Dear Friends
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The Palestinian show’s opening was so packed on the 1st & 2nd floors that people could not enter the building. The events all throughout the show with Arabian & Palestinian dance, music, Henna art demonstration, slide presentations and panel discussions and tastes of this country’s food and drinks, combined the serious with the exciting and delightful. We are pleased to know that as a result of our initiative, the show will travel to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.
Reflecting on last year’s tragedy of 9/11, we had several shows, beginning with “Peace & Harmony” a prayer from Tokyo with 9 artists in June. And in September various shows, including “Unity Canvas,” curated by Nilda Mesa, a growing "quilt" of work, with art by over 300 artists from all over the world, also another group show,“World Peace,” plus “Time Capsules” curated by Zipporah Lax, a growing collection of jars containing memories of the 9/11 event, and “9.11.02 Town Hall Wall” curated by Phyllis Yampolsky, which gave people the opportunity to write their response to the tragedy in another growing body of work, and finally “Photos by Randi Barros,” scenes from Williamsburg on 9/12/01.
Also in September we were delighted to host a reception for His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, with a presentation of Danish artists and performers living in New York.
Another highlight of the year was the December show “Just a Couple of Blocks” with 14 Brooklyn Quilters and fiber artists curated by Kirsten Fisher and Bonnie Frank. The colorful and superb art works hanging on the walls and precious miniature art works on pedestals were quite appropriate to celebrate the holiday season. Additionally, we displayed part of a fascinating collection of over 400 responses to the question “What is Art?,” curated by Roswitha Steinkopf, which will be published. Again, the reception was packed with cheerful and joyous people.
Also in December we were asked to curate a show at Borough Hall by Borough President Marty Markowitz, mainly with local Brooklyn artists, celebrating “Art of the Season.”
In this 6th year we focused on having outside curators in order to bring fresh and unique points of view to our shows. We want to thank James Pinney who has been producing our annual “Art & Ability” shows over the past four years. He has expanded his projects to include three more exhibitions including “Perspectives” a show by gay & lesbian artists, “Object/No Object” and “Local Talents.” We also invited Pratt Institute to hold their MFA Thesis show at the Center in May 2002. And we will do it again next year. Thus, we can appreciate young artists who are heading into the art world after their masters degrees.
In the music program, we had ongoing experimental, jazz, classical, rock and computer music with local talents. Besides that, we had the unusual Gamelan Son of Lion with ten Instrumentalists who brought Javenese traditional instruments and a shadow puppet play. In theater, Peter Dizozza, who has worked with us a number of years as out theater director, produced his new musical plays “The 11th Hour” and “Golf Wars” as well as a revival of “Prepare to Meet Your Maker.” In dance, we held our 4th Annual Dance Festival of over 20 local dancers & choreographers and added an International Dance Festival. We rounded out the season with multimedia performances of Murex Eumenides, ethic performances of Indian dance and Akim of Funk Buddha. We also examined the avante garde of digital/video computer art, occupying the entire 3rd floor in a show called “Parallel Worlds of Sensation” curated by Sung Soo Kim. And we continued our poetry series, lectures, and video and film presentations.
It was a very colorful year indeed. Overall we have launched nearly 114 major art exhibits since we opened six years ago. This year we have had 34 art exhibits incorporating over 600 artists, a tremendous production. Looking back at this year as well as previous years, we feel that we have served our community well.
This year we were given a major grant from the Independence Community Foundation for audience development and community outreach. With it we hired a part time assistant, Ari Tabei, who has been working diligently on expanding our mailing lists and putting our records of artists and galleries in order to keep them updated on opportunities at the Center. And with that money we are also building a new office, so that we can efficiently develop our programming.
To continue to grow and promote the
finest and worthiest new artistic talent and offer the community
a place to learn about and enjoy the arts, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. Any amount would be greatly appreciated, and you will be able
to say that you supported the Center in it’s efforts in the
emerging art capital of the world, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New
York.
Thank You!
Some of the many programs you can look forward to in the year
2003
Williamsburg Bridges Vietnam in March
Williamsburg Bridges Ireland in June
5th Annual Williamsburg Dance Festival
2nd Annual International Dance Festival
The Mermaid Show in July
Brave Destiny - world’s largest show of living surrealist/visionary
artists in September
Several shows of local fine artists, plus a music series,
fashion shows, poetry, theater and much, much more!
All programs, thanks in part to a grants from:
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
The NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs
Brooklyn Arts Council
The Independence Community Foundation
Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburg
Signature Bank
Verizon
Con Edison
Materials for the Arts
and the many kind benefactors too numerous to name.
And we want to thank the artists, individual donors, local
business people, volunteers and the general public.