring the love to NYC.

An eclectic and international mix of people came to enjoy an exhibition of the works based on the naked body by Alexander Motyl, Andrew Einhorn, Erica Simone, Joana Ricou, Mia Berg, Myles Bennett, with projections by Casey Kelbaugh and Chris Talbott. Artist Spencer Tunick was the honorary host and food was provided by Shantilly Picnic, Brooklyn Fork & Spoon, Dorian Gray, Alison Eighteen and libations were generously donated by Société Perrier, Forever Young Wines and of course Brooklyn Brewery.

The excitement at Wix was palpable right out the the gate and only gained momentum as the hours tumbled by. By the time the clock struck 7, a couple hummus and crostini platters were decimated and Joana Ricou had already sold one of her largest pieces. Though the work tended heavily on representation of the female form, Chris Talbott’s slideshow featuring ten years of pictures of him emerging naked from the woods brought some much needed balance and schlong to the event.

The first RVW managed to raise $3000 for Slideluck Potshow, fostered a great deal of art-appreciation (as well as sales!) and likely got dozens of people laid. I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before the second edition comes along, but in the meantime, maybe we should call it like it is: Red White & Brew.

Join these Facebook groups to keep up with Red White & View and Slideluck Potshow!

Vintage Map of The Month: Diversity Breakdown

Map of the borough of Brooklyn: showing location and extent of racial colonies. Ohman Map Co. Inc. ca. 1910s. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

From Brooklyn Historical Society (click image to enlarge):

This month’s featured map was created by the Ohman Map Co., a New York-based map company located at 258 Broadway, in the early 1900s. One of only a handful of maps in the BHS Collection to show ethnic communities in Brooklyn, this map features various groups, from Europeans to African Americans to people of mixed heritage. It is clear from this map that early twentieth century Brooklyn was a diverse community of people, just as it is today.

Click here to view the map key.

Click here to view detail from the map (Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant).

Vintage Photo Of The Week: Utrecht Reformed

New Utrecht Dutch Reformed Church, ca. 1910; v1981.15.103, Ralph Irving Lloyd lantern slides; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

From the desk of Cassie Mey, Project CHART intern: I am currently scanning the Ralph Irving Lloyd lantern slides of Brooklyn, 1890-1910. Many of the images in this collection reflect the end of an era when townships like New Utrecht, made up of old Dutch farmlands, were annexed into Brooklyn. Several weeks ago I came across this slide of the New Utrecht Dutch Reformed Church and was positively puzzled by the white pole in front of the church. I couldn’t believe that this was a pre-World War I image. I wondered how a radio antenna was present before there was radio.
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SLIDELUCK POTSHOW PHILADELPHIA II RECAP

[Text by Casey Kelbaugh]
[Photos by Chelsea Dejesus, Chelsea Rominski, Cierra Butler, Tara Robertson and Casey Kelbaugh]

One damp Leap Day evening, a few dozen hardy souls braved the freezing rain and converged at the Gershman Hall of the University of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia for Philly’s the second Slideluck Potshow. The space was majestic, the slideshow diverse, engaging and set a fantastic soundtrack – all masterfully coordinated by SLPS Philly Director, Sam Gulino.

I traveled down by bus from the NYC, and after delicately tucking a Roast Pork Italian sandwich from Tony Luke’s into my belly, picked up my two little nephews from school. We got home and spent the hour preceding the show preparing the best two Tortilla Españolas ever created by a 4- and 7-year old. That being said, neither those, nor my brother’s Lentil and Walnut salad, were any match for a bunch of hungry art students.

Because of University regulations and the high concentration of minors, we decided to make the event itself “dry”, but that didn’t stop photographer Robin Odland – who’s documentation of Occupy Philadelphia was 7-year old Zach Ryan’s favorite slideshow – from sneaking in a cold bottle of Local 2, which he shared generously in characteristic Occupy form.

Five spirited women from the West Chester Photo Club trekked down to support their comrade Lauren Miller, who made a photo story about another member of the group who spent a liberating day trashing her wedding dress after a recent divorce. To see a complete list of participating artists, click here.

The show was immediately followed by an afterparty at the nearby Perch Pub, sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. A lively mix of photo students, faculty, and regular Philly civilians gathered around a long table overlooking Broad Street and swapping stories while clinking glasses of Mary’s Maple Porter, E-IPA and Brooklyner Weisse.

It’s good to have a brother in the City of Brotherly Love, but it’s even better to know we have another show coming up on June 16th. Stay tuned, folks!

Vintage Photo Of The Week: Ms. Ingalls

Miss Mary E. Ingalls, L.I.H.S. Museum attendant, ca.1912, v1972.1.1057; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, ARC.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

The woman pictured in this early twentieth-century photograph is staffing the museum gallery desk of what was then called the Long Island Historical Society. Much has changed since Miss Ingalls’s day: the Long Island Historical Society is now Brooklyn Historical Society, the building’s museum space looks very different, and the popular style of dress has relaxed a bit. Yet Brooklyn Historical Society still maintains a legacy of creative and engaging public exhibitions. Today, BHS visitors can explore such exhibits like Context\Contrast, which examines new architecture in New York’s historic districts, and Inventing Brooklyn: People, Places, Progress, a student-curated exhibit that traces the evolution of Brooklyn into the place we know today. Ms. Ingalls, no doubt, would approve.

To see more photos from BHS’s collection, visit their online image gallery.

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW BALTIMORE II RECAP

The second Slideluck Potshow in Baltimore took place at Area 405 in the Station North Arts District on Friday, February 24, 2012. Photograph by Casey Kelbaugh

King of the Hipsters? Check. Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art? Check. Seventeen thousand firecrackers? Check. Chilean Cornbread Casserole? Check. Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes? Triple Check. A slideshow with thirty five local artists? Check. A beautiful, diverse, engaged and appreciative crowd of 300? Check. A spacious, raw, post-industrial location? Check. A rompin’ stompin’ Delta blues band? Check. An artist making a 20-foot drawing on a piece of plywood with two blowtorches and a flamethrower? Check. An open bar with five kinds of Brooklyn Brewery beers to choose from? Check. A fantastic photo exhibition hanging in the front gallery? Check. A coat drive to support a local homeless services organization? Check. Camera crews? Check. A bonfire? Check. The Slideluck Global Producer shotgunning beers? Check. People with names like Piper, Spoon and Chappy? Check. A team of five representatives from the NYC Slideluck office? Check. Half a dozen people that road-tripped up from DC? Check. An after party with five local rock bands? Check. A late night Korean BBQ feast at a place suggestively named Jung Kok? Check.

Need we say more? It’s starting to sound like a room full of people from Czech Republic watching their team in the World Cup around here. Suffice it to say that the Czechs would have little to cheer about if it weren’t for the new SLPS Baltimore Director Piper Watson, our hosts at Area 405, sponsors at ASMP Baltimore, Station North Arts District, the band Swampcandy, SLPS Producer Carly Planker, Assistant Producer Jen Plaskowitz, intern Mesha Bhansali, roadie Dan Teran, blowtorch artist Walker Babbington, exhibiting photographer Jonathan Rosser, Project PLASE Organization, and all of the other volunteers, guests, exhibiting artists.

Charm City, ain’t you just that?

Bjork’s Choir Serenades The Brewery

You’re probably like “What? Did I read that right?”. Don’t worry, you did. Good job! Claire, our extraordinaire Export Coordinator, will explain:

Friday nights at the Brooklyn Brewery are typically full of good times and great people but recently we had some very special visitors. An a’cappella Choir of 24 girls from Iceland called Graduale Nobili (@gradualenobili) who just so happen to be on tour with Bjork, offered to sing us a few songs in exchange for beer and pizza. Harmoniously and flawlessly they sang their National Anthem, their impressive rendition of the Flight of the Bumble Bee, and an upbeat song that translates to a man in red destroying a village with his scythe. They were even kind enough to humor us by singing the anthem of our cask beer club, The Legion of Osiris. It was an honor that they decided to spend their night off from Bjork’s Biophilia tour with us.

Watch as Graduale Nobili graciously supports us on The Anthem of The Legion of Osiris, followed by a performance of “Raudi Riddarinn (The Red Knight)”. Below the video are the song’s upbeat, sunny lyrics.

No one is so solitary that he cannot expect a visitor, a horseman all in red riding a pale steed
A horseman all in red wielding a reeking scythe gallops so the clatter of hooves resounds around the world
Swirling up dust that darkens the world of men and spatters on the windows
The horseman forces his way into the house and his sickle drips with blood

Vintage Photo Of The Week: The Flatbush Toll Booth

Flatbush Toll Booth, ca.1890, v1973.4.645; Postcard Collection, v1973.4; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From Brooklyn Historical Society:

This photograph features a toll booth that stood on Flatbush Avenue between Fenimore Street and Winthrop Street in what is now Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Built in the 1850s by the Brooklyn, Flatbush, and Jamaica Plank Road Company, the booth was used to collect tolls on Old Flatbush Turnpike, one of the main thoroughfares connecting the town of Flatbush to the city of Brooklyn. The road’s plank surface made it easier for wagons and carriages to travel on the dirt road. When the road company went out of business in 1893, the booth was gifted to John Moore, the last Flatbush Road Commissioner, who placed it in his backyard in East Flatbush. Today, the booth stands in Prospect Park, near the Lefferts Historic House and the carousel.

Among the major investors in the Plank Road were members of the Lefferts family. You can learn more about them and their role in developing the town of Flatbush from An American Family Grows in Brooklyn, BHS’s new digital exhibit.

To see more photos from BHS’s collection, visit their online image gallery.