Bushwick Goes National
Like Williamsburg before it, the Bushwick brand is spreading beyond New York City’s borders. This weekend, The Philadelphia Inquirer brought news of the gritty but increasingly arty nabe to its readers in the City of Brotherly Love. “Over the last few years, the two-square-mile Brooklyn neighborhood has been attracting visionaries outpriced by neighboring Williamsburg or…
Like Williamsburg before it, the Bushwick brand is spreading beyond New York City’s borders. This weekend, The Philadelphia Inquirer brought news of the gritty but increasingly arty nabe to its readers in the City of Brotherly Love. “Over the last few years, the two-square-mile Brooklyn neighborhood has been attracting visionaries outpriced by neighboring Williamsburg or disillusioned by Chelsea’s artiste scene,” writes the paper. “Studios, galleries and spaces that defy categorization are appearing in former bodegas, 99-cent stores, and other unglamorous structures.” The ‘Wick manages to maintain its street cred with a killer quotation from Laura Braslow of non-profit Arts in Bushwick: “The Bushwick art scene is not about sipping wine and looking at white walls,” she said. A few of the recommended galleries include English Kills, Ad Hoc and Factory Fresh.
Art Grows in Bushwick [Philadelphia Inquirer]
MM, we were simply saying that the article was a light commentary on the emerging art scene in Bushwick and just that. Guess one can read more into it but to us there was no need to mention the racial make up of the neighborhood since it didn’t seem relevant to the discussion..emerging arts in Bushwick Brooklyn.
BTW if you look at the accompanying picture you will see that there are a few Blacks and Asians in the mix…just noticed that too after your comment on prior article. Sometimes we wish all humanity were purple…..aaaahhhhhh!
This is a reprint of a Washington Post article from several months ago.
“ENY…I don’t have an accent from New York so I’m not sure who you’re referring to.”
I didn’t mean you personally, Dave. I’ve never heard you speak! I meant the description – “loud, obnoxious, pushy with that annoying accent” – sounds like it’s about someone from Philadelphia.
Pierre, I don’t see racism everywhere. I only mention race to say that the population of most of Bushwick is Hispanic and black. That is merely a demographic, not an indictment.
This blog posted a photo recently, from a magazine article that ran in the late spring or summer, that touted Bushwick as the new “it” place. Every single person in the picture was your classic “hipster” – skinny, square glasses, slightly goth, tattooed, white and young. The article and the photo was roundly trashed here, for its pretentiousness, as well as non representation of the community.
As I said, I have no problem with galleries, etc, and I am sure there are people of color involved with the arts and cool scene in Bushwick. That isn’t the point, and their participation in such is neither here nor there. I wasn’t calling anyone racist. My point, is that the indigenous population of Bushwick, as it were, needs to be included in any positive benefit to the neighborhood. I would say that no matter what the racial or cultural makeup of that neighborhood.
Putnamdenizen…yes, I believe Philadelphians do have a lot of interest in the rest of the world. it was really more of a snide comment towrds Bushwick!!!
ENY…I don’t have an accent from New York so I’m not sure who you’re referring to.
“loud, obnoxious, pushy with that annoying accent!!!”
Funny, that sounds like someone from…..Philadelphia.
Interesting that the article is syndicated and ran first in the Washington Post. Clearly there’s a national news market for stories on Brooklyn.
DIBS – have you gotten stuck in “snark” gear? As someone who is not reading this site as much as I used to, I was really put off by your snide comment about what Philadelphians think. I spend a fair amount of time in the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection, and most of the people have a fair amount of curiousity about the rest of the world. Obviously a feature article isn’t meant to be taken that seriously.
Okay, lecture over. I really want to get over to Bushwick. My life doesn’t allow me as much exploration as I would want. Montrose Morris’s points are well taken and well written. There always seems to be a tension between the needs and lives of those struggling to get by and those with more money.
>”New Yorkers are actually well looked at in most places outside NY and rightfully so. ”
You’re kidding, right? The Onion said it best when they ran the headline, “Rest of Country Temporarily Feels Deep Affection for New York” right after 9-11.