Joyce Kozloff’s nine-foot diameter, walk-in globe painted with aerial maps of sites involved in U.S. military warfare, on view at BRIC as part of the “Mapping Brooklyn” exhibit. Photo: Joyce Kozloff
Sunday gave us a glimpse into the future—a decent day, where you could go out and not freeze your face off. So while it may still feel like the only thing worth exposing yourself to is a cozy couch and a good book–like the seven we reviewed last week–it’s about to get warm enough to venture out again. A perfect segue from curling up with a page-turner is eating out with your favorite authors and cooks. This is the first time in recent memory that the entire Eat, Drink and Be Literary season has not yet sold out—so it’s best to snatch up tickets now to the upcoming readings and dinners at BAM with Tiphanie Yanique, Michael Cunningham, Chris Ware, and Lydia Davis. Greenlight has also announced its own slate of author dinners—they’ve got a new series called Book Cooks at Berg’n featuring readings and appetizers with the Sussman Brothers (whose collective resumes includes stints at Mile End, Roberta’s and The Cleaveland) along with April Bloomfield, plus two new Book/Plate multi-course dinners at Peck’s, where owner Theo Peck is now serving Hamantashen, those traditional Jewish, fruit-filled cookies in anticipation of Purim. He’s calling it Hamantashen Time. We’re calling it a sign that spring is so close you can touch it.
Here are some other treats for you this week, from an LIC bar crawl to an exhibit that explores the borough’s nooks and crannies, whose opening reception is tonight.
Thursday, Feb. 26: The advent of GPS hasn’t affected our awe for maps. If anything, the technology on screen has just enhanced our appreciation for physical depictions of our place in the world, and a new, joint exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society and BRIC will allow us all to explore the art of cartography. Called “Mapping Brooklyn,” it brings together nearly 20 artists who will display their works alongside vintage maps at both locales. At BHS, for instance, you can see photographs from artist Daniel Bejar’s site-specific project Get Lost, in which he replaced signs and maps of the NYC subway system with the place names and geography of the city when the Lenape Indians still inhabited it. At BRIC, Jennifer Maravillas constructed a Brooklyn map of the paper litter she collected on epic walks through every block in the borough, and geographer and data visualization designer Sarah Williams created a digitized map of human emotions as tracked by Foursquare. (So this is what you can use it for!). The exhibit runs at BRIC through May 3, and Brooklyn Historical Society through Sept. 6.–N.D.
Friday, Feb. 27: Following in the steps of the Beatles, Brooklyn’s own Radical Dads are playing Shea Stadium! Okay, okay, not THAT Shea Stadium, where the Mets used to play. Shea Stadium is an all-ages DIY Bushwick venue that opened in 2009 shortly after the “original” was knocked down. They have since hosted many of the best unsigned/indie label bands in Brooklyn. Radical Dads easily make the top of that list, backed by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Robbie Guertin on drums and a twin guitar assault delivered by Lindsay Baker and Chris Diken. Tickets are $8/$10 day of show, but be sure to bring a few extra bucks to purchase their latest seven inch record… maybe even a cassette tape. While you’re in the neighborhood stop by the very awesome bar The Anchored Inn, which was one of the stops in Brooklyn Based’s Bushwick Immersion. Check out the crazy velvet paintings on the wall there and scarf down a basket of their amazing Carmen fries ($11 and worth every penny). You’ll thank us later.–A.J.
Saturday, Feb. 28: Brooklyn is now synonymous with good food, from Smorgasburg to artisans like the Mast Brothers. If you’re just breaking into the industry, want to invest in a food business, or consider yourself an activist, you can learn how to launch your food business or discuss strategies for food justice at the Food+Enterprise conference at Industry City. It begins on Friday, but Saturday’s session brings speakers from Etsy, Fleishers, and Chipotle alongside local food and drink evangelists like Jimmy Carbone of Jimmy’s 43 to talk about everything from financing local food and farm businesses to supporting communities through CSAs. Tickets are not cheap, but they’re well worth the connections you’ll make, the information you’ll glean and the good food you can expect to eat. Get them, and more information here.–N.D.
Sunday, Mar. 1: If you’re looking to check out New York City Beer Week (now through March 1) without breaking the bank, why not hop Newtown Creek this Sunday and head to Long Island City for an unforgettable brewery crawl. In case you missed it, the Queens neighborhood is home to three great brewers—Rockaway Brewing Co., Big Alice Brewing and the Brooklyn-born, Queens-bred Transmitter Brewery—and they’re all within a mile of one another. Along the way, you can pick up a “beer passport” at any of the breweries and get stamps from all three for a chance to win cool prizes.–N.R.
Monday, Mar. 2: February can be a hard time to go to the movies. Between Russell Madness, the story of a dog-chimp wrestling duo, and Hot Tub Time Machine 2, the story of a…hot tub time machine, options are limited. That’s why we’re super excited to head over to the Angelika and check out ‘71, a monkey-less British indie set in the heart of Northern Ireland. Jack O’Connell plays a British soldier accidentally abandoned by his troops after a riot in Belfast. Alone on the streets, he forms unlikely alliances with locals and struggles to stay alive in a hostile (and bodega-less!) city. The film was nominated nine times at the British Independent Film Awards and has a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (that’s good). Bust out your thermals and go check it out.–H.D.
Tuesday, Mar. 3: There may be no better way to heat up in this frigid weather than with music straight from the (slightly warmer) South. So, head to BRIC this Tuesday, March 3 to take in a show from one of Richmond, Virginia’s finest, Matthew E. White. The Southern troubadour—backed by singers, strings and horns in the BRIC House Ballroom—will debut his new album, Fresh Blood, which seamlessly blends soul, R&B and rock. Tickets are $18 in advance and $22 at the door. Doors open at 7:30pm.–N.R.
Photo: Brooklyn Tech Triangle
Wednesday, Mar. 4: Every day, Brooklyn’s branch of Silicon Alley grows as innovative companies like Kickstarter, Etsy and Makerbot heat up the local tech scene. If you’re looking to break in or just want to meet more local techies, check out the second annual Tech Triangle U, a conference designed for and by Brooklyn’s startup scene. Starting on March 4 and running through March 8, drop in on panels covering everything from gaming to healthcare, tour labs at places like Honeybee Robotics and the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and sharpen your coding skills at a four-day Mentorship Hackathon. Attendance is totally free, but be sure to register here. For more information, check out the Triangle Tech U site.–N.R.
Tips this week by Nicole Davis, Heather Dockray, Alexander Jordan, and Nikita Richardson.
