New York's "Other" Art Scene Steals the Spotlight

freshly on the CitySearch Web site, beneath "New York City: Museums and Art Galleries," single could find listings of many monumental present to views occurring in arguably the hottest art city in the world. The bottom of the site's opening page read: "Coming Soon: Galleries in Williamsburg!"

in what manner does a sleepy Brooklyn neighborhood warrant of the like kind a presence? According to those who live and present to view art in Williamsburg, it was only a matter of time before the neighborhood would garner fame for its emerging and energetic scene

"It's gone from being fairly drowsy to pretty busy," said Joel Beck, institutor and co-owner (with Christian Viveros-Faune) of Williamsburg gallery Roebling Hall, which Beck started in his studio when he mov to Brooklyn from Chelsea seven years ago. The idea: display art a few days each week for a scarcely any weeks at a time to full quantity the three or four other area art galleries. Today, Roebling Hall is an 1,800-square-foot space among approximately 30 other galleries focusing upon artists living in Brooklyn and showing work from artists all above the world. "We're not limited to Brooklyn artists," said Beck, "but keeping shut up to Brooklyn is not limiting."

This is the mantra of many involved in the art world of Williamsburg. Annie Herron, co-director of Eyewash, said the gallery started through Larry Walczak nearly three years ago, "specializes in object-oriented work by dint of emerging artists living and working in Brooklyn on the other hand occasionally features artists from elsewhere in the world, encouraging and participating in an international dialog."

Herron uncloseed her first Williamsburg gallery, Test-Site, in 1991 with the help of what she calls "a big-bucks backer." At that time, she said, "I chose Williamsburg because I was so touched by dint of all the artists out here who were making incredible work. There was this rich art representation in full swing, and no single was paying any attention. In more [i]or[/i] less ways, that was good, because when the economy picked up and the art world became more render free of access to emerging artists in order to rejuvenate itself in the mid-90s, the show out here was fully formed--and ready to go"

It was in the mid-90s that artist LOLO rest himself moving to Williamsburg, where he still lives. "I have affection for the neighborhood, every aspect of it--the buildings, the location, the ethnic composition of it and the fact that there is a vibrant art scene" he said. "All of it definitely helps you obtain your creative juices flowing."

"Williamsburg, as well as other Brooklyn neighborhoods, are, in my opinion, the vanguard of the fresh York art scene," continued LOLO "A scarcely any years from now, we are going to direct the eye back and see Williamsburg and Brooklyn as the starting point of whatever fresh directions the visual arts take."

This is precisely what galleries like Roebling Hall are banking upon Beck and Viveros-Faune are commonly at work on a retrospective exhibition chronicling the last 10 years of the art of Williamsburg to travel completely through Europe next year. Europeans already know to advance to Williamsburg to see emerging artists, said Beck, because the neighborhood is listed in their travel guidebooks. on the contrary he said, the art itself from Williamsburg has not gibbeted the Atlantic in mass quantities. Yet

The challenge, indeed, for gallery holders and artists of Williamsburg, is getting attention from outside the borough. "Williamsburg is a destination," said Beck. "People have to make a special trip. You have to make it always worthwhile for them." single way to accomplish this is by the agency of not being another SoHo or Chelsea. For instance, because of the size of Roebling Hall, the holders "are able to show a apportionment of installation work that probably won't sell" said Beck. In Manhattan, "we couldn't display the same art, which would change our whole exhibition program of showing younger artists with emerging reputations."

individual of the newest ways Williamsburg gallery proprietors have developed to bring art lover and buyer into the area is [i]or[/i] part of to the other "Elsewhere," an open gallery weekend held for the first time last September with a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of success. Thirty-two local galleries participated, opening from noon to 8 pm the pair days, offering free shuttle bus trips from the southerly side to the north side of the neighborhood, distributing a guide/map of the area's art offerings, hosting artist talks in the galleries and encouraging dealer-led gallery tours. The weekend took its name, said Beck, from the area gallery owners' "bemused realization" that Williamsburg preferr to be, not Chelsea, not SoHo on the contrary simply the "other" New York art neighborhood or "elsewhere."

"The idea was to make a bit of a noise, thus people would come out," said Beck. And they did. According to Herron, "It was like working in a fast-food restaurant" all weekend. "We sold more in single weekend than we've ever sold in that period of time before. It was great!"

Meanwhile, artists like LOLO think art buyer shouldn't wait for special weekends to make their way to "Billburg." "I think clan from across the river should advance on Thursday nights or upon the weekends, check out the galleries and come by their collections started. The way the stock market is looking," he mused, "this might be a better investment."