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APRIL 2018
SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
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Making Red Hook better
T
here are more than 3400 local governments in New York State. The state population is about 20 milion, which means one body of government for every 6,000 residents. Red Hook has twice as many people, but not much in the way of local government. Our councilman has Sunset Park to worry about, which is much larger than we are. Our community board seems more involved with the concerns of its other constituents, Park Slope and Cobble Hill.
Without any official kind of representation, we are left with a plethora of adhoc organizations, representing interests of small sub-communities. Resilient Red Hook is worried about the climate. NYCHA tenants are represented by two tiny groups that talk mostly to the friends of the two presidents. There are two separate police entities, the 76th precinct, and the housing cops, each of which hold separate meetings. The businesses are represented, only virtually, by a fairly inactive Facebook group. In addition we have separate fiefdoms operated by Good Shepherd, Red Hook Initiative, the Parks Department and others who all hold occasional meetings. With all these groups holding all these meetings at various times of the month, it is no wonder that the meetings that we go to are so often underattended. To me, it seems that rather than being underserved, Red Hookers are overwhelmed, with all the people who are seeking to do us good, or at least comply with their grant funding. It’s my opinion that Red Hookers
In this issue we introduce expanded Arts Coverage.
would be much better served by one overarching “super-organization,” that would hold one meeting a month where all important topics would be discussed and voted on if necessary. Such a clearing house would bring together the best of all of us, all at one time. We would all have the same information, and those wanting to tackle particular items could form subcommittees to do so. For this to work, we’d need to come up with some sort of budget. Other communities form Business Improvement Districts (BID), which allows local businesses to be taxed a bit more, with all the extra money going for improvements to streets which The Civic Association is a smalll version of what we really need.
slight assessment to fund a paid Red Hook Supervisor, as well as a small office.
“Why not create a Government Improvement District (GID), and allow a slight assessment to fund a paid Red Hook Supervisor, as well as a small office.”
for some reason the city doesn’t do. Why not create a Government Improvement District (GID), and allow a
Then we would have at least one well trained professional working every day for our interests. The office could include something else we sorely need, a local Chamber of Commerce which would cater to the needs of the thousands of tourists who visit us every summer and provide local businesses with some extra cash. That office could also be a repository for something else needed by our historic community, its own Historical Society, or at least a repository for unique documents that might otherwise get thrown in dumpsters as our old-timers move on. What I envision is a 4 hour meeting once a month at a venue such as Pioneer Works, which has plenty of room,
StarRevue
Table of Contents Happenings ............................................2 The Healthy Geezer.............................10 Religious News....................................4,5 News and Notes ....................................8 Tina Portelli...........................................3 April Art Picks .....................................10 Red Hook Star-Revue
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is centrally located, and can offer professional audio-visual services. Each meeting would provide an excellent opportunity for other branches of government to send representatives to find out what’s going on here. We would expect our councilman, the CB6 District Manager, a top-level NYCHA person, and representatives from city organizations handling things like streets, resiliency and infrastructure, to be there. The GID would provide for two-way communication between people who live here and people who want to tell us things. If we are going to be lobbied by advocates of things such as trolley cars, nursing homes and bicycle paths, let them lobby us all together, not try to divide us up to suit their own particular means.
ARTS Red Hook Labs
April Fools page 16
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The
Red Hook StarRevue
481 Van Brunt Street, 8A Brooklyn, NY 11231
April Happenings
(718) 624-5568
email happenings@ redhookstar.com to list your event. For more listings, check out our online community calendar at www.star-revue.com/calendar
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George Fiala
A E Matt Caprioli R: Nathan Weiser C: Halley Bondy, Arts Laura Eng, Religion Emily Kluver, Features Ramaa Reddy Raghavan Mary Ann Pietanza Sofia Baluyut Adrian Bacolo Tina Portelli Edward Littleford FOR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING OR EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES, email info@redhookstar.com. The Red Hook Star-Revue is published monthly. Founded June 2010.
Community Telephone Numbers:
Red Hook Councilman Carlos Menchaca (718) 439-9012 Red Hook Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (718) 492-6334 State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (718) 643-6140 Gowanus Councilman Brad Lander (718) 499-1090 Park Slope Councilman Steve Levin (718) 875-5200 CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman (718) 643-3027 76th Police Precinct, 191 Union Street Main phone (718) 834-3211 Community Affairs (718) 834-3207 Traffic Safety (718) 834-3226 Eileen Dugan Senior Center, 380 Court Street (718) 596-1956 Miccio Center, 110 East 9th Street (718) 243-1528 Red Hook East Dev. Office, 62 Mill St (718) 852-6771 Red Hook West Dev. Office, 55 Dwight St. (718) 522-3880 NYCHA Satellite Police Precinct, 80 Dwight St. Main Phone (718) 265-7300 Community Affairs (718) 265-7313 Domestic Violence (718) 265-7310 Youth Officer (718) 265-7314 Red Hook NCOs Damien Clarke – Damien.Clarke@nypd.org; (929) 287-7155 Jonathan Rueda – Jonathan.Rueda@nypd. org – 917-941-2185
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Wed.
Hot Wood Arts hosts their monthly first Wednesday’s figure drawing session. The cost is $10. The figure drawing session goes from 7 pm - 10 pm at 481 Van Brunt, 9B.
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Second Sundays is a free event series at Pioneer Works. This program features open studios with current ar�sts in residence, Sun. live music, exhibi�ons and par�cipatory programs exploring art, science and technology and educa�on. Food and beverage is provided by PW Bar. This event series will go from 4:00 to 10:00 pm and there is a $10 suggested dona�on.
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Enjoy great pizza and fellowship for free at the 2nd Red Hook Star-Revue pizza party. Sams, 238 Court Street, between Bal�c and Mon. Kane. 7 -10 pm, cash bar, be prepared to meet some of the great readers of a pre�y good newspaper.
10 Tues.
The Red Hook West Tenant Association hosts their monthly mee�ng, 428 Columbia Street 1-C, 6:30 un�l 9 pm.
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The Red Hook Boaters hosts a pre-season mee�ng to plan their May – September Thurs. program, volunteer trips and special events. Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse, 125 Second St, at the foot of the Canal, beginning at 7 pm.
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The CARES Wellness Support Group will take place at the Red Hook Community Jus�ce Center from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Tues. Come to learn about coping strategies for dealing with stress, learn ways to relax and take care of yourself and focus on healing and restora�on. Dinner and Metrocards will be provided. Please call Red Hook CARES at 347-404-9017 to learn more informa�on. Tom Ze will be performing at Pioneer Works. He is a songwriter, mul�-instrumentalist and composer who was influen�al in the Tropicalia movement of 1960s Brazil. A�er the peak of Tropicalia, Ze went into rela�ve obscurity. It was only in the 1990s, when David Byrne discovered an album recorded by Ze years earlier, that he returned to performing and releasing new material. Doors open at 7:30 pm and the performance will start at 8:00 pm.
20 Fri.
21 Sat.
Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon Street) the Brooklyn Waters conference �tled Sea-Level Rise, Sustainability and Resilience along the waterfront. 9 - 4:30 The K.I.D.S Art Education Drawing Together Family Art Workshops at the Kentler Interna�onal Drawing Space (353
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Van Brunt Street) from 10 to 11:30 am. There will be family art workshops for children ages four and up with a caregiver. Contact sallie@kentlergallery.org to register or for more informa�on.
24 Tues.
The Gowanus Community Advisory Group hosts their monthly mee�ng at St. Mary’s Residence (41 First Street) from 6:30 un�l 9:00 pm.
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The Friends of Firefighters (199 Van Brunt Street) hosts Firehouse Chili Cook-Off Friday. Fundraiser at the Invisible Dog Art Center (51 Bergen Street). A lively evening of chili tas�ng, merrymaking, music and fundraising for a nonprofit that’s dedicated to addressing the physical health, mental health and wellness needs of New York City’s firefighters and their families. This fun and delicious event will feature firehouses from around the five boroughs as they try to impress with the best chili dish. Tickets will be available at the door for $30.
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PS 15’s First Annual Community Wellness Fair- in partnership with Good Shepherd Services at the school playground on Sat. Van Brunt & Sullivan St. from 10:30 am1:30 pm. Learn more about preventa�ve health, nutri�on, physical ac�vity, sustainability and more to promote health & wellness! Every Thursday and Friday from 5:00 pm un�l 7:00 pm there will be a teen billiards tournament at the Red Hook Recrea�on Center. This tournament is for ages 14-17. All experience levels are welcomed to play. First and second place winners will receive trophies. For more informa�on about this event for teens please contact Mike at Michael.mckoy@ parks.nyc.gov or call 718-722-3211
ONGOING
E & P:
The gym, theater, weight room and computer room will be available for ages 13 and up at the Miccio Community Center (110 West 9th Street) every Saturday of the month. 10 am - 5 pm.
Red Hook Library hosts free art classes for kids every Tuesday and Wednesday of the month. On Tuesdays the classes are from 3:15 un�l 4:15 for ages 4-7 and from 4:15 - 5:15 for ages 8-12. On Wednesdays, the class is from 3:30 - 4:30 pm for ages 10-17. The Red Hook Community Jus�ce Center (88 Visita�on Place) will be have free dance workshops taught by professional dancers star�ng on April 24. These workshops will go from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and will repeat every Tuesday. Weekly yoga class at a therapeu�cs yoga studio at 19 Delavan Street, Suite 3S, that’s focused on alignment, healing from injuries, strengthening, flexibility and a founda�on on back care. This class happens on Tuesdays from March 20 un�l December 18. The suggested dona�on is $15 to $20. Email ashtay67@gmail.com to rsvp for the yoga class.
April 2018
NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY, by TINA PORTELLI
I
All In a Slip of Time
t was March 7th, 1957 and I was sitting in the third row in the third seat of the third grade at P.S. 13. (The over one hundred year old schoolhouse was located on Degraw Street between Hicks and Henry Street. I graduated from the sixth grade in 1961, the summer the school closed its doors forever.) That was sixty years ago, I was eight years old. Last week I came upon my old third grade class photo. I was a chubby and eager little cross eyed student. Today I am still cross eyed, but not so much as before. I was one of those pupils that always had her hand north to answer a question, but the teacher only picked me if she was desperate for a correct answer. My eyeglasses screamed “Pick me, pick me”, while my rear end was three inches off the seat, hands waving in the air. I was an annoying child. Every class had at least one brown nose and one clown. I was that brown nose and my friend Joey was the clown!
I was so amused to see myself in that yellow tinted photo. I kept staring at the photo repeating to myself, yes, that was me! I have hung this photo above my desk. Every time I glance up I chuckle. I am in awe of the passing decades, so many decades, unaware they were adding up. About the school: PS 13 had three floors and a basement. The grey cement floor basement was used as a gym, without equipment. Just a place to do stretches and run the perimeter of the space for excersize. Benches lined the walls for rest.
There were six classrooms on each floor, three and three parallel to each other. You would have walk through at least one of them to get to any to any other. This often interrupted a teacher during class as someone would need to get to their class if they were running late.
Each floor had roll back walls at the front, so instead of having a designated assembly auditorium, the front walls were all rolled back, and there you had it. All six classrooms became one big fake assembly room, which faced the outer hall way, which housed the solo piano, sitting on a three inch platform stage. This all took place on the third floor. And a flag, which we aimed our pledge allegiance. The second floor did not have an assembly because the grade was 1st & 2nd. They were not included until they moved upstairs as they got promoted. We on the third floor were 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th grade classes. About the teacher: Her name was Mrs. Liberman. In those days, pupils were in awe of teachers, priests and policemen. I was in awe of her. She was young, beautiful and sweet, perhaps twenty-three. (Most other teachers in the school were elderly, in my mind perhaps forty.)
she lowered her head towards me in a conspiring way. “What is it?” In a low shaky hesitant voice I continued, “Please don’t get mad at me telling you this, but your slip is showing”. I was petrified, but blurted it out anyway.
and special, like we, Mrs. Liberman and myself, were girlfriends, sharing this special intimate moment.
She smiled, hiked up her slip from the inside of her waistband, and said, “Thank you Constance, I can’t believe I’ve been standing up here in front of everyone with my slip hanging out, thanks so much for telling me” I left the classroom feeling relieved, proud
It was a sad day because the school was closing forever, but it was a happy day because we now had the summer off.
On that last day in June 1961 the entire staff and student body posed for a photo on the steps of the school.
The building was torn down a few years later. All gone in a slip of time.
One afternoon, from my last row seat of the classroom, I noticed her under slip was showing several inches below her black skirt. A few of the girls in the class were giggling at this. I was not happy about that. After class, I skeptically approached Mrs. Liberman. “Mrs. Liberman, would you mind if I told you something personal?. “Of course not Constance“ she replied as
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RELIGIOUS NEWS BY LAURA ENG laura.eng59@aol.com.
Visitation Hosts “Open Church” Day
V
isitation hosted it’s first “open church” on Sunday afternoon, March 4th. The event included a warm welcome by members of the Koinonia John the Baptist community and by parishioners including Francesca DeLuca, a lifelong member and trustee of the parish. Father Claudio conducted a comprehensive tour that began at the altar, proceeded through the entire sanctuary and ended with a wine and cheese reception in the newly renovated church basement. The tour was well attended by a diverse group of parishioners and non-parishioners, with English to Spanish translation available. And typical of Father Claudio, it was interspersed with Lenten prayers, a bit of biblical history, and more than a few allelujahs. The church was founded in 1854, shortly after the Diocese of Brooklyn was established, to address the needs of a burgeoning immigrant population.
RELIGIOUS SERVICES Christian River Of God Christian Center
110 Wolcott Street, 646-226-6135, Secretary, Sister Roslyn Chatman. Sunday- Family Worship 11- 1 pm Scripture, Wednesday- At The Gate 12 noon, Prayer 7-7:30 pm, Bible Studies 7-8 pm, Thursday Prayer 7:30-8:30 pm, Fri. Youth ABLAZED Ministries 6- 7:30 pm, Senior Pastor, Donald Gray
Visitation Church
98 Richards Street, (718) 624-1572. Office open Mon-Thurs. 9 am- 3 pm. Sat. Mass at 5 pm English; Sun. 10 am Spanish, 12:30 pm English. Community Prayer on Tuesday and Thursday at 8 pm. Call to arrange for Baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation and Weddings.
New Brown Memorial Baptist
609 Clinton Street, 718 624 4780 Pastor A.R Jamal. Sun. School at 9:30 am. Sun. Worship at 11 am. Bible Study-Wed. at 7:30 pm. Communion every first Sunday
Redemption Church Red Hook
767 Hicks Street (Red Hook Initiative), (347) 4703523, RedemptionRedHook@gmail.com Pastor Edwin Pacheco Sunday Service at 10:30 am, Children’s Bible Study provided.
RH Ministries
72 Van Dyke Street (Corner of Richards Street), 718-624-3093, rhministries@bgtintl.com, Senior Pastor: Rev. David W. Anderson, Rev. Dr. Linda D. Anderson Sunday Worship Service at 11:00 am, Mid-week prayer on Wednesday at 7:30 pm, Pantry every Saturday at 9:30 am
St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church
157 Montague St., Brooklyn Heights. Phone: 718875-6960, office@stannholytrinity.org, Fr. John Denaro, Rector. Sunday Worship-Early Church at 9:30 am, Sunday School and Playgroup at 10:15 am and Holy Eucharist at 11:15 am, Weekday Worship on Wednesdays at 6 pm.
Stretching Far and Wide Global Ministry, Inc.
382 Hamilton Avenue, Studio B 1-800-948-9042 Archbishop Dr. Barbara Jackman, Overseer Rev. Dr. Dwayne Barnes, Pastor Services are held every Sun. @ 10 am Communion every First Sun. stretchingfar.webs.com stretchingfar@aol.com
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St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish
467 Court Street, (718) 625-2270 Rectory Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 am- 11:30 am, 1 pm-4 pm, Fri. 9 am- 12 noon. Masses: Sat. 4 pm, Sun. 10 am, Monday- Thursday, 9:30 am.
Saint Paul Saint Agnes Parish
Church Office 433 Sackett St (718) 625-1717 Hours: M-F 2 PM-5 PM. E mail: stpaulandstagnes@gmail.com. Saint Paul, 190 Court Street- church open daily for prayer and meditation 7 am- 8 pm. Sat. Vigil Mass 5:30 pm, Sun. 7:45 am, 11 am (Spanish). St. Agnes, 433 Sackett St. Sat. Vigil Mass 4 pm (English), Sun. 9:15 am (English), 11 am (French), 12:30 PM (Spanish). M-T-TH-F-S 8:30 am St Paul’s Chapel 234 Congress St.; Wed. 8:30 am St Agnes.
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary- Saint Stephen RCC
The original church building stood on the corner of Verona and Van Brunt Streets. It was commissioned by Italian, Irish and German, factory and dockworkers. That building was quickly outgrown. A larger church was completed up the street in 1878 and served the area for twenty years. It burned down on July 12, 1896. The then largely Irish and Italian congregation immediately responded to that disaster with the construction of a gothic revival church a few yards away from the second church at its current location at Richards and Verona.
125 Summit Street at Hicks Street, (718) 5967750, info@sacredhearts-ststephen.com Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 am- 5 pm, Fri. 9 am3 pm, Sat. 9 am- 1 pm Sat. Vigil Mass at 5:30 pm, Sun. Masses at 8 am, 10 am, and noon (Italian/ English) Weekday Masses Mon. at 12 noon and Tue. thru Sat. at 8:30 am. Confessions: Sat. at 4:45 pm and by appointment. Baptisms every third Sun. 1 pm.
Probably the most eye-catching feature of the main sanctuary is the larger than life fresco behind the main altar. It was painted in 1898 by G. Kinkelin and restored three years ago by Italian art restorers Morena Mezzaro and Dina Baggio.
St. Paul’s Carroll St (Episcopal)
The crucifixion of Christ is portrayed in the center. It is flanked with scenes of Noah offering a thanksgiving sacrifice for having been saved from the flood on the left; and Melchizedek, celebrating the victory of Abraham, with an offering bread and wine, on the right.
199 Carroll Street, 718-625-4126, info@stpaulscarrollst.org, www.stpaulscarrollst.org, Sun. Mass at 11:00 am, Weekly Morning Prayer Mon.-Thurs. at 7:30 am, Weekday Mass on Fri. at 9:00 am, Church open for prayer on Sat. from 2-4 pm. Holy Days as announced.
Jewish Kane Street Synagogue
236 Kane Street, 718 875-1550 http://kanestreet. org/ Fri. night services, 6 PM Shabbat services, 9:15 AM Sun. Services 9 AM
Congregation B’nai Avraham/ Chabad of Brooklyn Heights
117 Remsen St., 718 596 4840 x18 www.bnaiavraham.com, www.heightschabad.com Morning Services: Sunday: 8:45am Monday- Friday: 7:45am Holidays (during the week): 8:45am Saturday: 9:45am Evening Services: Sunday: Shabbat candle lighting time Monday- Thursday: 9 pm Friday: Winter: 5 minutes before Shabbat candle lighting time Summer:
Congregation Mount Sinai
250 Cadman Plaza West, 718-875-9124, info@ cmsbklyn.org, www.cmsbklyn.org, Rabbi Hanniel Levenson Fri. services at 6:30 pm, Sat. worship at 10:00 am with Kiddush at 11:30 and Bible Study at 11:45. All are welcome.
The church has a magnificent arched wooden ceiling, evocative of a ship’s keel, and very appropriate to the waterfront community that was and still is Red Hook.
Real Tiffany windows
Scenes of the life of Mary, the Blessed Mother, are portrayed in each of the Tiffany style stained glass windows. In the church’s vestibule and sacristy, however, are actual Tiffany windows, which are stunningly iridescent, especially when the sun shines through them. One parishioner on the tour remarked that he had been coming to Visitation for fifteen years and had
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Restored altar fresco at Visitation (photo by L. Eng)
never seen the windows in the sacristy, including one of a particularly brilliant Celtic cross. The tour wound its way downstairs to the beautifully renovated church basement, where some of the exposed granite, known as Manhattan schist still shows darkened patches from the 1896 fire. This is the same glittery granite which was used to construct the Brooklyn Bridge. Hurricane Sandy left the unfinished basement under 6.5 feet of water. In response to that disaster, Father Claudio and his brother, Renato, embarked on a major transformation. Along with lots of help from parish volunteers, the work included cleanup, pouring of cement, repurposing brick from an old boiler room into columns, laying tile, installing a brand new kitchen, and constructing a spacious reception area. It is now known as St. Mary’s Hall and is used for church events and private parties. The “open church” tour ended in a cozy setting off of St. Mary’s Hall with wine and cheese served by the Koinonia community and parishioners. It was evident to anyone who attended that the historical beauty of the church is being well preserved, that the parish possesses a most welcoming hospitality, and that the spiritual life of Visitation Church is alive and well.
Upcoming Events
Brooklyn Catholic Youth Day is April 21, 2018 at St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway Jamaica, NY 11429. The theme this year is “Put Out Into the Deep” and the day will include Mass, adoration, praise and worship music, keynote presentations, fellowship and lunch. For more information, visit www.dioceseofbrooklyn. org/bcyd and to register, contact Martha Hernandez at mhernandez@diobrook.org.
Congregation Mount Sinai 250 Cadman Plaza West Afternoon Film Festival on Wednesday, April 18 at 3:30 featuring Theodore Bikel (continued on next page)
April 2018
Religion (continued)
in “The Shoes of Sholom Aleichem.” Tuesdays With Talmud - with Rabbi Hanniel Levenson, presented by the Brooklyn Bar Association in conjunction with the Brooklyn Brandeis Society on April 10 and 24 and May 8 and 22 from 1:15 - 2 pm at BBA Board of Trustees Room. Redemption Church Red Hook 767 Hicks Street Launch Service - The church’s official Launch Service was held on Easter Sunday, April 1.
Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Church Summit & Hicks Street Community Health Fair on April 15 from 10 am to 3 pm in Rectory Hall. Will include American Italian Cancer Foundation Mobile Care Clinic with no cost, on the spot digital mammograms and clinical breast exams for women 40. NYU Langone Brooklyn information on breast and colon cancer screening; Empire Blue Cross/ Blue Shield answering questions on healthy eating, asthma, depression and diabetes. Animal Care & Control of NYC Mobile Adoption Event on Sunday, April 15 from 10 am to 2 pm. St. Agnes/ St. Paul’s Parish Hoyt & Sackett Streets St. Anthony Novena - every Tuesday at 1 pm thru June 13 in Chapel at St. Paul. Young at Heart - every Wednesday at 1
pm in St. Agnes Parish Hall. Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts - every Friday at 7 pm in St. Paul Parish Hall. Girl Scouts/Brownies - every Friday at 6 pm in St. Agnes Parish Hall.
St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church 157 Montague Street 10th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival from April 6 - April 8. Presented by the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music. For information, visit www.BrooklynFolkFest.com and for tickets, visit www.brooklynfolkfest.com/tickets. Sean Penn in Conversation with Jon Lee Anderson on April 17 from 7 - 8 pm. Cost is $25 - $49. St. Mary Star of the Sea Church 467 Court Street Annual May Crowing of our Blessed Mother Statue on Sunday, May 6 at the beginning of the 10 am Mass. Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13 at the 10 am Mass - Come and receive a special blessing as we honor all of our moms, living and deceased. Visitation BVM Church 98 Richards Street Healing Mass on Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00 in Spanish. Catholic Youth Day on Saturday, April 21 from 9 am - 5 pm. All teens 13 and over are encouraged to participate. $25 per person. Please call Sylvia Dobles for information at 718-6241572. Eucharistic Minister/Lector Workshop on Saturday, April 21. Call the rectory for more information. Mobile Soup Kitchen on Tuesdays from 1 pm - 2:30 pm and Fridays from 10 am - 12 noon (except first Fridays of the month).
Current Listings 111 HICKS STREET, Brooklyn Heights, 3 Bedroom Co-op in the St. George ...........$1,350,000 155 SIXTH AVENUE Park Slope, 1 BR apt, $3,300 /mo 77th Street, Bay Ridge, 3 BR apt, $2,350 /mo
gsplendore@halstead.com Tel: (718) 613-2052 Cell: (917) 714-0305
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Housing group lobbies state politicans by Nathan Weiser
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he Carroll Gardens Association (CGA) is a non-profit housing corporation that manages a number of low-income properties in Red Hook and Carroll Gardens.
On March 12 a CGA contingent took a bus up to Albany to lobby our state legislators on various housing issues. “We usually hear from other groups how they do not perform their duties but I have never heard in my career, in 25 years, anything negative about CGA,” Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz said in his meeting with the group. Five CGA members and two staffers made the trip, which left Red Hook at 8:30 in the morning. Two tenants, Paulette Coston and Gail Johnson, made the trip last year, but it was the first time for the others Among the five that went up in the van was a member of the Southwest Brooklyn Tenant Union, two domestic workers advocating for their rights, and two CGA tenants. The group was advocating to get their State Senators, Velmanette Montgomery and Brian Kavanagh, and Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz, to increase the
“We would like for you to continue funding CGA,” Johnson told Ortiz. “They are no jokers.” funding for Neighborhood Preservation Coalitions (NPC) from $12 million to $21 million, so that more money will be funneled to CGA for their programs. According to Ben Fuller-Googins, CGA programming and planning director, the NPCs will likely find out by the end of March if they are awarded the extra $9 million. This extra funding would allow CGA to get $100,000 for programming. Other issues of concern included affordable housing, rent stabilization and domestic worker conditions. FullerGoogins helped found a local worker cooperative for nannys. When arriving at the government capital building, everyone went through security and heard a brief welcoming on the importance of NPCs and how valuable they are. The group then went up to room 729A for their first meeting—Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz at 1:00 p.m. Ortiz has been working with them in some form or another since 1995. He wants to continue to provide CGA with as many resources as possible. Ortiz, who is on the land use committee in the Assembly, has fought for affordable housing for a long time. “This is crunch time in Albany to fight for what is needed,” Ortiz said. “I allocated $700 million for affordable housing.” Ortiz told the CGA members and staff that he wants to protect as many marginalized people as possible. “My job is to ensure we protect the children and seniors,” Ortiz added. Jessica Vazquez came up to Albany to
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advocate for affordable housing. She recognizes that there isn’t enough affordable housing for low income and middle-class residents. “I know you do a lot of work in Red Hook, I have seen you in events and at schools,” Vazquez told Ortiz. “We want more funding for CGA, which I am currently attending. I got on board to fight for affordable housing.” Two domestic worker advocates made the voyage up to Albany. Kayla Forbes was a summer intern at CGA in 2017 and was able to work with domestic workers. She is aware how much the funding is important for them. CGA let domestic workers know their rights and help them in any way they can,” Forbes told Ortiz. “Without the funding they would not be able to do that. That is why we are here.” Johnson, who is one of the members who went on the lobbying trip last year, thanked Ortiz for last year’s experience and remarked that it was warm and welcoming. She is able to assist and train nannies partly due to funding through CGA. “I am a domestic worker,” Johnson told Ortiz. “I organize and assist nannies who come to do training and learn about their rights and educate them in the field, so they can better provide for people in the community.” Johnson was one of the first people to be employed through the worker’s co-op. She sees the co-op as empowering and appreciates CGA’s role in its founding. “We would like for you to continue funding CGA,” Johnson told Ortiz. “They are no jokers, are doing a very great job and because of them we as domestic workers can move forward and can better serve the community.” Johnson ended her remarks by thanking Ortiz once again since she remembers that he listened to her story and another domestic workers’ story last year. Allen Miller, who found out about CGA because Fuller-Goggins was doing work in his building, was up lobbying in Albany for the first time. He became a member of CGA because of his involvement with the Southwest Brooklyn Tenant Union.
CGA Residents and staff, members of the Southwest Brooklyn Tenant Union, and Hopewell Care Childcare Cooperative meet with State Senators to advocate for affordable housing and immigrant worker rights. From left to right: Ben Fuller-Googins, Esther Monius, Paulette Coston, Jessica Vazquez, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Jeylani Thomas, Allen Miller, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Kayla Forbes, and Gale Johnson. (photo by Nathan Weiser)
found CGA,” Coston said. “I told them my story and they helped me out. They got me a lawyer. They helped me out because I didn’t know where to go. I needed CGA to help.”
He has a problem with the terms affordable and low income. He prefers to target low income folks and deal with affordable later.
Ortiz always takes CGA seriously because of the good they do for the community.
After having lunch in the food court, it was time to go through security again and upstairs to the older portion of the capital building.
“Through the budget process I always try to make sure that this organization gets what they deserve,” Ortiz said. “Adding other components that sometimes get ignored by other people is critical for me.”
Everyone had a chance to tell their stories again to Senator Velmanette Montgomery. Coston asked Montgomery to get legislation to improve the way landlords treat tenants, so her problems will not re-occur.
This week and next week is crunch time in here where every single one of us is trying to fight for what is needed for our own community,” Ortiz said. “As Assistant Speaker, I listen to every member as well as listen to my constituents and to people around the state about their issues and concerns.”
Miller brought up the issue of rent stabilization laws and asked Montgomery what she can do to prevent the rents from going up.
Ortiz claimed that he has allocated $700 million for affordable housing.
There was also a chance to hear from Senator Kavanaugh, who recently replaced Daniel Squadron. Montgomery and Kavanugh both had high praise for CGA and they spoke about how they will continue to give their support.
PS 15 FUNDRAISER FILLS PIONEER WORKS
“I am here to support CGA for their funding request,” Miller said. “They helped reinvigorate the tenants’ union in my building. From there we expanded out into the southwest portion of Brooklyn.” He added that he was up lobbying to support CGA because the association has been a big help for him and his building. Coston, who was in Albany for the second year in a row, was living in Red Hook and got a chance to live at 63 Tiffany Place, which is very close to CGA’s office. She brought her son to this affordable apartment. Her new landlord eventually took away her affordable housing paperwork from her..
John Battis and Rhonda Keyser having fun at another successful PS 15 event. John is a proud supporter of public schools, and father to a bright fifthgrader at the school. Rhonda is with Cafeteria Culture, a group that works to make food services more attentive to the environment. This was PS 15’s 4th Annual Spring Celebration, and raises money for school activities, not to mention providing Red Hook with a marvelous night out.
“I didn’t know where to go and then
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April 2018
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WE’RE PAYING! Library hosts another new meeting
Delicious pizza and soda at a landmark old-school red sauce Italian restaurant in Carroll Gardens.
by Nathan Weiser
T
he Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP) for Neighborhood Safety had their second informational meeting in Red Hook. MAP, whose Engagement Coordinator for Red Hook is Scott Damien, is aimed to be a revolutionary group that takes a proactive approach towards increasing safety. The purpose of MAP is to create safe, strong neighborhoods through community and government joint problem-solving. The Red Hook Houses are among the top 15 NYCHA projects in crime statistics, which is why MAP has come to our neighborhood. This initiative is sponsored by the Red Hook Community Justice Center. When complete it will consist of 25 members which will include stakeholders between ages 16 and 55. Fourteen residents showed up at this meeting. Individuals involved with the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety will train with experts around the city, access project funds, build and execute solutions and earn a stipend. The application process will be based on factors including skill sets, community networks and relationships, commitment to creative problem solving, passion for the mission and team spirit. Those interested in being part of MAP need to attend an info session and submit the complete application. There was one woman at the informational meeting who said that she wants some future MAP functions to be on the weekend so that more people with other commitments during the week can attend. Also, the same woman, who was born and raised in Red Hook, wanted to make sure that MAP follows through with what they are say they are going to do. She has found that many organizations have said they would make change or improvements in Red Hook and then have not stuck to their word. The MAP stakeholder team members will be asked to commit an average of hours a month, according to Damien. During seasons that are busy, like the summer project implementation, they expect members to volunteer additional hours.
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Each month, members will be asked to attend between three and four activities, which may include meetings, trainings, public events and/or community benefit projects. NeighborhoodStat is another important aspect for this program that was discussed at the meeting. This is an accountability mechanism that convenes city agencies, local residents and community stakeholders on a routine basis to identify site-specific and citywide systems solutions to neighborhood public safety concerns. MAP’s goals are to reduce violent crime, reduce victimization, help residents feel safer and learn how to reduce crime in other neighborhoods and housing developments citywide. Their nonprofit partners include GreenCity Force, Groundswell, PAL, Community Solutions and the Red Hook Community Justice Center. A hot meal was served so that people could continue their discussions after the meeting ended.
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Frank McCrae, who is part of the MAP team, is organizing a program for seniors at the new Senior Center. The program’s mission is to reach out to grandparents and caregivers and their role with the Mayor’s Action Plan is to provide resources for caregivers who are taking care of children who are on their own for some reason. “For instance, because of substance abuse or teen pregnancy, there are a lot of factors where grandparents have to step in to raise children,” McCray said. “I think there are about 300,000 grandparents citywide who are taking care of children that aren’t their daughters or their sons.” He leads a support group at the Ingersoll Houses. The program is called Parenting a Second Time Around, and he is recreating here in Red Hook So far in Red Hook, there have been 5 grandparent caregivers who have come to the support group. This group is held on Thursdays from 11 am until noon at the new Senior Center. “Generally, I bring topics that we talk about whether it is nutrition, how to bridge the generation gap with children and internet safety,” McCray said. We try to find ways to find solutions for problems that they don’t
Hope & Anchor was shuttered throughout March, but plans are afoot for it to reopen under new owners. James Novoa, a caterer with a food truck business specializing in movie shoots, appeared before Community Board 6 in application for a liquor license. The new name will be the Copper Pot. The menu is described as “American” and includes an all-day breakfast, a “Smokehouse” burger, dinner entrees including ocean trout, hanger steak and lamb chops; sides including kale and mac n cheese; a couple of soups, seven different salads, and most probably dessert and coffee. They will be open 7 days til midnight, and plan music every evening.
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April 2018, Page 7
NEWS AND NOTES compiled by Nathan Weiser
Artist exhibit
more Gowanus—Red Hook voyages.
If you are artist of any kind who lives in the community you will have a chance to display your skills at the Carroll Gardens Library Auditorium. This crafters’ and artists’ exhibit will be on June 2, 2018, from 1–3:00 pm.
The Boaters will be planning programs, as well as volunteer trips (paddling and camping). They will also plan participation in special events such as Red Hook Fest and City of Water Day.
Adults of any age, young adults as well as children will have the opportunity to share their handmade items.
All past, present and possible future volunteers are welcome.
Various options to show creativity include quilts, pottery, knitting, crochet and painting. Light refreshments will be served at the exhibit. The deadline to reserve a spot is April 23. Email Alexa Orr at aorr@bklynlibrary.org or call the branch at 718596-6972. This event is being coordinated by Harriet Libstag.
Open call for photography
Red Hook Labs is pleased to announce their Open Call for the Labs New Artists II exhibition, a group show at Labs Gallery that will be opening in June. This Labs New Artists II show will include a group of photographers selected by a jury of industry professionals. This exhibition will provide unparalleled exposure for the artists with comprehensive industry attendance and media coverage. The deadline for applying for Labs New Artists II is May 1. Photographers who are unrepresented by galleries or agencies are encouraged to apply. The application fee is $25. All of the proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to the Red Hook Labs Education and Jobs Initiative 501(c)(3). Email info@redhooklabs. com to apply.
SBIDC sells real estate
Join the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) and Realty Collective on April 10, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., when they will discuss the Southwest Brooklyn real estate landscape. You will be able to tour vacant retail and industrial spaces in Red Hook. At this event, which will be held at the SBIDC Red Hook Office (402 Van Brunt Street), you will have the opportunity to ask real estate brokers questions about acquiring space and how your business can strategically plan a move or expansion. They will be looking at Realty Collective’s industrial space at 204 Van Dyke Street (on the corner of Ferris Street), and they will also look at their retail space at 317 Van Brunt Street (between King Street and Sullivan Street). Due to limited space, this event at the SBIDC Red Hook Office will only be open to small businesses.
Boaters get ready
On Thursday, April 12, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, the Red Hook Boaters will be having their pre-season meeting for anyone interested in boating. This will be a 2018 season planning meeting at the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse (125 Second St., at the foot of the canal). In addition to talking about Boaters events, they will plan
Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue
Colon check
Free colorectal cancer screenings have been extended until the middle of April at NYU Langone—Brooklyn, 150 55th Street in Sunset Park. Colorectal cancer will claim more than 50,000 lives this year, experts say. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the U.S.A., yet, if caught early, it is preventable, treatable and even curable. Marine Park resident Margaret Reddy serves as a cautionary tale for those who wait too long before a colorectal screening. “I had been feeling relatively well until I was suddenly overcome with exhaustion that got progressively worse over a period of two weeks,” recalls Mrs. Reddy, 67. A test showed that her blood count was low, so she needed to receive blood transfusions to treat her anemia. She felt very weak and her doctor suggested she see a gastroenterologist and have a colonoscopy. “Her colonoscopy revealed an abnormal growth on the colon. It was in an area that required surgical removal,” said Josef A. Shehebar, MD, who performed the procedure.
that I have seen,” said Sergeant Sheldon Arrindell, the Police Service Area (PSA) 1 Field Intelligence Officer. “It’s gratifying when you know that you are making a difference in the community.” The PSA 1 Field Intelligence Officer and his team were assisted by the command’s Anti-Crime Team and ESU Truck 9 when they gained entry into the apartment. Officers made five arrests at the location. PSA 1 serves NYCHA developments in southern Brooklyn within the 60th, 61st, 63rd and 69th precincts and has a satellite office at 80 Dwight Street in Red Hook. The satellite location on Dwight Street serves NYCHA developments within the 76th and 78th precincts.
and other low income NYers). •
13 of them have been accepted into New York City’s construction unions already.
•
Other graduates are awaiting setting up interviews with the unions, have pursued other job opportunities or have taken a different path with already the skills
•
Another class is underway and with more classes planned for April and May.
A 26-year-old man and four women who ranged in age from 27 to 44 were arrested and charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Police say that the search was part of an ongoing investigation into drug activity in the area.
NYCHA tells us •
In 2018, NYCHA has spent $7 million on Red Hook/Gowanus.
•
Over 776 new jobs have been created, of which over 475 have gone to NYCHA residents or other lowincome New Yorkers.
•
Three cohorts of NYCHA’S Sandy Pre Apprenticeship Class have graduated (55 NYCHA residents
No job too big or too small
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“Mrs. Reddy’s polyp had in fact become cancerous, but fortunately there was no lymph node involvement, so she did not need chemotherapy and she went home after three days.” Mrs. Reddy is a great success story according to Dr. Shehebar who says too many patients are delaying their screenings. To make an appointment call 718630-7155.
Trivia a Big Deal!
Broadly Entertaining hosts Thursday Night Trivia every Thursday at Rocky Sullivan’s. Trivia starts at 8 pm and is free to play. Giana DeGeiso is the co-founder of Broadly Entertaining, a female owned entertainment company that works a variety of different events. “We provide trivia, BINGO and Jenga tournaments to bars all over the city,” DeGeiso said. “We also work private events, corporate events, weddings, team building workshops and produce improv shows.
Guns out of control
On March 9, the NYPD announced that on February 24 PSA 1 police officers recovered 12 firearms, six bulletproof vests, a crossbow and thousands of rounds of ammunition as the result of a search warrant in an apartment on Visitation Place in Red Hook. “I’ve been in the command for over a year and this is the largest gun seizure
Red Hook Senior Citizens Are Getting Tech-savvy On March 27th at the Red Hook Neighborhood Senior Center, eighteen local residents aged 60 and older celebrated their graduation from four different technology training courses. The courses were offered over a ten-week period by Gowanus-based Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), a national leader in harnessing the power of technology to improve the experience of aging. The free courses, presented by OATS through its Senior Planet program, included Computer Basics, Money Matters –a course focused on how to use tech to save money or find work, and “ACTivate” a course designed to
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spark local seniors to take action to improve their community. With some older students taking more than one course, a total of 32 certificates were awarded at the ceremony. A new round of courses starts soon, running from April 9th through June 14th. English and Spanish versions are offered for some courses, and a brand new exercise course has been added. Anyone 60 and older can enroll. Call Fiona at 917-446-2088 to learn more or register. Llama a Isabel a 646-617-3151 para aprender más y registrar.
April 2018
Summit basketballer is finalist for award by Nathan Weiser
D
orien Williams, who is on the Summit Academy Middle School (27 Huntington Street) basketball team, is one of six finalists for the Brooklyn Nets Ultimate All-Star Award presented by Hospital for Special Surgery. Williams and the other five finalists from the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) will be awarded a spot in the Brooklyn Nets Summer Basketball Clinic, and the winner of the Ultimate All-Star award will receive a $3,000 grant for their school’s athletic program. The winner of this contest will be honored on the Barclays Center court in a ceremony when the Nets host the Chicago Bulls on April 9. She is in her first year living in Brooklyn after previously living in Frankfort, Kentucky. She has made the transition very well and was an easy choice to be recommended for this award by her athletic director Dytonya Mixson, who is also her AAU coach. “I receive e-mails about these type of things and I saw this email and it was a no brainer,” Mixson said. “She was an easy pick because she is a star athlete, on the honor roll and one of the best middle school basketball players we have at Summit. It was an easy selection.” When the 8th grader first found out in December that she was nominated that month she could not believe the news. Voting will continue for the six monthly winners until the end of March, and everyone is able to vote five times per day. “I was shocked,” Williams said. “I said let me breathe and then realized I was actually a finalist. I didn’t know what to think because I just moved to New York the end of July.” She went on to describe more about how happy and overjoyed she was when she found out at home. “I was just cleaning my room and my mom came in saying (screaming) ‘Dorien you were nominated,” Williams said. “I said ‘what’. And then we were just freaking out and screaming. I called my grandma and told her. We were just freaking out because it was unexpected. It was crazy.” Williams was nominated based on her grit, determination and desire to succeed on the basketball court and in the classroom. She is not only a leader on her middle school basketball team but is also a very highly successful honor roll student.
Academics comes first
She wants to continue playing basketball in high school and college and this motivated middle school student knows that she has to achieve academically to do so. She also loves the game of basketball, which gives her even more incentive to give it her all academically since she realizes that her schoolwork is important.
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“I plan to continue my academics because I currently have a 4.0 GPA,” Williams said. “I want to keep that up because even if I don’t get a basketball scholarship, I want to get an athletic scholarship because academics always come first. That’s my top priority before basketball is my academics.” She puts her academics first and prioritizes that aspect over her passion for basketball, which the up and coming star she just started playing in 7th grade. “Say I have practice, but I have a ton of homework to do, I always do my homework first because I know if you fail your classes or just fail one class, then you aren’t going to be eligible to play,” the Kentucky native said. I know that, so that is why I keep my academics on point, so I can be eligible to play all the time. The executive director of Summit Academy, Natasha Campbell, has been very impressed with Williams and sees her as an example of what she wants a student at Summit Academy to be. “They moved here from out of state which means that we feel we are doing something right,” Campbell said. “Someone who doesn’t know us personally investigated and researched us and felt like this was the best opportunity for their daughter. We are thankful for have Dorien because she
“She has been such a delight to teach and share my knowledge of the game with,” Coach Bingham said. “She soaks it up like a sponge.” is an exemplar of what we want for our scholars. Someone who is engaged academically, civically and athletically.” The rising star, who has emerged quickly as a basketball player, is very much looking forward to the opportunity to take part in the Brooklyn Nets Summer Basketball Clinic at Barclays Center because it will be a way to expand her skills and build on the camp experience she has already had. “The Nets summer camp would be a fun experience because it would be another camp experience for me because I went to the junior All-American camp a few months back, and it was tough because it was kids in the same class as me (2022), and I was just seeing my other competition,” Williams added. “It will be more experience for me and will help me in the
Summit’s athletic director Dytanya Mixson with star basketballer Dorien Williams (photo by Nathan Weiser)
long run.” The coach of her basketball team at Summit Academy has been pleased with how coachable she is. “She has been such a delight to teach and share my knowledge of the game with,” Coach Bingham said. “She soaks it up like a sponge.” The 8th grader lives in the Flatbush neighborhood. Mixson added that many people in the school don’t actually live in Red Hook and that the school can attract people in many parts of Brooklyn because of the small class sizes. Williams, in addition to her commitment to her studies, is very talented basketball player. Her middle school team went undefeated this season except for the one game she missed due to sickness, and in July she will be going to tournaments in Pennsylvania and Georgia with her competitive travel (AAU) team. Her basketball season with Summit Academy has come to an end, but she is excited to now go all in with her AAU team, as this will be her first full season with the travel team. She
played last summer but didn’t feel as much of a member of the team as she will this season. “I didn’t really know anyone and didn’t do much because I was still new,” Williams added about last season. “Now, I am getting the full experience and am really excited to play with the Lady X-Men. It is hard for the 8th grader to soak in the possibility of winning this award but it will really mean a lot to her. “If I win that would mean a lot because I haven’t even been here that long, and I am already being recognized for big things and I didn’t expect any of this to happen,” Williams added. “It is so much to take in. It is crazy.” Her family and friends have been voting for her often and spreading the link to others to encourage as many to vote as possible. She enjoys the support she has been receiving and will find out soon if she gets this one of a kind award. You can vote for Dorien on this website: http://www.nba.com/nets/community/2017-18/allstarawards
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The Healthy Geezer REVUE PICKS by Fred Cicetti
Exhibits
Art News Editor Eleanor Heartney curates a fascinating array of abstract works at Site:Brooklyn in Gowanus. The opening reception is April 11 at 6 pm. Jarrod Beck gives a talk at Kentler International Drawing Space on April 21. His solo exhibit, Temple, features Indian-inspired textile drawings in thoughtful arrangements, runs through April 29. Open Source Gallery in South Slope will exhibit “Hand Luggage” by Pirmin Hagen and Christine Katscher through April 21. The collaborative effort finds joy in transatlantic misunderstandings. Q. I heard a comedian make a humorous reference to “shingles.” I had shingles and I didn’t find any humor in the experience. Am I missing something?
S
hingles is a painful skin disease caused by the chickenpox virus awakening from a dormant state to attack your body again. Some people report fever and weakness when the disease starts. Within two to three days, a red, blotchy rash develops. The rash erupts into small blisters that look like chickenpox. And it’s very painful. Does this sound funny? I don’t think so.... Anyone who has had chicken-pox can get shingles. Half of all Americans will get shingles by the time they are 80. Shingles occurs in people of all ages, but it is most common in people between 60 and 80. Each year, about one million Americans are diagnosed with shingles. The virus that causes chickenpox and shingles remains in your body for life. It stays inactive until a period when your immunity is down. And, when you’re older, your defenses ain’t what they used to be. The inactive virus rests in nerve cells near the spine. When it reactivates, it follows a single nerve path to the skin. The shingles rash helps with its diagnosis; the rash erupts in a belt-like pattern on only one side of the body, or it appears on one side of the face. It usually begins as a patch of red dots which become blisters. Physicians treat shingles with antiviral and pain medications. The antivirals don’t cure shingles, but they weaken the virus, reduce the pain and accelerate healing. The antiviral medications work faster if they are started early—within 72 hours from the appearance of the rash. The disease’s name comes from the Latin word cingulum, which means belt. The virus that causes shingles is varicella-zoster, which combines the Latin word for little pox with the Greek word for girdle. In Italy, shingles is often called St. Anthony’s Fire.
Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue
If you have had chickenpox, shingles is not contagious. If you have never had chickenpox, you can catch the virus from contacting the fluid in shingles blisters. However, you will not get shingles, but you could get chickenpox. The pain of shingles can be severe. If it is strong and lasts for months or years, it is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Persistent pain is a common symptom in people over 60. However, most victims of shingles overcome their symptoms in about a month. And the odds are against them getting shingles again. Outbreaks that start on the face or eyes can cause vision or hearing problems. Even permanent blindness can result if the cornea of the eye is affected. In patients with immune deficiency, the rash can be much more extensive than usual and the illness can be complicated by pneumonia. These cases, while more serious, are rarely fatal. The Food and Drug Administration last year approved the Shingrix vaccine to prevent painful shingles in people 50 and older. Large international trials have shown that the vaccine prevents more than 90 percent of shingles cases, even at older ages. Zostavax, an earlier shingles vaccine that remains on the market, prevents about half of shingles cases in those over age 60 and has demonstrated far less effectiveness among elderly patients.
Readings
Essayist-wunderkind Leslie Jamison, author of “The Empathy Exams,” will read from her new book “The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath” at the Brooklyn Academy for Music. Afterwards she’ll talk with Mitchell S.Jackson, author of “The Residue Years.” Books are Magic in Cobble Hill has quite the lineup for April: Meg Wolitzer and Jia Tolentino (April 3), Lorrie Moore and Wesley Norris (April 4), Samantha Irby and Abbi Jacobson (April 6), Alexander Chee and Courtney J. Sullivan (April 17). Then on May 1, they’ll host the paperback launch of Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad.”
Music
And due north in Williamsburg, National Sawdust features violinist Robyn Bollinger who plays four powerful chaconne pieces from several centuries. “Ciaconna: The Bass of Time” Sunday, April 8 at 7pm. Then on April 20, they’ll host a fascinating mix of avant-garde guitar shreds and traditional Jewish melodies in the form of “On Pitom.” As part of their Second Sunday’s Program, Pioneer Works hosts Tredici Bacci, a 14 member group that blends chamber and rock music. The lead singer, NAME, casts a 1970s glow. Freddy’s Bar has a “round robin songwriter circle” on April 11. Led by the smooth-driving music of Ruby Rae. The Wanda Jackson inspired singer throws her own unique mix of mysterious chords from her album, “The Uncanny.” The Crevulators, one of Freddy’s featured events for April, is a four piece delight. Imagine if Jimmy Buffets took up smoking, read some Foucault, and incorporated some tejano and blues. Yes. Go see them April 13 at 11:30 pm.
Holidays
National Peanut Butter & Jelly day is on April 2.
Wednesday, April 4 is National School Librarian Day. Do your librarian a solid and give them something nice. Have some grilled cheese April 12 for National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. Earth Day is on the 22nd. Great Poetry Day is on the 28th. If you managed to grab tickets to Pioneer Works Sold out show, NAME, good on you. If not there’s plenty of other ways to celebrate.
A committee of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted to make Shingrix the preferred vaccine and recommended it for all adults over age 50. The committee also recommended Shingrix for adults who’ve received Zostavax. Check your health insurance provider to determine the coverage it offers for the new vaccine.
All Rights Reserved © 2018 by Fred Cicetti
The Crevulators used to rock Red Hook’s late, lamented Bait and Tackle
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April 2018
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ARTS
FOLK MUSIC IS MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE by Matt Caprioli
O
nly Red Hook could birth a banjo throwing competition. During the 2011 Brooklyn Folk Festival, then held at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC), the founders considered how to use the waterfront to draw greater crowds. “At that point (the waterfront) was pretty decayed and terrible looking,” Lynette Wiley, a co-founder of the festival said. “Eli Smith and my husband Geoff, [the two other co-founders of the festival] came up with this idea of a banjo toss. So they took an old, broken down banjo, and they tied a string on it, and they put a knot at every foot, then we did a contest of who could throw the banjo the farthest into the water.” Christened “The Banjo Toss,” the event attracted upwards of 500 people. The tradition continues even as the festival moved from BWAC to St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn Heights. Now celebrating its 10th year, the Brooklyn Folk Festival will host a parade from the Smith Street station to the waterfront.
Beautiful venue
Wiley noted that St. Ann’s Church is also a perfect setting for music. “It’s a wonderful place to hold a festival. The sound is impeccable. The room is gorgeous. The church boasts the first figural stained glass that ever came to America—the windows are unbelievable.” Along with joining renown acts from around the world with local talents, the festival curates new resources, workshops, and impromptu “jam sessions.” One Sunday evening highlight is The Association for Cultural Equity presentation of Global Jukebox, a collection of unpublished folk performances from around the world, and will be leading a workshop on the newly released archive. “Folk music is music of the people from the people,” Wiley said. “That homemade quality is dear to our hearts. And because of that and the style of music, it really creates community. We’ve had people who started as students who become performers; there’s not much separation between the artist and the stage; it really becomes a large family.” The Brooklyn Folk Festival is organized by Jalopy Theater and Music School in Red Hook. In fact, the first two years were performed at the relatively tiny theater. In 2006, shortly after opening the Jalopy theater, Eli Smith (also a banjo teacher) proposed doing it at the Jalopy. “It was great for when we were doing it for three nights, but we quickly reached our capacity, which is why we’ve been moving it to larger and
Red Hook Star-Revue
A scene from last year’s festival at St. Ann’s Church. (photo by Eli Smith)
large venues.”
Competitions
Along with jam sessions and workshops, the Brooklyn Music Festival will have plenty of contests. After two years of a harmonica playing contest, they are now switching to a fiddle playing contest. Along with fiddle students from Jalopy and the hundreds from New York, Wiley said “it’s going to be a heady thing.”
Highlights April 6 - Friday
Bruce Molsky, who Wiley described as “probably the most important oldschool fiddlers in the country” will be giving a two hour workshop at 2 pm before a 4:30 pm performance. Danielle Brown reads from her ethnographic memoir, “East of Flatbush, North of Love.” Brown holds a PhD in music from NYU. She founded My People Tell Stories to forward opportunities from people of color to create and interpret their own stories. 1 pm. “How They Got Over.” Director Robert Clem and co-producer/narrator Jerry Zolten will join the discussion for their documentary that looks at the “Golden age of gospel music” and how it influenced (if not determined) rock ‘n’ roll. 6 pm.
April 7 - Saturday
Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod. Basically impossible not to smile for this honky-tonk duo. 2 pm. Family Square Dancing with Louisville-natives Johanna Sims and Alex Udis. 4 pm.
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An Introduction to the Global Jukebox by The Association for Cultural Equity. 6 pm
April 8 -Sunday
Vincent Cross leads a traditional songwriting workshop at 2 pm. Michael Daves & Chris “Critter” Eldridge. 8:30 pm Pokey Lafarge. 9:15 pm Brooklyn Folk Festival Day passes range from $25-$40 with three day GA tickets at $85. Children under 5 enter for free, and it’s half priced for kiddos between 6 and 12. St. Ann’s Church located at 157 Montague St. between Clinton and Henry in Brooklyn Heights.
The Star-Revue is looking for freelance writers with a background in the arts. email george@ redhookstar.com
April 2018, Page 11
get there. Once in the heart of it, you feel a different time, much more quiet than most people would think, and with fresh air coming the closer you get to the waterfront. It’s also about the various architectural typologies that you can find. The landscape is very interesting. (S.R) Can you give us an example of the buildings that will appear in your series ?
Canadians study Red Hook
C
anadian visual artist duo Gagnon-Forest spent the last 2 months in Red Hook doing an art residency in collaboration with De Construkt Project. Mathieu Gagnon and Mathilde Forest were researching and gathering stories in order to create a body of work based on Red Hook architecture and heritage in the midst of social and economic changes. The Star Revue interviewed the artists at the end of their stay. (Star-Revue) Can you tell us more about your project in Red Hook ? (Mathieu Gagnon) The project is titled “Red Hook: Wards of Imaginaries” and aims to explore the neighborhood existing architecture in areas facing fast coming changes. It’s a visual art project featuring the use of photography, 3d scans—and drawings. It is as well an opportunity to document some architectural ensembles that may change or even disappear from the public space—in the context of intense real estate pressure that most of the neighborhoods are experiencing, especially the buildings located by the waterfront.
erosity of Red Hook people. In a short time, we were able to collect dozens of stories; It’s amazing because so many Red Hookers took time and the energy to share their vision of the neighborhood, they invited to their houses, in their workspaces or they stop by to talk on the street. Also, the help that we receive from De Construckt director, Laura Arena, has also been incredibly valuable. (SR) As visual artists, what is specifically interesting in Red Hook according to you ? (M.F) Some areas of Red Hook architecture totally work as a whole while there are also some interesting contrasts. For Brooklyn, it’s impressive to find such a diverse mixture of low rise architectural types where industrial uses are next to housings. Maybe it’s little known but there are very beautiful residential and recreational areas in the neighborhood. (M.G) When you look at Red Hook’s map, it’s striking how it was somewhat cut-off. The fact that it is less directly accessible by a subway station sure contributes to this feeling when you
(M.F) It wasn’t easy to pinpoint a shortlist of them because they are quite concentrated.We found an interesting red brick and wood house on Coffey Street. It was vacant for several months. Last week, demolition began, so we had the opportunity to document it before, and during, this key moment that usually means upcoming changes to the landscape. At the corner of Otsego and Sigourney, another building caught our attention, it’s an industrial brick construction with three small chimneys. This one mixes a curved arch portal and straight shapes and has stones masonry foundations. The cluster of several old buildings next to Coffey Park along Delavan and Verona streets is noteworthy. We will also depict the big ‘’R’’ building, a landmark of Red Hook that is next to this interesting corner at 80 Richards. There will be more buildings of this type, those are also heritage buildings that are less known than the typical ones, with the 19th-century arched doorway warehouses on the waterfront. People from Montreal will feel familiar with the enormous 1922 grain elevator at Henry Street Basin when they will see it. (SR) What are the links between your previous projects and this project in Red Hook ? What made you choose this neighborhood? (M.G) Most of our projects are multidisciplinary and incorporate community ideas and narratives about their
“It’s impressive to find such a diverse mixture of low-rise architectural types where industrial uses are next to housings. “ surroundings. We try to find overlooked heritage buildings as a starting point to continue a broader reflection about architecture. One of our last projects was in Japan. We were particularly interested in the phenomenon of devitalization that this country is currently going through. As a result, many historic houses are abandoned in the countryside. By doing art projects, we try to convey this reflection through images, it’s about picturing changes and impressions. We chose Red Hook because of its architecture and that the changes affecting some other parts of Brooklyn have not yet been seen to that scale in Red Hook. Many seem to feel it was kind of protected because it has been isolated, while the real-estate pressure is real. (SR) What is the next step for the project? (M.F) This project will be part of our next exhibition in Canada and we want to come back to Red Hook as soon as possible to exhibit the work too. The artworks are still in production so people can always contact us through our website, to give us their ideas for buildings that should be preserved and documented—or just to share their stories. For more about this project visit http:// www.gagnon-forest.com // http://projekts.de-construkt.com/
(Mathilde Forest) We started by researching Red Hook architectural heritage. We wanted to represent some of the notable buildings and also sites called “in danger,” those that are being transformed or risk of disappearing because of the changes to the city. We wanted to hear local people’s opinions about which are important to them and if there were any unusual buildings we should research. They could be of any types, official or unofficial historical buildings, apartment projects, former naval buildings or giant warehouses so typical to Red Hook. Visual archive research is also a key in our process. To give you some examples, our search for archives bring us back to the early years of Dutch settlement, in the glory years the shipping wards, and the construction of the BQE by Robert Moses in the early 1940s. We have used archives material in some of our previous projects. We were struck by the amazing gen-
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Under the Gowanus Expressway
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April 2018
raphers in various stages of their careers aged 18 to 35. The 20 artists here are from around the world and chosen from nearly 1,800 submissions, and the result is some of the most thoughtful explorations in contemporary photography. While MoMA’s artist bend toward the philosophical, the Foam Talent artists gives a real-time reaction to political events around the world, as well as anxiety over pussy-grabbing regimes.
AT RED HOOK LABS
Foam, a popular museum of photography in Amsterdam, also puts out an in-depth, theme-based photography magazine three times a year. Red Hook Labs makes great use of their open yet focused space to host works from Foam’s latest “Talent” issue through April 8. Like MoMA’s spectacular exhibit, Being: New Photography 2018 on new photography (running through August 19), this exhibit gathers photog-
In content, they explore the world behind surfaces, seen clearly in Weronika Gsicka’s mesmerizing “Traces.” The homey scenes with the Rockwell composition are attacked with a sugary, wicked wand. Many of the works challenged understanding of structure through the form itself. NYC-based Mark Dorf’s “Transposition” questions the seemingly pure forms of New York’s landscapes, including the Bronx and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Thomas Kuijupers of the Netherlands questioned paranoia around terrorism; beneath a glass square with overly large nails he collages newspapers and photos of ordinary objects taken with an anxious eye. One of the most beautiful and mysterious pieces were from the Frenchborn Vasantha Yogananthan. In “A Myth of Two Souls,” Yogananthan accumulated five years worth of photos from around Nepal and India. Inspired by journeys in the Ramayana, which he first learned about through comic books as a child, Yogananthan
Alix Marie holding her first published book
commissioned the painter Kaykumar Shankar to hand-print some of the black-and-white prints, thus recreating how photos were painted before the advent of color film. Some of the photos are staged, some candid.The eye follows the dreamy landscape but bumps into jarring or bright colors unexpectedly. Kai Oh gives a fascinating glimpse of Korean culture mix of nature and devotion to pop culture. Other photographers explore the world behind surfaces. Alix Marie blends sculpture and photography, draping prints of body parts of clothing racks to explore the eerie craquelure possible in photography. At the opening March 22, Marie said she was most interested in intimacy. She superimposes a cow leg over a beef tongue, covering the former in wax to “give that cracked marble feel.” The zoom into the bristles of a cow tongue look at the creeper side of intimacy, the volatile yet human parts of human intimacy that aren’t often examined.
The epicenter is bridge that, as Errichiello said “it represents the missed promise made to this region, this promise of change. This highway, the readline, was built to connect the poor region to rest of the country. But that didn’t happen. This photo was the moment they gave up on that possibility and demolished the bridge. For us, this progress vanished at this point.” “Foam Talent” premiered in Amsterdam at Foam, and after New York, will travel to London and Frankfurt. Red Hook Labs, 133 Imlay St Foam Talent now through April 8
Having met in journalism school in Denmark five years ago, Italians Martin Errichiello & Filippo Menichetti put their training to good use to examine Cambria’s efforts (often failed) to connect to the economically prosperous north. “In Fourth Person” makes sense of
Alix Marie.(above), from Viacheslav Poliakov (right)
Red Hook Star-Revue
this struggle through curated posters, recorded and original interviews from the 1960s to today. After a 2015 residency in Cambria, the two conducted deep visual research to come up with a “collective manifesto” of the area’s relationship to the rest of Italy.
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April 2018, Page 13
from watching the ingredients go together along the years.”
MUSIC
The club’s set history includes a mix of local up-and-comers and internationally known acts. Notable past performers include Dubfire, an Iranian-American house DJ, as well as Grammy award-winning DJ David Morales. The international tour for Egg London, a trendy warehouse club in North London, stopped at Analog BKNY in January. “That put us on the map for 2018,” said Gilda Oliveira, who runs booking and social media for the club. “Since then we started getting more buzz.”
SOUND IS SUBSTANCE AT GOWANUS NIGHTCLUB
by Max Zahn ichael Bruno and Craig Bernabeu, the co-owners of a nightclub in Gowanus called Analog BKNY, met as teenage grunts decades ago at a music shop in Manhattan. By day, they shrink-wrapped and shelved records; by night, they held hours-long listening sessions. “We were like family,” Bruno said. “It was more fun to be there than at home.”
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Then life intervened. Bruno began working security at nightclubs, and Bernabeu sought a career in sound design. After a chance meeting at a club eight years ago, Bruno and Bernabeu hatched the plan to found Analog BKNY. “It’s freedom like we had back in the day,” Bernabeu said. “It’s like a house party.” Analog BKNY, which opened in 2016, features mostly trance and house music. The club hosts performers and parties just about every weekend, but
visitors should expect few frills. Solid black walls enclose a spare warehouse interior, punctuated with silver balls and multicolored lights. The aesthetic embodies the underdog mentality of the burgeoning nightlife scene in central Brooklyn, which lacks the chic visibility of neighborhoods like Bushwick and Williamsburg. In contrast with carefully decorated clubs in North Brooklyn, Bruno said, Analog BKNY emphasizes one thing above all else: the sound. “Everybody forgot about the sound,” Bruno said. “We’re here to bring it back.” The club owes its sound design to Bernabeu, who also runs a custom speaker company called SBS Slammer. A tall speaker stands in each corner of the club, and wood girders line the ceiling above the dance floor. Except for a few digital mixers, the sound system is entirely analog, giving the club its name. “My background is in this layout of the black box with the great sound system,” Bernabeu said. “It’s like someone brought up on home style tomato sauce. You know what it’s supposed to taste like so you know how to make it
The club draws audience members from across New York City, and occasionally beyond. When a Canadian couple reached out to the club last fall about getting tickets for a sold-out show, Bruno called them to say he would put their names on the guest list. “They came early and I gave them a mini-tour,’” Bruno said. Meanwhile, the local audience has begun to grow. Bruno and Bernabeu acknowledged how gentrification has brought young, white residents to Gowanus and Red Hook in recent years. But Bruno said preserving the diversity of the club’s audience is important to them. “This is a place for everybody,” Bruno said. “We’ve had a very good mixture here.” The average ticket goes for between $20 and $30, and many of the shows require guests to be 21 years of age or older. Bruno said the club occasionally holds discounted private events for members of the local neighborhood. “Some people have financial challenges but want to do something nice for their kids,” he said. Last August, the club hosted a birthday party for two teenage brothers who live three blocks away, Bruno said. “They were about to start school again, and had about 200 friends in the club,” he said. “It was a real nice
“Notable past performers include Dubfire, an IranianAmerican house DJ, as well as Grammy award-winning DJ David Morales.” memory for them.” On April 20, the club will put on a free party in celebration of what many consider national marijuana day. “You can’t smoke here but you can dance,” Bruno said. Later in the month, house DJ duo Gabrielle and Dresden will perform music off their new album, “The Only Road,” which ended an 11-year studio hiatus. Tickets range from $20 to $35. The show starts at 10 pm. Looking further ahead, Bernabeu said he and Bruno constantly look for ways to improve the thing they hold dearest—that’s right, the sound. It’s the obsession that brought them together at the record store years ago. “Most owners will leave the sound alone, thinking if the guests aren’t complaining, we won’t complain,”
Michael Bruno and Craig Bernabeu
Bernabeu said. “We’re music heads. We’re always pushing, pushing.”
Rising star lands in Boerum Hill club by Matt Caprioli Grand credits her friend, singer Gana- showcases “Magdalena,” her debut vya Doraiswamy, (who will accompa- album from Biophilia Records, which ny Grand May 1) for finding the 1972 will officially be released on May 11. piece titled “Combines,” where Lapz- Grand will be joined by her quartet, eson and Celeste Dandeke perform DiaTribe, comprised of David Bryant the same movements in a split screen. (keyboards); Rashaan Carter (electric This was a year before the dancing ac- bass) and Jeremy Dutton (drums). cident that left Dandeke paralyzed. Multi cultural With Lapzeson losing her body’s Like María, Lapzeson grew up in Switelasticity and Daneke confined to a zerland with Argentine heritage. They wheelchair, Grand considered how both moved to New York before they she could honor their travails into were college age, where Lapzeson music and express the passage of time danced with Martha Graham for a dein their bodies through music. cade.
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he preternaturally talented saxophonist María Grand will be launching her debut album at Roulette in Boerum Hill on May 1st, as well as performing a powerful composition in honor of her former dance mentor, Noemí Lapzeson, who passed in January of this year.
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“What happens for a dancer when their bodies stop responding as well? It was really sad for [Lapzeson]. She hated it. So I wanted to see how I can portray the evolution of her dancing in music. How over the course of her life she refined her movements to their very essence, to the smallest vibration necessary to create motion.” Grand received a 2018 Roulette Jerome Foundation Commission at Roulette to produce this first act. The second half of the performance
Grand says that her background and neighborhood ensured a hodgepodge of musical influences, with Latin music impacting her thoughts on melody and certain harmonic movements. Grand moved to NYC because of a fascination with “creative music based on the African-American continuum.” She continued: “Those were all the records I had at home. And I realized I couldn’t learn it over (in Switzerland) because you don’t just learn music you learn culture. You have to under-
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stand culture to understand music.” She had run-ins with pillars of the jazz community, including Von Freeman when she played in a tribute show for him. “I was probably 18 at the time of the show. I studied his music a lot. He’s probably the person I transcribed the most. When I finally got to meet him I was really starstruck.” Grand was still improving her English, so when they met, most of their talk about music occurred through napkins. “He grabbed a napkin and started writing all the this stuff about symmetry on the napkin. I was blown away.” Since then, she’s appeared on albums for Steve Coleman and been praised by Vijay Iyer, who called her “a fantastic young saxophonist, virtuosic, conceptually daring, with a lush tone, a powerful vision, and a deepening emotional resonance.” Maria Grand, Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, May 1
April 2018
also about power. Remember I said these competing stories are between a prince and a concubine.”
THEATER
Naturally, Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels come to mind. Target Margin also wanted to deep the public’s understanding of the work. “The 1,001 Nights is something that everybody knows and that nobody really knows,” Herskovits said. With most editions of 1,001 Nights nearing 1,000 pages, the two freely admitted to not reading the entire work. Herskovits selected stories that made the most use of frames within frames. A prince and concubine have sex but dispute what happened. “Then a series of stories ensue as people argue over the merits of the sexes.”
Renowned theater company moves to Sunset Park by Matt Caprioli
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ourneying to Obie-award winning Target Margin’s new location in Sunset Park, you’ll pass the warehouse fronts of TeleGo, oZ Steel Inc., and Seoul Shopping Bag. WIth bodegas and chainlink fences aplenty, it’s an unusual place for a theater that last performed (to critical acclaim) the six hour Eugene O’Neil play “Mourning Becomes Electra” in SoHo. And unlike any offbroadway group in Manhattan, Target Margin will require you to walk under two highways.
in memory of Herskovits’s long-term collaborator Lenore Doxsee.
Pay No Attention to the Girl
From March 29 - April 21, Target Margin will perform their inaugural play
For its first month operating a featured play, Target Margin hopes to keep things small, with audience of 50 or less. With everything handmade, they hope to keep the experience intimate. “When you come into the audience there’s the feeling that we’re all people in a room together, rather than we’re sitting here and watching some other thing,” Herskovits said.
They have renters doing their own private work, artist-in-residence with 100 hours of space and time to showcase work in progress. The four annual fellowships help playwrights proceed with whatever they’re currently creating; sometimes the work pops up in the next season. Target Margin has existed in various guises for the past 25 years, but this is its first permanent workshop and performance space. Since its November inauguration of the 3,200 square foot space, Target Margin offers four seasonal residencies and five annual fellowships. Along with two large rehearsal studios, the space is perfect to create by doing. “My way of thinking through things is just to do it,” Herskovits said. “So here I can take a room and say let’s just meet and read a bunch of material, or get some actors together and just do something.” The space is called the Doxsee, named
Red Hook Star-Revue
He’s especially interested how these stories moved across time. “(Simbad Tales) are a way to meditate on identity now and across time. How have these moved across the Asian continent and how we inherited can, for me, connect directly to colonialism, British Imperialism, and partition.” In the past 25 years, they’ve established a loyal audience. Herskovits admits that some of those people will face a challenge getting to Sunset Park. While some have wondered if audiences will travel to Sunset Park, Herskovits is more concerned with building an audience within Sunset Park. “The important question for me is not will people come to Sunset Park. The important new question is how can we get to the people in Sunset Park. There are a lot of super interesting people here. I want that audience.” While “Pay No Attention to the Girl” was featured as a mustsee show in The New York Times, there was some question if audiences would trek it out to Sunset Park. Herskovits isn’t too concerned. “Even if we have bumps along the way, I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Even if we don’t get it right every single time.” Yousuf isn’t too concerned either: “The work also appeals to people who are artistically adventurous. I think the location appeals to those people in exactly the same way.”
“The threshold experience for most people coming here is walking under the highway,”said David Herskovits, Founding Artistic Director of Target Margin. “That’s a particular, physical experience that puts you in a different place. But that’s what’s theater is all about.” While the location is unique, the multi-function of the space is also a welcomed peculiarity. As Moe Yousuf, Associate Artistic Director said, it’s the rare theater in Sunset Park that is also a resource for future work: “There are other arts organizations here, but it seems that Target Margin can offer something that’s not being offered right now.”
and rebuilding the classic Sindbad tales. Half-Pakistani, Yousuf said the work was a powerful way to explore his heritage. He also pointed out that Muslim and middle-eastern cultures are “intersecting with what’s happening in this country. We hope this can open up a conversation that’s bigger than the actual show.”
Target Margin Theater, 232 52nd St, Holiday Card | Nov 2017 Lu Liu, Moe Yousuf, David Herskovits Photo: Kelly Lamanna Brooklyn, NY 11220 “Pay No Attention to the Girl” runs for the new space, Pay No Attention Later, Sindbad Lab (May 31 – June 24) April 2, 4–7, 11–14, 18–21 at 7:30 pm. To The Girl. Inspired by “One Thou- a performance festival dismantling sand and One Nights,” the title comes from one of the King’s advisors, who to a female protest suggests he, “Pay no attention to the girl.” The ancient pundit then goes on into how terrible women are. As Herskovits said, the masterpiece, “Is an interlocking set of tales about the deceptions of the sexes, tales within tales, that lead us deep into the labyrinth of The Thousand and One Nights. Who should we pay attention to?” The structure of these competing narratives is rather relevant today. “There’s a very complicated set of competing narratives going on. And dramatizing that and opening up the question of stories within stories and who’s telling the story and of course these questions about sex. They’re
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David Herskovits at the new space. (photo by Kelly Lamanna)
April 2018, Page 15
The
Blue Pencil Lunar Revue A spoof publication of the Red Hook Star-Revue, no information below is meant to be true or offensive.
One Day at the Senior Center
After being without their own building for a number of years, the Red Hook Senior Center finally re-opened in February. It is so nice that we are noticing a lot of new Red Hookers showing up for the great $1.25 lunches, billiards, and bingo. Some seem even be taking aging pills to get in. See if you can spot some familiar, yet different faces that we photographed last week when we stopped by for our $1.25 lunch. Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue
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