Tag Archive for: new york city

Shadows of four outstretched hands over grey apartment buildings

Join us to discuss the specific form of capitalism we are living in and how New York City become Neoliberal.

Neoliberalism is a confusing, multi-pronged process that changes the role of the state, the ‘market’, and even our own values. We see its impacts in our urban landscape, from what buildings get made to what schools get closed. With a scope this wide, it’s no wonder that this era of capitalism is often hard to define.

After reviewing how exactly we arrived at neoliberalism, we will unpack its current role in New York City. We will discuss its function as an often contested urban, political, and spatial project and then ask: Can neoliberalism ever be useful?

Teacher Lauren Hudson is currently a doctoral candidate in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center. She writes about anti-capitalist organizing among women in NYC.

Tickets available here.

 

Local filmmaker Lesley Topping presents her film A River Returns: A History of the Bronx River at OSH at 4 pm (following the 8th Annual Permaculture Festival).

The film educates viewers on the ways in which the Bronx River is a model for the restoration of urban rivers across the US, and how it has been cared for through an alliance of private and government groups, volunteers, students, and educators.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers, historians, and environmentalists.

Presence is an exhibition curated by Katherine Gressel which explores the evolution of artist Alicia Grullón’s socially-engaged work over 15+ years.

The exhibition opens with a public reception on February 6, followed by open gallery hours on Fridays from 3 pm –  6 pm, or by appointment. 

Grullón describes her performances, both live or for photography or video, as “critiques of the politics of presence – an argument for the inclusion of disenfranchised communities in political and social spheres.” By inserting her own body in spaces “that have historically not been meant for [her] or designed so [she has] little control over how [she is] represented in them,” Grullón aims to disrupt mainstream historical and cultural narratives.  This includes collecting and performing the stories of individuals whose voices might otherwise be absent. Her interventions have included public spaces, cultural and academic institutions, the dominant history of the United States, government policy, environmentalism, feminism, the United Nations, and the mass media.  

In the tradition of deconstructionist philosophy, Grullón’s work challenges traditional binaries between past and present, and presence and its typical opposite, “absence.” In her photographs, “what is alluded to within the frame is largely informed by what is not in the frame.”  In addition to evoking missing narratives from past, current, and future events, the work selected for this exhibition focuses on Grullón’s use of costumes, props and other methods of obscuring her own identity (leading to the absence of a uniform artist figure throughout the work), sometimes to augment the voices of others. In her essay “The Missing Body: Performance in the Absence of the Artist” Cindy Baker argues that through this type of physical obfuscation, “risk, transgression, and a false illusion of distance are taken on by both artist and audience member, expanding a capacity for intimacy between artist/art and audience that few artworks can.” Through inhabiting a world of her own creation, Grullon also subverts a traditional European, male gaze. 

In keeping with OSH’s mission to make local history relevant, Presence is comprised mainly of works rooted in Grullón’s native New York City and that address such topics as gentrification, immigration and community preservation. Several works on view were  inspired by OSH itself and its Dutch Colonial and Revolutionary War past. 

Presence is the first in a series of four 2020 OSH exhibitions exploring how contemporary artists encourage participation and civic engagement.  

Closing Reception/Public Programs
On March 26 from 7-9 p.m., we invite the public to view Storytelling, a performance for video in which Grullon re-enacts stories as they were told to her by seniors at the Jackie Robinson Senior Center in Harlem. A Q&A session with the artist and curator to follow. Additional public programs may be added at a later date- check the OSH website or newsletter for more information.  

Presence is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

 

Join the artist Alicia Grullón and curator Katherine Gressel for the opening reception of Grullón’s solo exhibition Presence at OSH. The public reception will be held from 7 pm – 9 pm, enjoy light refreshments and a first look at our newest show!

Alicia Grullón is a performance artist and photographer with a career spanning more than fifteen years. She describes her self-portraits and performances as “critiques of the politics of presence – an argument for the inclusion of disenfranchised communities in political and social spheres.” By inserting her own body in spaces that have historically not been meant for her or designed so she has little control over how she is represented in them, Grullón aims to disrupt mainstream historical and cultural narratives. The work selected for this exhibition focuses on her use of costumes, props and other methods of obscuring her own identity, sometimes to tell the stories of others.
In keeping with OSH’s mission to make local history relevant, Presence is comprised mainly of works rooted in Grullón’s native New York City and addresses topics including gentrification, immigration and community preservation. Several works on view were inspired by OSH itself and its Dutch Colonial and Revolutionary War past.
After this reception, the exhibition will be on view to the public every Friday from 3 pm – 6 pm and by appointment until April 6, with a closing event on March 26.
Presence is the first in a series of four 2020 OSH exhibitions exploring how contemporary artists encourage participation and civic engagement. Keep an eye out for more information coming soon!

Join our friend and former OSH curator Katie Fuller for a virtual tour of the latest installment in the Race and Revolution series, Home/Land; hosted by the Lewis Latimer House Museum, one of our Historic House Trust sister sites.

Home/Land is an exhibition of contemporary art that looks at the influence of the Fugitive Slave Act on Lewis Latimer’s family and the tactics used to detain, deport, and re-enslave with current practices used by Immigration Customs Enforcement to control the influx of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

This is a free event, but please RSVP here.

From our friends at Brooklyn Brainery, this online class is taught by anthropologist Patty Hamrick.

Thousands of African-Americans lived in New York City during the 1600s and 1700s. After world-wide protests by activists, they finally received the recognition they deserved when graves discovered during a construction project, now known as the African Burial Ground, were declared an official national monument in 2006.

African-Americans were already here when this city was New Amsterdam. Both free and enslaved, they helped to build and influence the NYC we live in today. Archaeological research at the African Burial Ground has taught us about the lives, deaths, cultural practices, and religious beliefs of this diverse community. These discoveries led to the site being called “one of the most significant American archaeological finds of the twentieth century”.

This lecture-based class will cover important and fascinating events of NYC’s early history that are reflected in the African Burial Ground,including the transfer of the city from Dutch to British authorities, the slave rebellions of 1712 and 1741, the 1788 Doctors’ Riot, and the Revolutionary War.

Sign up for the class here.

Our latest contemporary art exhibition Brooklyn Utopias: 2020 will open with an Instagram Live @oldstonehousebklyn reception.

Details for our in-person reception and gallery hours are coming soon.

Utopia: An ideal place or state, usually imaginary; any visionary system of political, social, environmental, or moral perfection

  • What would characterize a Brooklyn Utopia?
  • What is the role of artists in creating a more ideal Brooklyn?

Brooklyn Utopias: 2020 will address Brooklyn’s past, present and future by inviting artists to consider differing visions of an ideal Brooklyn, or imagine their own. Participating artists also explore how Brooklyn has continued to change over the past 10 years, and if/how it can serve as a model for urban and American living on a national scale as we navigate a global pandemic in a time of unprecedented social, political and environmental turmoil. Brooklyn Utopias also addresses the possibilities (or limitations) of art in creating a better world.

Brooklyn Utopias: 2020 corresponds with the 10-year anniversary of the original Brooklyn Utopias? exhibitions series developed by curator Katherine Gressel and presented at both OSH and Brooklyn Historical Society in 2009-2010.

Participating Artists: Asha Boston, Elan Cadiz, Fontaine Capel, Nate Dorr and Nathan Kensinger, Diane Exavier, Tamara Gayer, Amir Hariri, Anna Lise Jensen, David Kutz, Robin Michals and Lynn Neuman, Jan Mun, Iviva Olenick, Rochelle Shicoff, Jody Wood, Ezra Wube, Betty Yu.

Artist Selection Committee: Heather Bhandari, independent curator and co-founder of the Remix Project and the Art World Conference; Desiree Gordon, Director of Programs and Strategy, Brooklyn Arts Council; Katherine Gressel, Contemporary Curator, Old Stone House & Washington Park; Kim Maier, Executive Director, Old Stone House & Washington Park; Maggie Weber, Director of Education, Old Stone House & Washington Park; and Harry Weil, Director of Public Programs & Special Projects, Green-Wood.

Brooklyn Utopias: 2020 is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Image credit: Ezra Wube.

Our colleagues at MOFAD invite you to participate in Indigenous Roots, a two-part online panel event and cooking demo exploring the crossroads of African American and Native American cuisine

Ubiquitous, but often overlooked, African American and Indigenous American foods are essential to the American experience. Ingredients such as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and chocolate are pantry staples the world over; and yet their historical significance is often glossed over or forgotten entirely.

Join them on August 5th at 8 pm EST for a virtual panel conversation led by Andi Murphy, host of the Toasted Sister Podcast, that will explore the intersections between these two cultures that came together out of necessity and created a truly American cuisine.

Continue the conversation with us on August 6th at 8 pm EST for a cooking demo with Indigenous chefs Yusuf Bin-Rella, Elena Terry, and Dave Smoke-McCluskey.

Read more and register here.

Did you know Gowanus was the beginning of America’s Independence?  Paddle with the Dredgers and ask for planners to provide a barrier free shoreline access similar to Dutch Canals!  Learn the History of Gowanus at the Dredgers 2nd St. dock.

In partnership with the Old Stone House, the Gowanus Dredgers invite Loyalist, revolutionaries and common folk to join our fun battle voyages.

Wear a RED PFD to support the King!

Arrive early to get a BLUE PFD to join the revolution!

Learn more about the Dredgers here. Events depart from 2nd St. near Bond St.

Witness a colorful display of Revolutionary War flags and their history this weekend on the hill at Green-Wood Cemetery, commemorating the 244th Anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn.

On view everyday until August 30.

Enter through the main gate at 5th Ave and 25th Street.