Bushwick: It's past, present and future.
(image via Hyperallergic.com)
Norte Maar has been a proud member and facilitator, uniting artists and defining the creative neighborhood of Bushwick. Last Thursday The Bogart Salon hosted the first of what was announced to be a series of panels discussing the Bushwick art scene. Hosted by Peter Hopkins of Bogart Salon and moderated by Hrag Vartanian of Hyperallergic, guests panelists include Deborah Brown, artist and owner of StorefrontBushwick gallery, Thomas Burr Dodd, owner of Brooklyn Fireproof, culture writer Carolina A. Miranda of C-Monster fame and Marco Antonini, the gallery director of Nurture Art.L Magazine in reporting on the panel quoted Norte Maar Director Jason Andrew:
How, then, to preserve this community in the midst of such rapid and widespread change? "If you want a cautionary tale," [William] Powhida said, "Pierogi (in Williamsburg) is a place that has stayed true; it wasn't washed away in the tide of money." Jason Andrew, who runs the arts organization and gallery Norte Maar in his apartment, concurred with this sentiment about staying true to a scene's origins. He warned: "The one thing that kills Bushwick is organization [...] What keeps Bushwick interesting is the spontaneity."
Art critic James Panero of The New Criterion commented from the audience that he hoped to see the continuation and preservation of the apartment gallery community. Speaking of apartment galleries, Paul D'Agostino of Centotto had the most poignant comment of the evening stating, "I've heard it said that 'history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes,' and I think that's relevant here."As the neighborhood continues to change, Norte Maar will continue to do what it does for as long as it can with spontaneity and collaboration at it's heart!For additional reports on the panel follow the links below:L Magazine / "Bushwick Confronts Itself in Panel on Art Scene's Future," by Benjamin SuttonHyperallergic / "Reports from Last Night's Bushwick Panel," by Hrag Vartanianartnet.com / "Bigfoot in Bushwick," by Rachel Corbettbushwickdaily.com / "Confronting Bushwick 2.0," by Katarina HybenovaLeft Bank Art Blog / "Panel on the Bushwick Art Scene," by Charles Kessler
