Press Release
Contact: Karen Friedland
(718) 826-1261
(917) 903-1367
ArtistKaren@mac.com
or Brenda L. Becker
(718) 469-5107
brendabecker@optonline.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flatbush Artists Studio Tour Debuts June 7-8, 2008.
First major open-studio event in ‘Victorian Flatbush’ neighborhood.
Public to be welcomed by 27 artists on self-guided tour.
Brooklyn, NY, May 20, 2008 -- The visual artists of Flatbush will open their studios to the public in a weekend-long self-guided art tour throughout the historic Victorian neighborhood. The first annual Flatbush Artists Studio Tour (FAST) will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, from 12 to 5 p.m. Tour maps may be downloaded and printed at www.flatbushartists.org, or picked up at many local merchants. Admission to the tour is free.
The artists represented on the tour include painters, sculptors, printmakers, jewelry makers, mosaic artists, and book artists. “We’re all familiar with the creative life of areas like Williamsburg and Gowanus,” said tour organizer and painter Karen Friedland. “Now art lovers can add the beautiful streets of Victorian Flatbush to the vibrant artistic map of Brooklyn, and meet the artists who work in one of the city’s most diverse communities.”
In addition, a group show of local artists will take place from June 5 - July 2 at two lively cafés in the heart of the area: Vox Pop and Connecticut Muffin (1022 and 1106 Cortelyou Road), giving tour-goers an opportunity to preview the works of all the participating artists on the tour. An opening reception for the group show will take place on June 5, from 7 to 10 p.m.
The Flatbush Artists Studio Tour, presented in cooperation with the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC), will take place the same weekend as the popular Victorian Flatbush House Tour. The studio tour is a separate and unrelated event with free admission, and will offer both old-house fanciers and art lovers yet another reason to explore the leafy streets of the area, with its broad lawns, spacious front porches, and fanciful architecture, on the weekend of June 7-8.
“This event has prompted an outpouring of community support, for which we’re very grateful,” said Ms. Friedland. Studio tour sponsors include Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and two dozen local businesses.
Getting to Victorian Flatbush
The “Victorian Flatbush” area includes the landmarked historic districts of Prospect Park South and Ditmas Park along with Ditmas Park West, Midwood, Beverley Square West and East, and Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park.
Visitors may start the free tour anywhere on the self-guided neighborhood map available at www.flatbushartists.org or at local shops. The closest subway stops to the tour area are the Q train to the Beverly Road, Cortelyou Road, or Newkirk Avenue stations (see the map for station locations). In addition, the neighborhood is served by the B68, B16, B35, and several other buses. Details and driving directions are also available on the FAST website.
