
A Queens neighborhood, with the help of the Queens Museum of Art, is coming into its artified own.


A week ago, on the night of Friday, February 17th, two incongruently mirrored exhibitions opened on either side of the East River: Charles Atlas’ The Illusion of Democracy at Luhring Augustine’s new Bushwick outpost; and What I Know, a large group show of Bushwick artists, curated by Jason Andrew, at the New York Center for Art & Media Studies (NYCAMS) in Chelsea.

Hyperallergic has always kept its finger on the pulse of Bushwick’s growing art scene. This Thursday Hyperallergic editor, Hrag Vartanian, broadens the discussion, as he moderates the “Confronting Bushwick: A Discussion on the Nature and Future of the Bushwick Art Scene” panel at Bushwick’s Bogart Salon, one of the galleries in the burgeoning 56 Bogart Street art building.

It’s official! Bushwick art scene is exploding! Last month, we brought you a guide to 5 new galleries in Bushwick. It’s only November, and we are already forced to amend our list with five more galleries that recently opened in the Bushwick area — 950 Hart Gallery, AIRPLANE, Botanic, Sardine and Studio 10.

“Would you like to see the birth?” Elle Burchill from Microscope Gallery casually offered me a spot on the list of people who would be notified of the birth of Baby X. The night of the opening of the exhibition and performance The Birth of Baby X was pretty cold. Despite the media attention that followed the news that Bushwick performance artist Marni Kotak was planning to give birth in a gallery, the turnout at the opening wasn’t any larger than the usual crowd at a Microscope Gallery opening. “Yes, please. Put me on the list,” I heard myself saying loud enough to mute the doubts and fears I had.

The big question for the Bushwick art visitor is which bar do we go to after the art venue, and which choice with complement our choice for the night … I think I can help. Thanks to the thorough research I have been deeply engaged in, I have recognized certain patterns of conduct among the members of the Bushwick art scene and the bars they frequent after openings and visits. Here’s a helpful little guide.