Hidden Brooklyn BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Have you discovered these hidden gems?
Brooklyn has plenty of attractions right in plain sight! But there are also
some hidden attractions off the beaten path that you may not know. We’ve
picked out three of Brooklyn’s hidden gems for you:
FIVEMYLES, CROWN HEIGHTS
FiveMyles, a Crown Heights gallery
known for hosting both established
and up-and-coming artists, celebrated
its 20th anniversary with a lavish display
of work from some of the best creators
to grace its walls over the years.
The gallery has two showrooms
— a main space, and the PlusRoom
— a small, former garage that was designed
as a locale for lesser-known artists,
but has become a favorite of those
seeking a more intimate setting.
After the 20th anniversary celebration
closed in May, FiveMyles is
currently featuring an exhibition of
moving sculptures made from re-purposed
street litter by artist George
Simonds.
Hanne Tierney, the gallery’s director,
said FiveMyles is able to feature
artists of limited fame like Simonds,
because its nonprofi t nature eliminates
18 ONE BROOKLYN | SUMMER 2019
the monetary incentive to focus
on big names.
“We’re not obliged to sell work, so
we have a lot of freedom,” she said.
The next exhibition on display,
“Provenance,” features the work of
Shervone Neckles, which includes new
prints manipulated through collage
and embroidery, and exploring “concepts
of past and present-day colonialism”,
as well as “notions of provenance
as it relates to origin, authorship, and
ownership.”
The exhibit originally opened June
1 and will once again be on display
from June 27 to June 30, and from July
4 to July 7.
“Provenance” at FiveMyles Gallery
558 St. Johns Place between Classon
and Franklin avenues in Crown
Heights, (718) 783-4438, www.fi vemyles.
org. Art on display June 27-30 and July
4-7, 1–6 p.m.
GETAWAY, GREENPOINT
Three sober people walk out of a
bar.
It’s no joke: a new booze-free bar is
serving fanciful craft cocktails from
its swanky Greenpoint locale, intoxicating
patrons with their sight, smell,
and fl avor — but not with alcohol. Getaway,
which opened in April 9, would
be indistinguishable from a classic
Brooklyn speakeasy if not for the
stone-cold sobriety of the bar’s clientele,
according to its co-founder.
“It was meant to feel like a craft
cocktail bar,” said Sam Thonis, who
also lives in Greenpoint. “It’s a very
social space, with music and delicious
drinks.”
Getaway’s growing menu currently
features nine non-alcoholic cocktails,
11 soda options, coffee, tea, and three
house-made shrubs, made from vinegar,
fruit syrups, and club soda.
Those ordering from Getaway’s
menu of zero proof beverages include
staunch non-drinkers, alongside curious
barfl ies giving their livers a night
to relax, said Thonis.
“I think it’s really both,” he said.
“A lot of people come because it’s new
and interesting, but on the other hand,
a lot of people have told us that they’re
sober, and they’ve been looking for a
place like this.”
Thonis opened the bar, with his cofounder
Regina Dellea, after watching
his brother quit drinking, and then
struggle to fi nd a place to socialize in
a city where even the axe-throwing
ranges serve booze.
“My brother got sober, or started
to get sober, three years ago,” said
Thonis. “He and I were talking about
how there’s nowhere we can go that’s
not centered around alcohol. So, I
think we’re really fi lling a void in that
area.”
Getaway 156 Green St. between
Franklin Street and Manhattan Avenue
in Greenpoint, (929) 337–6025, www.
getaway.bar. Open Tue–Sun; 5 p.m.–
midnight.
STREET DREAMS! WILLIAMSBURG
This show will spray it and say it!
A new exhibit in Williamsburg celebrates
graffi ti artists and rule breakers
with a massive display of street art.
“Beyond the Streets,” which opened
on June 21 in a newly built, soon-to-be
offi ce building, showcases more than
150 of the world’s most important street
artists, with a special focus on the
Brooklyn artists who turned spraying
paint on the side of a subway car into
a global phenomenon, said the show’s
curator.
“We have a lot of New York-focused
pieces, and a lot of work that is historical,”
said Roger Gastman. “There’s a
section that is very hip-hop oriented,
and there’s a section on activism,
highlighting artists that have used
street art to draw attention to specifi c
causes.”
The gallery, which will through the
end of July, includes special sections devoted
to counter-culture fi gures, with a
tribute to the 30-year career of Shepard
Fairey, whose work includes the ubiquitous
stickers “Andre the Giant has a
posse” and the Barack Obama “Hope”
poster.
Another installation is devoted to
Brooklyn’s own Beastie Boys, featuring
never-before-seen artifacts, song lyrics,
and artwork inspired by the band.
“There are so many great Beastie
Boys surprises that you’ve never seen
before,” said Gastman. “We worked really
closely with Adam Ad-Rock and
Mike Mike D on the Beastie Boys exhibit.
They were in the process of putting
out a book, so they went through
their archives, and they have saved up
a lot of incredible things.”
The two-story exhibit takes up almost
as much space as a Manhattan
city block, and its sprawling array of
paintings, pictures, and immersive
installations means that people will
likely visit the massive space multiple
times, according to Gastman.
Throughout the summer, the gallery
will host artist talks and panel discussions
on the past and future of street
art, according to Gastman, who said the
vast endeavour proves the mainstream
viability of an art style often dismissed
as vandalism.
“This art form is not just a subculture,
or a blip in our culture,” he said.
“It’s a full-blown art form, and it’s gotten
bigger, bolder, and more innovative.”
“Beyond the Streets” at Twenty Five
Kent 25 Kent Ave. between N. 12th and
N. 13th streets in Williamsburg, (718)
213–8554, www.beyondthestreets.com.
On display June 21–July 31. Wed–Sun,
11 am–8 pm. $25.
/www.beyondthestreets.com
/www.getaway.bar
/www.getaway.bar
/www.fi
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