Helped Spark Renaissance
Of Neighborhood
By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
CLINTON HILL –On March 1, the Clinton Hill Art Gallery at 154-A Vanderbilt Ave., is closing. In December 2004 it opened with its first show, “Untried: A Maiden Voyage.” Now the gallery’s fascinating four-year voyage ends, but its vision continues. And a three-day group exhibit and sale will celebrate that voyage.
The gallery was founded by director Lurita L.B. Brown, an entrepreneurial pioneer in the art business in Brooklyn, who established a still-thriving custom framing gallery and shop 19 years ago. She became a nationally sought-out expert on the buying habits of African-American consumers.
As her Clinton Hill Simply Art and Framing Gallery prospered at 583 Myrtle Ave., she opened her additional venture, the Clinton Hill Art Gallery, creating much interest and excitement. Borough President Marty Markowitz saluted her gallery, the neighborhood’s first street-level gallery, as part of Brooklyn’s “art renaissance.”
Now closing in these hard times, there is deep appreciation for its presence. Brown said, “It’s been an exciting time here for Brooklyn’s creative community, from Brooklyn Heights to Bensonhurst, from Crown Heights to Cobble Hill, from Dyker Heights to Canarsie, from Clinton Hill to Windsor Terrace, from Williamsburg to Fort Greene.”
Closing Celebration Show and Sale
To mark its closing, celebrate its artists and encourage art buyers, the gallery is hosting a three-day finale closing exhibit and sale. It is called “We Are Brooklyn.”
Featuring more than 40 artists, the group exhibit and silent bidding sale of artworks will be held on the evenings of Feb. 26, 27 and 28 between 6 and 10 p.m. at the gallery a few steps south of Myrtle Avenue, open to the public with free admission.
When it opened, the Clinton Hill Art Gallery became a magnet for Brooklyn’s known and unknown original artists, photographers and sculptors, giving Brown’s vision a home for a community. The artworks were displayed in quarterly group and solo shows. Brown also noted, “Tourists particularly visited Clinton Hill Art Gallery as a neighborhood sightseeing venue.”
Hard Business Decisions
And Great Artistic Benefits
“Closing the gallery is an unpleasant business decision,” said Brown, who will continue to build her clientele at her framing location. “So many people have benefited by our vision and presence.”
Indeed, original artists have met and some collaborated. The Sunday afternoon “Meet the Artists Parlor Chats” were greatly anticipated, filling the gallery’s seats and generating memorable discussions among all. At one of those events, two sisters, Joan and Margaret Vincent, who grew up and stayed in Clinton Hill all their lives, told their stories.
Just a few of the many artists have been Mary Greene, Jimmy James Greene, Eli Kinee, Andrea Spiros, and Mahtab Aslani. Last year the gallery was the first Brooklyn venue for the annual NY JVC Jazz Festival and Art Exhibit.
“Our closing activities will celebrate Brooklyn’s art community with fun, surprises, entertainment and original Brooklyn art at incredible savings. It’s our ‘good-bye’ to a wonderful community who embraced us,” said Brown. “So, come by to enjoy and buy. A recession presents an opportunity for a buyers market. This is the best moment to buy.”
————————
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009
All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law.
Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
