Your Ideal Week: March 5 – March 11

By and

"Flight," a precarious shot by Raheim Simon, aka @black_soap, who is part of Sugarlift's group show of street photographers opening Friday night.

“Flight,” a precarious shot by Raheim Simon, aka @black_soap, who is part of Sugarlift’s group show of street photographers opening Friday night.

The grandaddy of art fairs, the Armory Show, is in town, and dozens of other art parties, fairs and exhibitions are coinciding with it. Some events, like DUMBO’s First Thursday gallery walk, where artist Alan Winslow will be creating portraits of 24 strangers in 24 hours at Rabbithole, fit right in with this art-themed week.

Pioneer Works is also hosting its regular Second Sunday series this weekend, with artist talks and live music that you can stream starting at 7:30 if you can’t make it to Red Hook. Just remember that the 8th is Daylight Savings, when we lose an hour to gain more sunlight, and create the impression that winter is finally over. At this point, we’ll do anything to lose the snow too—but it seems like it will disappear by next week. Hallelujah!

Here’s what to do this weekend, and how to spend all those extra hours of daylight.

Thursday, March 5: For those who love appreciating the arts on a tight budget, there is the Sticky Series, which returns to Beauty Bar this Thursday, March 5 at 7:30pm. Drop by and enjoy a series of 10-minute bar plays penned by locally grown playwrights whose works have been staged at theater festivals throughout the U.S. and internationally, including Libby Emmons, winner of the 2014 Most Offensive award at the Festival of the Offensive, all of which are performed by actors of Obie-winning productions and veterans of the Metropolitan Opera like Stephanie Shipp. Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door.–N.R.

Friday, March 6: The 12 photographers that Sugarlift gallery has grouped together for its new “Empire State” show are all part of what Sugarlift identifies as a new movement in street art, where the can of spray paint is replaced by the camera, and the artists capture the city from exhilarating and unusual vantage points, like rooftops and abandoned spaces, even the empty galleries of museums, as participating photographer Dave Krugman does in his popular “Empty Met” series. The online gallery is throwing an opening night party on Friday, which will include a panel on street photography and selected works from the exhibit at the Livestream building (formerly home to 3rd Ward) where food and drinks, including an open bar from 7-8, will be served from the on-site restaurant, Fitzcarraldo. Tickets are $10.–N.D.

Saturday, March 7: If the weather reports are to be trusted, this Saturday should be less miserable usual. So, we’re encouraging everyone to leave their apartments and head to the Brooklyn Museum for its Target First Saturdays program. Designed around the theme of “Woman Changemakers,” this month, visitors are invited to enjoy a litany of wonderful activities, including a dance-worthy performance by Alissia and the Funketeers, a free screening of a documentary on Native American activist LaDonna Harris, a discussion with Rookie Mag founder Tavi Gevinson, and a live mixtape workshop among other fun things. Admission is totally free and while visiting be sure to see the Kehinde Wiley retrospective, which features his new series of portraits of women, and drop by the Great Hall to participate in the Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon to create comprehensive wiki entries about women featured within and without the Brooklyn Museum’s collection. Learn more here.–N.R.

Kao Soy, the namesake dish of the Red Hook Thai spot everyone loves. Photo: Brendan Spiegel

Kao Soy, the namesake dish of the Red Hook Thai spot everyone loves. Photo: Brendan Spiegel


Sunday, March 8: It’s daylight savings today, and to make up for lost time, you should plan an adventurous outing today. Maybe it’s just to finally check out Kao Soy in Red Hook, which both The New York Times and New York Magazine paid a delicious visit last month (after we raved about it back in November). Now that the Chinese New Year celebrations have passed you could also pick one of the tempting spots on our round up of fantastic Chinese restaurants in Brooklyn to visit—like Grand Sichuan House in Fort Hamilton/Bay Ridge, or Mister Hotpot in Sunset Park—or you can go all in, and leave the borough for a field trip to Edison and Iselin, NJ, home to one of the largest Indian communities in the U.S., and many restaurants that we recommend, from Moghul for its fabulous weekend buffet, to Jhupdi, where you can sit at a low wooden table to dine on thalis.–N.D. 

Monday, March 9: The Franklin Park Reading Series—an event we often feature because it attracts writers we dig—is celebrating its sixth anniversary with six talented authors on Monday starting at 8pm. Lev Grossman, who we profiled last year, will be reading from his Magicians Trilogy, and Sarah Gerard from Binary Star, a debut novel that we thoroughly enjoyed. They’re joined by James Hannaham (Delicious Foods), Matt Sumell (Making Nice), Jim Ruland (Forest of Fortune) and Michele Filgate (Salon, The Rumpus). Arrive early for a seat and a $4 beer.–N.D. 

Tuesday, March 10: Long considered one of the forefathers of the modern documentary, Ken Burns has covered everything from the Civil War to the Jazz Age to The Central Park Five and he shows signs of slowing down. Head to the Brooklyn Historical Society this Tuesday at 6:30pm to see Mr. Burns in conversation with New York Times columnist Randy Kennedy. The evening will serve as both a great chance to hear from the legendary, award-winning director, and a special fundraiser to support the BHS in its ongoing mission to preserve the history of the borough. Tickets are $80 for members of the BHS and the Green-Wood Cemetery and $100 for general admission and can be purchased here.–N.R.

Photo: Beerded Ladies

Photo: Beerded Ladies

Wednesday, March 11: Before you cross off Beer Geek Trivia as too beer nerdy for you, consider that not all the questions are about beer, and the ones that are will only teach you more about the $4 pints you’ll be drinking. Here’s a super nerdy, sample question, that you may actually be able to answer on Wednesday night, when the Beerded Ladies host the next installment of this bar game at Glorietta Baldy: “Brooklyn’s Sorachi Ace Saison is named after the hop variety that give it its signature lemony, buttery bite. Where did this hop originate?” The answer is Japan, and while there’s no leeway on these kinds of questions, everyone will be able to answer the “”Hipster Trifecta.” In one recent round, participants had to determine whether Silk Road, Woodwork, and Pine Box Rock Shop was either a Brooklyn bike shop, a Brooklyn beer bar or a beard style. Easy, and fun, right? Give it a shot—there’s lots of sudsy swag for the champions.–N.D.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)