According to Laurie Cumbo, founder and director of the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporic Arts in Fort Greene, gentrification is our 800 pound gorilla in the room. In their new exhibit, “The Gentrification of Brooklyn: The Pink Elephant Speaks” it is her hope that the 22 participating artists will utilize the power of their voice to address it.
The 4th floor of 717 Prospect Place – in the heart of Crown Heights – has been transformed it into a gallery space for Brooklyn-based artists to show their work during the month of September.
At a new exhibit at the Williamsburg Music Center, The Urban Individualists, an art collective, wear their hearts on their sleeve. The show, entitled Hard Hearts, examines the diverse way in which the theme was interpreted in 28 different works. “Everything stems from a root – the tree stems from a root, the plant stems from a root – you have to get to the root of the person in order to get to the heart,” said Mia Roman Hernandez, a Brooklyn-born collective member. Featuring guitar players, bassists, painters, poets, mixed media artists, photographers, saxophone players, sculptors, and vocalists, the Urban Individualists are an eclectic and entertaining bunch.
