A panel at Williamsburg’s Ventana 244

Tomorrow kicks off a pretty epic weekend in Williamsburg. Along with the Northside Festival, Northside Open Studios will showcase our neighborhood’s art community, from artist’s studios to gallery shows and guerrilla events. Here are our picks for what not to miss.

Our original list of event picks and tips for this weekend is currently online over at WG News, so be sure to check that out.

A few more events weren’t confirmed until after our print article went out though, so here are some more things to check out during Williamsburg & Greenpoint’s own Open Studios, from a miniature art fest on India Street to a panel about art’s relationship to real estate. For the full listings, plus useful maps and guides to print out and take with you, check Northside’s website.

Lots to do in Williamsburg and Greenpoint during this weekend’s Northside Open Studios. (click on image to download the map via northsideopenstudios.org)

Art & Real Estate: The Love/Hate Relationship
Tonight only, Hyperallergic editor Hrag Vartanian is speaking on a panel about art and artists’ fraught relationship with real estate. Artists move in, rent goes up, condos get built, artists get pushed out. Is there any way to break the endless cycle? Participants include gallerist Marisa Sage and District Council Member Stephen Levin. Causey Contemporary (92 Wythe Ave), Thursday, June 16, 7 to 9 pm.

Northside Open Studios Launch Party
Need a good way to kick off the festivities on Saturday night? Well, there’s the Open Studios launch party just for that purpose. In collaboration with Crestfest and Brooklyn Street Art, the event will feature a handful of bands and DJs, art installations and screening and reading series. How will this all fit in one bar? I have no idea. The End (13 Greenpoint Ave), Saturday, June 18, 7 pm to 12.

India Street Arts Festival
We got a festival for your festival so you can festival while you festival! This day-long interactive outdoor art celebration is a microcosm of the greater Northside Open Studios. Featuring Hyperallergic pal Julie Torres live painting, food-based tarot card readings, a cocoon playground and live poetry readings and music, there’s something for everyone. All your arts in one convenient Greenpoint location. India Street at West Street, Sunday June 19, 12 to 5 pm.

  • As an added benefit, the newly launched East River Ferry traveling between Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Dumbo and Wall Street (etc) will land you right on India Street. Also, it’s currently free!

Art21 Film Screenings
Contemporary art documentarians Art21 are going to be presenting a new series of films in a special Northside Open Studios screening. New York Close Up is a series of collaborations with emerging artists taking place over several years, developing into multimedia projects. Sounds like a good time. Also, James Franco is one of the films, so maybe he’ll show up (so I can punch him in the face). Lutheran Church of the Messiah (129 Russell Street), Friday, June 17, 6 to 9 pm.

Resources:

  • Over at the L Magazine, Benjamin Sutton has picks for studios and shows to hit up. Also very useful.
  • UpDownAcross also has a list of all the festival hubs and other useful info.

Kyle Chayka was senior editor at Hyperallergic. He is a cultural critic based in Brooklyn and has contributed to publications including ARTINFO, ARTnews, Modern Painters, LA Weekly, Kill Screen, Creators...

3 replies on “What to Do During Northside Open Studios”

  2. thanks for the shout out guys! it was wonderful to see my hyperallergic bf’s all weekend! xo

Comments are closed.