June 21–27, 2019 Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 AWP 9
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By Kevin Duggan
Brooklyn Paper
Two-four-six-eight! It’s work we
should appreciate!
A new sculpture series will expose
the darker side of cheerleading,
as part of the group exhibition “Serious
Play,” opening at Bric on June 27.
Sunset Park sculptor Kat Chamberlin
said that the women who dance along
the sidelines at sports games are athletes
who are routinely dismissed because of
their rah-rah feminine style.
“It’s had this history of objectifying
women’s bodies and we’ve infantilized
these girls,” said Chamberlin. “There’s
this idea that a woman shouldn’t be expressing
her sexuality or she comes off
as not serious.”
Chamberlin started by interviewing
cheerleaders at the Staten Island
college where she teaches. She found
that the women are often criticized for
wearing hyper-feminine uniforms and
styles, but that they nevertheless follow
their passion.
“We talked a lot about the representation
of them in the media and they said,
ART
‘We know people think we’re slutty,’
but they shrugged their shoulders and
said, ‘I enjoy that I do this very difficult
sport,’ ” the artist said.
Chamberlin crafted her sculptures
based on some of the cheerers’s most
daring balancing acts, including “Handstand
I,” “Handstand II,” and “High V.”
Many of her pieces evoke imaginary exercise
equipment that might be used by
cheerleaders to practice their moves.
She also created a series of glass and
plexiglass objects called “Anti-Fragile,”
which hint at the ruthless damage the
women experience while creating their
polished performances.
“Many of the girls injure themselves
regularly; they do extremely difficult
tricks in the air,” Chamberlin said. “The
sculptures have this cold and also violent
form to them.”
Cheerleading is a form of play, but
because of its demanding formations,
it is also very serious. The cheerleaders
Chamberlin worked with will perform at
the exhibition space on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m.
— but without smiling, which creates a
weird atmosphere, said Chamberlin.
“It’s odd and uncanny. Something’s
off, it feels a little more threatening,”
she said.
A cheer thing
Sculptor’s imaginary equipment
By Aidan Graham
Brooklyn Paper
Good drinks come to those
who wait!
Coney Islanders looking
to stretch out with a crafty
cold one will have to wait a
little longer — the expansion
of the neighborhood’s namesake
brewery has been delayed
until August.
The beer maestros at the Coney
Island Brewery had hoped
to open a new taproom next
door to their current home
at the base of MCU Park in
time for the summer, but buzzkilling
bureaucrats had other
plans, according to the resident
brew-master.
“The city denied our plans,”
said Matt McCall. “So, unfortunately
the new space is not
available yet.”
When the project is fully
completed in mid-August, the
expanded space will be three
times the size of its current location,
according to McCall.
The extra room is needed to
serve its tasty brews to an everincreasing
crowd.
“The current space has an
indoor capacity somewhere
around 45 people, and the
beer garden fits around 150,”
he said. “The new space will
have room for 300 people outside
and around 280 people
Photo by Trey Pentecost
inside.”
The finished taproom will
feature two fully operational
bars, a walk-up kitchen window,
and a dedicated indoor
space for bands, karaoke, and
other performances.
In the meantime, the brewers
were able to cut the ribbon
the outdoor portion of
their expansion plan, adding
many new picnic tables to the
sidewalk outside the brewery,
where McCall plans to host
special events throughout the
summer season.
“We have that outdoor space
open now,” he said. “We’ll have
live music, trivia, freak show
acts, all that kind of stuff.”
The brewery has developed
a devout following since
it opened in 2015, and when the
neighboring bar, Steeplechase
Beer Garden, closed shop, the
brewers hopped at the opportunity.
“There’s always pressure
when you take over a place
like Steeplechase. They were
really great at playing to the
local crowd. They had a lot of
regulars,” said McCall. “But, I
think we bring our own things
to the party, so to speak.”
Coney Island Brewery
1904 Surf Ave. at W. 17th
Street in Coney Island, (718)
996–0019, www.coneyislandbeer.
com. Open Sun-
Thu; noon–10 p.m.; Fri, Sat,
noon–midnight.
Growing pints
Coney Island Brewery
will expand this August
Cane: The sculptor also created
a series of glass and plexiglass
works such as “Cane,” which looks
fragile but hints at violence at the
same time.
“Serious Play: Translating Form, Subverting
Meaning” at Bric 647 Fulton
St. at Rockwell Place in Fort Greene.
www.bricartsmedia.org, (718) 855–
7882. Opening reception June 27; 7–9
p.m. On view though Aug. 18. Free.
Brew-master: Coney
Island Brewery’s head
brewer, Matt McCall.
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