BROOKLYN — The Brooklyn Cultural Circuit has launched a new web site, www.EnjoyBrooklyn.com, to promote the best of the city. The web site highlights all the must-see and must-do while in Brooklyn, showcasing a list of cultural and scenic parts of the city that only an insider knows. Soon it hopes to add galleries, arts educators and local artists and artisans.

According to Marlene Hochman, founder of the alliance and founder of The Doll and Toy Museum, “The Brooklyn Cultural Circuit (BCC), established in 2004, currently consists of nine small to mid-sized arts and cultural organizations. We are excited about our new web site and building our alliance with others in Brooklyn. Especially now during these tough economic times, collaborating is essential and shared marketing is a must.�

The Brooklyn Cultural Circuit is helping by offering shared marketing services to artists, artisans and all organizations, who promote the arts, including arts education, music, theater, dance and entertainment. Its goal is to unite the borough’s cultural community and bring more business and awareness to the arts through its web site, cultural tourism initiatives, through advocating for public-private partnerships, and by helping its partners find skilled professionals and volunteers.

“Rather than having an exclusive membership just for museums in Brooklyn, as we had in the past, the BCC is now an alliance where all Brooklyn arts, arts and crafts and cultural organizations of any kind can come together and discuss new and innovative ways to invest our valuable time and energy in Brooklyn. We want to help everyone reach their financial goals and build successful businesses. It is a new era for the arts in Brooklyn and those who believe in our vision, including individuals and businesses that love the arts and have a passion for change, are welcome to join� says Hochman.

Arts Destination for Travelers

Brooklyn is fast becoming a destination for the arts, culture, entertainment and shopping for local and international travelers. The Micro Museum, an interdisciplinary art center founded in 1986, has weekly exhibitions featuring work by over 600 artists. In May, the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) will stage New York’s biggest artist-run show on the waterfront in Brooklyn, presenting new works by more than 330 artists. As the show’s president, John Stronbeen, says, “The show is a great opportunity to showcase the high-quality work from Brooklyn artists and for people to buy them at a reasonable price.�

The historic aspects of Brooklyn should not be missed too. The Battle of Brooklyn is told at the Harbor Defense Museum which was built between 1825 and 1831. The museum has a collection of United States Army weapons, uniforms, small arms, cannons and accoutrements from the 18th century to present.

Children and families can experience the colorful past of Coney Island at the Coney Island History Project’s free public exhibition center beneath the world famous Cyclone Roller Coaster. The exhibition center is open free of charge on weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

In historic Red Hook, they can walk along the gangway on the last remaining wooden covered barge afloat today in the harbor. The barge, located at the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

For those interested in Scandinavian culture, visitors can learn so much through the festivals, documentation, research, walking tours, publications and educational programs provided by the Scandinavian East Coast Museum. The Museum strives to preserve and share 400 years of Scandinavian history, in Brooklyn and beyond.

A visit to Brooklyn Heights would not be complete without viewing the antique and modern toys played by children from the 1800s to 1980, presented by the Doll & Toy Museum of NYC. The museum has an exhibition nestled on the second floor of the Brooklyn Heights Public Library and is New York City’s only museum solely dedicated to exhibiting and educating the public about dolls and toys.

Green-Wood Cemetery, an outdoor museum and a revered Brooklyn institution since 1838, is committed to sharing, publicizing and interpreting its 478 picturesque acres of architecture, history and sculptural monuments, as well as bird and animal habitats, and to educating the public about the resources and the history of the more than 600,000 individuals buried in the cemetery.

Many of the places offered by the Brooklyn Cultural Circuit have free or inexpensive admission, affordable classes, public programs and/or private tours. Get more information about the arts in Brooklyn to plan your visit on www.EnjoyBrooklyn.com.

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