Havana Harbor 2004 in a show!
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

One of the things I have been working on lately is a staff exhibition at my work. It opened (to other staff members and their friends and families) at the end of May. Looking at my co-workers artwork made me realize how long it has been since I have made anything significant artwise. I’ve been busy working with other people’s work through POV, my current job and riffrag. This is fun and satisfying, as I love finding platforms for people to share what they do and make and how art plays a community building (hence why I worked on the staff show), but I also want to make things again. It was really inspiring to see the work that my co-workers make. Some of them identify as artists and others do not, but clearly everyone who works around art so often has some kind of personal connection to it. You can see the full installation shots and individual pieces on my work’s flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooklyn_museum.

Don’t Ruin Coney Island!
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

This sign was taped to plywood encircling the now empty lot where the go karts used to be. Thor Equities has purchased Astroland and plans to “make it nice,” but no one really knows what their plans are. Rumors are circulating- will the wonder wheel stay or not? What about the cyclone? What is considered a landmark? This whole looming tragedy of the disneyfication of Coney Island reminds me of a recent argument I overheard between my co-workers concerning the Ratner arena project in Downtown and Prospect Heights Brooklyn. One was insisting that he supported the project because “the city has to expand.” The other was patiently explaining that “expansion” and “development” does not mean destroying peoples homes for stadiums and parking lots and building luxury housing and no schools. Or, in the case of Coney Island, destroying what makes Brooklyn Brooklyn to turn it into a theme park version of itself.

Swoon Painted Over
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

On Dean street right by Freddy’s I found this “installation” of Swoon’s pieces (sadly painted over, by a rival artist? Someone who wants to ‘clean up’ graffiti and street art?) and “Celebrate Peoples History” Posters. I thought the blue wall offset the wheatpasted prints really nicely. Seeing these pieces, despite the ghostly white paint, brought me back to 11 Spring, which also featured the character on the right.

Peter Teaberry and KW
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Peter Teaberry uses bold colors to capture characters in conventional (nude on a chair) and unconventional (family and human sized duck in hot tub) settings. There’s a lot of humur in his work, as well as careful application of paint and attention to detail (without making detailed paintings, if that makes sense). I think Peter’s approach is also captured in the fact that he made up titles for the work after he hung the show. Registrar by day, glamorous artist by night KW is shown here writing those titles on labels as he thought of them. His work is currently on view at Freddy’s Backroom (in the backroom), with it’s nice lighting, pressed tin ceiling, cheap drinks, and always interesting art and bands, it’s the perfect place to hang out after work. Have I mentioned that Peter’s last name is my favorite?

Painting by Peter Teaberry
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

This photo came out a little blurry, but this is my favorite painting of Peter’s, which are currently on view at Freddy’s Backroom in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. I bet this guy would tell amazing stories about living on a farm in the west and how he had to walk up hill both ways going to school when he was a kid. I think that Peter captured a certain kind of character very honestly in this painting.