FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 • TIMES 29 buzz QUEENS BY CRISTIN NOONAN editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @RidgewoodTimes Come out from behind whatever has stood in the way of your interaction with art and behold Lisa & Nina’s Excellent Studio Tour Adventures! Former on and off Broadway theater professional Nina Keneally and visual artist, art director and performer Lisa Levy would like to change the conversation concerning art in guiding free studio tours over Bushwick Open Studios weekend on Oct. 1-2. Bushwick Studios: Free tours strive to change the conversation about art Keneally and Levy will also play host to an after party at The Bodega on Saturday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The tours are open ended, and attendees can sign up at BOS2016Tours@gmail.com. They are also welcome to hop in and out at any point over the twoday studio showcase, with the following locations and times: 117 Grattan St. (11 a.m. on Oct. 1), 119 Ingraham St. (2 p.m.), 44 Stewart Ave. (4 p.m.), 55 Meadow St. (1 p.m. on Oct. 2) and 1717 Troutman St. (3 p.m.). Composed of four to fi ve visits within the fi ve separate tours curated by Keneally and Levy, artists included in the tour are stoked to talk art with the community. Each separate studio visit will be capped at roughly 15 minutes. Stating that they are “making visiting studios irreverent and entertaining,” Levy and Keneally understand that going to galleries and being face to face with artists can be an intimidating experience, revealing that “the truth is everyone, no matter how observant or knowledgeable, feels that way sometimes.” It’s this awkward disposition, though, that the two feel is “why studio visiting is an adventure— a fun and exciting one!” Both Levy and Keneally have been involved in BOS for years and are adamant in saying that “art truly is for everyone,” referencing how absorbing art isn’t the esoteric experience some people peg it for: “We want to demystify the art appreciation experience.” Keneally and Levy hope that in putting themselves out there by “asking ‘dumb’ questions and joking around with each other and the artists starting out,” they will have set up an environment ripe enough for the most timid of BOS attendees to feel comfortable posing questions to artists about their work. Prepared to loosen people up and make them feel comfortable in expressing how they perceive art, Levy and Keneally hope to make their studio tours an annual event for BOS and would like prospective tour group attendees to know that “there are no ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ questions or observations!” Photo courtesy of Lisa Levy and Nina Keneally
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