Art
ART 101: 101 Grand St., Williamsburg. (718) 302-2242 or www.art101brooklyn.com.
New Paintings: Yolanda Shashaty. Through May 27. While Shashaty’s paintings are not based on landscape as we know it, the work is informed by her understanding of the colors and configurations in the natural world.
BAC GALLERY: 111 Front St., DUMBO. www.brooklynartscouncil.org.
“Funny Ha Ha.” Through July 27. This group show will explore different approaches to using humor in art. Artists include: Ernest Concepcion, Katy Higgins, Beth Krebs and Iviva Olenick. Curated by Courtney J. Wendroff, BAC’s Visual Arts Director.
BERKELEY COLLEGE GALLERY: 255 Duffield St., Downtown Brooklyn. (212) 252-2065or berkeleycollege.edu/berkeley_bc/1946.
Four Brooklyn Painters: Group exhibition. Through June 28. Featuring the work of Rudy (Kofi) Cain, Mary Chang, Leon Nicholas Kalas and Norma Lithgow.
BROOKLYN MUSEUM: 200 Eastern Parkway. (718) 638-5000 or
“Aesthetic Ambitions: Edward Lycett and Brooklyn’s Faience Manufacturing Company.” Through June 16. This exhibition highlights the nearly 50-year career of ceramicist Edward Lycett (American, 1833 –1910), creative director of the Faience Manufacturing Company from 1884 – 1890.
“Raw/Cooked: Heather Hart.” Through June 24. The fourth exhibition in the Raw/Cooked series presents the work of Bedford-Stuyvesant-based artist Hart, who built a large-scale structure titled “The Eastern Oracle: We Will Tear the Roof Off the Mother” in the museum’s fifth-floor rotunda.
“Keith Haring: 1978–1982.” Through July 8. This is the first large-scale exhibition to explore the early career of one of the best-known American artists of the 20th century.
“Playing House.” Through Aug. 26. “Playing House” is the first in a series of installations that aim to engage visitors with the Brooklyn Museum’s period rooms.
“Rachel Kneebone: Regarding Rodin.” Through Aug. 12. This exhibition features 15 iconic works by 19th-century French master Auguste Rodin, selected from the museum’s collection by British artist Kneebone and shown alongside eight of her own large-scale porcelain sculptures.
“Newspaper Fiction: The New York Journalism of Djuna Barnes, 1913 –1919.” Through Aug. 19. An exploration of the early journalistic career of Barnes (1892–1982), an American writer and women’s rights advocate.
“Question Bridge: Black Male.” Through June 3. An innovative video installation created by artists Hank Willis Thomas and Chris Johnson in collaboration with Bayeté Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair that features dialogue among 150 black men recruited from 11 American cities and towns.
BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY: 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. (718) 230-2198 or www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.
“Drawn From My Father’s Adventures.” Through Aug. 24. Brooklyn-based illustrator and artist Sophie Blackall created these original drawings based on the stories her father told her as a child.
“Sophie Blackall: Stories-Pictures-Books.” Through Aug. 24. Original illustrations and sketches from favorite published stories illustrated by Blackall.
“The 26th Annual Ezra Jack Keats / NYC Department of Education Bookmaking Competition Exhibition.” Through Aug. 24. Over the past 25 years, New York City public schoolchildren have written and illustrated enough books to fill a small library. These hand-made books are entered into the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition. On display are all of the school-wide, borough-wide and city-wide winners.
BROOKLYN WATERFRONT ARTISTS COALITION: Beard St. Warehouse, 499 Van Brunt St., Red Hook. www.bwac.org.
“Celebrate.” May 12–June 17. BWAC’s 20th Annual Spring Pier Show. More than 200 artists will be exhibiting 1000 works in every medium, from the traditional to the cutting edge. Opening weekend will feature music by Rob Crowe Situation and food by Caselnova.
CORRIDOR GALLERY: 334 Grand Ave., Clinton Hill. (718) 230-5002 or www.corridorgallerybrooklyn.org.
“Christina Massey: Business & Pleasure.” Through May 19. Massey’s bold compositions are painterly and sculptural creations of recycled work clothes, older paintings and new visceral paint elements.
KUNSTHALLE GALAPAGOS: 16 Main St., DUMBO. (718) 222-8500 or www.kunsthallegalapagos.com.
“Bigger Than You.” Through May 20. A group show presenting 14 artists that push the confines of traditional printmaking. All the artists are currently graduate students at Pratt Institute.
MOCADA: 80 Hanson Place, Fort Greene. (718) 230-0492 or mocada.org.
“The Box That Rocks: 30 Years of Video Music Box and the Rise of Hip Hop Music & Culture.” Through May 28. In 1983, Ralph McDaniels launched “Video Music Box,” a groundbreaking television program that ushered in the popularity and innovation of music videos. This exhibition of contemporary art celebrates the global influence of “Video Music Box,” and the show’s historic contribution to urban music and culture.
NEW YORK PHOTO FESTIVAL 2012: May 16–20. NYPH’12 will explore the matrix of art photography and social documentary through four curators creating sites and live events exploring the origins and meeting points of art photography and documentary work. The festival will take place at various locations throughout DUMBO. Tickets are not required to view exhibitions, but will be required for presentations and receptions to be held at The Powerhouse Arena; 37 Main St. For more information, call (347) 853-7447 x123 or visit nyph.at.
TABLA RASA GALLERY: 224 48th St., Sunset Park. (718) 833-9100 or www.tablarasagallery.com.
Works from the Tabla Rasa Collection: To view, call for appointment and scheduled hours.
THE OLD STONE HOUSE: 336 Third St., Park Slope. (718) 768-3195 or www.theoldstonehouse.org.
“Brooklyn Utopias: Park Space Play Space.” Through June 24. This exhibition brings together 19 artists and arts groups to address the ideal design, planning and use of public parks and coincides with the unveiling of the newly renovated Washington Park/J.J. Byrne Playground.
UNITED PHOTO INDUSTRIES HQ: 111 Front St., Suite 204, DUMBO. www.united photoindustries.com.
“Andrew Frost: The Northeast Kingdom.” Through May 20.
YES GALLERY: 147 India St., Greenpoint. (917) 593-9237 or yesgalleryyes.com.
“Equality Now.” Through May 20. A benefit and exhibition featuring works by Lara Pacilio. Pacilio uses materials such as iron and covered wood to create images showing the pains and struggles of women.
Comedy
68 JAY STREET BAR: Corner of Jay and Water streets, DUMBO. www.facebook.com/dumbocomedy
Stand-Up Comedy: Nick Cobb. May 10, at 8:30 p.m. Cobb has appeared on Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing.
Culinary
RED HOOK FAIRWAY MARKET: 480 Van Brunt St. (718) 694-6868 or www.fair waymarket.com/store-red-hook.
Cookbook Signing: Lidia Bastianich. May 12, from noon–2 p.m. Renowned chef, restaurateur and author Bastianich will sign copies of her new book “Lidia’s Italy in America.”
Dance
BAM HOWARD GILMAN OPERA HOUSE: 30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org.
DanceAfrica 35th Anniversary Celebration. May 20, at 3 p.m. Founder and artistic director Chuck Davis hosts a special 35th anniversary celebration of DanceAfrica, kicking off a week of festivities and reuniting over three decades of past performers from this much-loved festival. Together with a commemoration of the original DanceAfrica performers, who will be in attendance, the evening will feature performances embodying the infectious spirit of this enduring and invaluable tribute to the culture of Africa and its diaspora.
Family/Kids
BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY: 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. (718) 230-2198 or www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.
Ezra Jack Keats Family Festival — Snowy Day in May. May 12, at 1 p.m. A festival for all ages featuring music by Brooklyn Youth Chorus; art workshops by artist, Felix Plaza and illustrator Taeeun Yoo; book signing by author/illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg; and other activities. In case of rain, activities will be moved to the Dweck Center.
PUPPETWORKS: 338 Sixth Ave., Park Slope. (718) 965-3391 or www.puppetworks.org.
“The Jungle Book.” Through Aug. 19, at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. A marionette presentation of Rudyard Kipling’s 1893–94 Fables of India.
Film
BAMCINÉMATEK: 30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org.
The Next Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev. May 13–15. The first New York retrospective of Zvyagintsev, an exciting up-and-coming director from Russia.
A Night of Oz. May 16. “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”: A pair of 80s comedies directed by the inimitable Frank Oz.
Global Lens 2012: “Pegasus” (Pegase). May 15, at 6:30 p.m. A young woman, traumatized by her dictatorial father’s insistence she be raised as a boy, finds herself the unwitting patient of a psychiatrist intent on learning the truth behind her story. Directed by Mohamed Mouftakir, Morocco, 2010. In Arabic; English subtitles.
Gardening
SYCAMORE: 1118 Cortelyou Road, Ditmas Park. (347) 240-5850 or sycamorebrooklyn.com.
Brooklyn Non Dirt Talk: Growing without Dirt. May 15, at 7:30 p.m. A lecture on urban greenscaping with particular emphasis on helping city dwellers to grow some of their own fresh food using modern user-friendly methods.
Music
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK: Pier 1, Fulton Ferry Landing. www.brooklyn bridgepark.org.
Celebrate Brooklyn! Bridge Dance Party. May 10, at 7 p.m. Soul Dance Party with Booker T. Jones and Rich Medina. DJ Medina will warm up the evening. Having originally played with the house band for Memphis’ Stax Records, Jones helped define the sound of southern soul in the ’60s. For more information, visit www.bricartsmedia.org.
GRACE CHURCH: 254 Hicks St., Brooklyn Heights. (718) 624-1850 or www.gracebrooklyn.org.
Grace & Spiritus Chorale of Brooklyn 35th Anniversary Concert Gala. May 11, at 7 p.m. Featuring selections from past and contemporary composers shaped by Brooklyn’s dynamic cultural forces including Gershwin, Britten and Copland. There will also be a new piece by composer Matthew Henning, Assistant Director. www.graceands
piritus.org.
ISSUE PROJECT ROOM: 110 Livingston St., Downtown Brooklyn. (718) 330-0313 or www.issueprojectroom.org.
Emerging Artists Commission: Jen Rosenblit & Jules Gimbrone. May 11, at 8 p.m. Choreographer/dancer Jen Rosenblit and composer Jules Gimbrone will premiere Pastor Pasture, a duet for dancer and cello. Pastor Pasture is an ISSUE Project Room Emerging Artists Commission.
ST. ANN & THE HOLY TRINITY CHURCH: Located at the corner of Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn Heights. (718) 875-6960 or www.stannholytrinity.org.
Heroic Flourishes 2: Music for Organ and Brass. May 13, at 7 p.m. A benefit concert featuring Gregory Eaton on organ, trumpets, French horn, trombones, tuba and timpani. On the program is music by Bonelli, Dupré, Gigout, Hurd, Phillips, Strauss. Proceeds will help fund the restoration of the church’s tower and organ.
Opera
PLYMOUTH CHURCH: 75 Hicks St, Brooklyn Heights. (718) 624-4743 or www.plymouthchurch.org.
“Cavalleria Rusticana.” May 11, at 8 p.m. and May 20, at 4 p.m. Written by Pietro Mascagni; presented by the Martha Cardona Theater. Fully staged and costumed, with English supertitles. For more information, call (347) 353-2607 or visit themarthacardona
theater.com.
ROULETTE: 509 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill. (917) 267-0363 or www.roulette.org.
“Experiments in Opera.” May 10–11, at 8 p.m. A composer and performer-driven festival, featuring recent and new works by Matthew Welch, Jason Cady, Aaron Siegel and Dave Ruder, with unorthodox answers to the traditional questions about how to connect words, story and music.
Theater
BAM HARVEY THEATER: 651 Fulton St., Fort Greene. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org.
“The Caretaker.” Through June 17. A pair of working-class brothers allows a homeless man to stay in their decrepit London flat, an act of compassion that sparks a cycle of cruelties, delusions, and shifting loyalties in a desperate struggle over territory. Written by Harold Pinter; performed by Theatre Royal Bath Productions/ Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse; and directed by Christopher Morahan.
BROOKLYN LYCEUM: 227 Fourth Ave., Gowanus. www.brooklynlyceum.com.
“The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace!)” Through May 13. Brave New World Repertory Theatre presents this affectionate production set in the big hair 1980s, with Falstaff re-imagined as a befuddled mob boss and Mistress Ford and Mistress Page as the real housewives of Brooklyn, with an eye for mischief and an ear for the traditional Brooklyn accent of the time.
“Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine.” Through May 13. Written by Brooklyn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, this play is a hilarious and poignant tale of a high-powered black woman’s fall from grace, which sends her back to her humble Brooklyn roots.
FORT GREENE PARK: Located at the monument, in the center of the park, between Myrtle and DeKalb avenues; Washington Park and St. Edward’s Street. www.nycgovparks.org/parks/ FortGreenePark
“Twelfth Night.” May 12, at 2 p. m. and May 13, at 6 p.m. Now in its second season, Random Access Theatre Company collaborates with theatre artists to develop culturally relevant work at the highest standards of artistic excellence. This spring, they present a play by William Shakespeare, directed by Laurence Lesher. For more information, visit www.randomaccesstheatre.com.
GALLERY PLAYERS: 199 14th St., Park Slope. (212) 352-3101 or www.galleryplayers.com.
“Wonderful Town.” Through May 20. This delightful staple of the musical theater canon is about the adventures and misadventures of two sisters who move from small-town Ohio to the bohemia of 1935 Greenwich Village. The score of swinging tunes was composed by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green.
Workshops/Classes
BAY RIDGE JEWISH CENTER: 405 81st St., Bay Ridge. (718) 836-3103 or www.bayridgejewishcenter.org.
Yoga with Patti. Mondays at 6:15 p.m. Flex your muscles and relax after a long work day.
Senior Tai Chi class. Thursdays at 10 a.m. Call to reserve your spot.
Torah Discussion with Rabbi Rosenberg. Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m. No previous knowledge required. Discussions can be spirited to enlightening.
— Compiled by Rose Desilets
