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BRIC House announces Spring 2016 schedule

photo: My Brightest Diamond @ Bowery Ballroom 2013 (more by Caroline Harrison)
My Brightest Diamond

BRIC Arts have announced their programming for Spring 2016 at the Bric House, the multi-purpose Downtown Brooklyn space hosting classes, performances and art exhibitions all the time. The spring performance slate includes My Brightest Diamond on March 18, Mirah and Jherek Bischoff on May 5, Slavic Soul Party on February 19, Deru on March 26, and Lakou Mizik on May 6. It will also feature the new classical Look and Listen Festival on April 29 & 30.

This is all in addition to a ton of art exhibitions, poetry readings, theater, and other interesting stuff. Tickets to BRIC House events are currently on sale to members now, and general ticket sales open on Monday, December 21 at noon.

Check out BRIC Arts full Spring 2016 slate below.


BRIC SPRING 2016 PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

CONTEMPORARY ART
Contemporary Art programming at BRIC spotlights emerging and mid-career artists of exceptional talent, reflecting the diversity of Brooklyn. Exhibitions will take place at various locations throughout BRIC House.

GALLERY AT BRIC HOUSE

OPEN (C)ALL: Up For Debate
On view: February 4 – 28
Opening Reception: February 4, 7PM
Gallery at BRIC House, FREE
BRIC’s second open call exhibition, presented in the Gallery of BRIC House, is open to all members of BRIC’s online Contemporary Artist Registry. With the upcoming Presidential elections in 2016, this year’s exhibition seeks to present work that responds to current social issues and/or embodies hopes and aspirations for the future, given this time of change. The exhibition will contain the work of over 125 artists in diverse media, expressing Brooklyn’s amamzing creative vitality.

Whisper or Shout: Artists in the Social Sphere
On View: March 16 – May 1
Opening Reception: March 16, 7PM
Gallery at BRIC House, FREE
This exhibition will contain the work of nine artists who engage with a range of critical contemporary social and political issues. Each of the artists will bring different issues to the table, including police violence, homelessness, gentrification, and cultural self-determination, to name a few. In presenting these projects, the exhibition will underscore the varied forms of communication and language that artists devise as strategies of protest, education, documentation and/or information sharing. They include posters, music, speech, silence, photography, computer languages, and apps. Central to the exhibition will be a series of public programs including artist performances and workshops.

Exhibition artists include Sol Aramendi, Taeyoon Choi, Alicia Grullon, Brendan Fernandes, Interference Archives, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Shaun Leonardo, and Kenneth Pietrobono.

Whisper or Shout will be accompanied by two major performances on the Stoop at BRIC House:

On March 23 at 7pm, Shaun Leonardo will present The Eulogy. Taking Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel Invisible Man as his starting point, Leonardo which draw on the cadence of eulogies to powerfully call attention to police brutality in the United States.

On April 13, Alicia Grullon will premier her performance Filibuster, a full reenactment of Texas State Senator Wendy Davis’s 11-hour filibuster to block a restrictive an abortion bill on June 25, 2013.

The 28th Annual Contemporary Art Education Exhibition
On View: May 18 – June 18
Opening Reception: May 18, 7PM
Gallery at BRIC House, FREE
This annual exhibition showcases work in a wide range of artistic media created by students taking part BRIC’s school-based residencies and after-school programs which brings professional artists and their studio practices into the classroom. Residencies are held in public schools throughout Brooklyn and Queens, and reach students from Grade K through high school.

PROJECT ROOM AT BRIC HOUSE

Kyoung Eun Kang: Omaha Diaries I
On View: January 28 – February 21
BRIC Project Room, FREE
Performance and video artist Kyoung Eun Kang will create a three-channel installation that observes the rituals of a 90-year old couple living in Nebraska. Taken over several months, Kang captures the subtle beauty of human encounters and cultural translation, embracing dynamic actions that resonate in the human experience, such as walking, breathing, eating and gathering.

Adrienne Elise Tarver: Eavesdropping
On View: February 29 – March 27
BRIC Project Room, FREE
Interested in exploring the notions of insider, outsider, and the other, Tarver will create an installation to exploit our curiosity of what’s within the barriers and question what is gained (and at the same time lost) once we’ve looked inside. The installation includes large-scale video projections and a miniature model home, to explore the life of a woman from an old photograph she found in a thrift store. Young, Black, and female, wearing glasses and facing the camera, Tarver was enticed by her anonymity, and built a story about the woman, starting with her home and finding the narrative as the pieces came together.

Laura Karetzky and Manuel Sosa: In-Communication / In-Transit
On View: April 7 ­- May 1
BRIC Project Room, FREE
Painter Laura Karetzky and composer Manuel Sosa use their video chats with friends and loved ones as content for a unique pairing of paintings, video, and sound. The installation relates–through both poetic and comedic moments–the effect these digital devices have on our communication.

BRIC HALLWAY COMMISSIONS

Street Art Poetics
On View: Through February 22
BRIC Hallway, FREE
Related to the BRIC Fireworks Project, The Spinning Wheel, three artists–Yako 440, Viajero, and Cern–have been commissioned to create murals inspired by the poems of Living Theater alum steve ben israel. A combination of graffiti techniques and materials will be on display drawing a reference to the street, a place where israel performed and embodied his belief in art as an active engagement in the world around us.

Tirtzah Bassel: TSA
On View: March 7 – May 22
BRIC Hallway, FREE
TSA is a site-specific installation that explores the airport as a contemporary symbol of transience and transition. The murals are made only of duct tape adhered directly to the walls, engaging the line between painting and sculpture by creating an immersive three-dimensional drawing in a space that constantly changes with the viewer’s movement in it. The installation is conceived both as a formal dialog with the structure of the building as well as conceptually corresponding with the concurrent exhibition Whisper or Shout: Artists in the Social Sphere.

BRIC CAFÉ COMMISSION

Jetsonorama & Jess X. Chen: We Be Darker Than Blue
On View: February 16 – May 22
BRIC Café, FREE
This mural portrays a poetic sisterhood spanning two generations of Black woman poets: NYC-based poet, activist and slam host, Mahogany Browne and Sonia Sanchez, a pioneer of the black arts movement. The mural is inspired by The Two Fridas, Frida Kahlo’s double self-portrait where the figures are connected by both hands and heart.

GARAGE DOOR VIDEO SERIES
In between exhibitions, BRIC House closes its gallery “garage” doors to use them as screens for our Garage Door Video Series. The series highlights contemporary video artists in either single or three channel projections that are looped from 10am-6pm and can be enjoyed while sitting on the BRIC Stoop or in the Cafe.

Ivana Basic: Palette of Finity
On View: January 30 – February 4
BRIC Stoop, FREE
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Ivana Basic is a New York based multimedia artist whose work examines human physicality, its limitations, matter and imagery through variety of social, political and technological contexts. Palette of Finity is a series of digital paintings created through algorithmic treatment of the artist’s skin. Polarized images of the artist’s skin are digitally treated so that the form dissolves reducing presence of the body to the fluid palette.

Jan Staller: Streamers
On View: May 2-18
BRIC Stoop, FREE
Since moving to New York in 1976, photographer Jan Staller has been creating meditations on the often overlooked side-of-the-road objects throughout the city. Taken with a grey sky background, and devoid of any accompanying objects, the neutral canvas highlights the sculptural qualities of these found objects.

PERFORMING ARTS
Performing Arts programming at BRIC features a wide array of music, dance, theatre and inter-disciplinary residencies and performances.

IN CONCERT

Slavic Soul Party!
Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert
February 19 at 7:30pm
BRIC House Ballroom, FREE
Nine-member Balkan funk band Slavic Soul Party! delivers “some of the most danceable Balkan-flavored pop this side of the Adriatic” (Global Rhythm). A fiery mix of Balkan brass, accordion, virtuosic jazz, and pulsing grooves, Slavic Soul Party! is influenced by its members’ Eastern European, Mexican, and Asian roots, as well as American jazz and soul. This concert will also feature new works inspired by the song “Somewhere” from West Side Story and written by young people in the Brooklyn community in collaboration with Slavic Soul Party! as part of The Somewhere Project, a citywide creative learning project that honors Carnegie Hall’s 125th anniversary.

My Brightest Diamond
March 18 at 8pm
BRIC House Ballroom, $25 Adv | $29 Door
An incredibly rare opportunity to see vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Shara Worden’s full band which defies genre and mixes chamber, pop, electronica, and avant rock to create a truly unique hauntingly beautiful sound.

Deru
1979
March 26 at 9pm
BRIC House Ballroom, $18 Adv | $21 Door
Benjamin Wynn a.k.a. Deru is an Emmy Award-winning composer, sound designer and producer. 1979 is a concept album and sculptural object, featuring nine songs by Deru accompanied by nine short films by video artist Anthony Ciannamea, that are housed in a customized handheld video projector. The subject matter is nostalgic and emotive, focusing on common origins and shared human experiences.

Look & Listen Festival
April 29 & 30 at 8pm
Gallery at BRIC House Gallery, FREE with RSVP
Now in its 15th year (third at BRIC), the annual Look & Listen Festival showcases the best of contemporary classical music in a visual art setting. Featuring solo works and chamber pieces, each show is chock-full of multi-faceted musicians, ensembles and composers who revels the breadth and depth of 20th and 21st century new classical music. “The Look & Listen Festival is a playground where sound, images and objects align for a seriously fun experience” – Terrance McKnight, WQXR host.

Mirah and Jherek Bischoff, featuring Kane Mathis
4 and 21 strings
May 5 at 8pm
BRIC House Ballroom, $15 Adv | $18 Door
Brooklyn songwriter Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn invites Seattle’s musical polymath Jherek Bischoff to write the score for this evening of songs and strings. Mirah has been creating independent pop music since the late 1990s, and has released over a dozen solo and collaborative recordings including her self-released 2014 album Changing Light. Los Angeles-based Bischoff is equal parts composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumental performer. His critically acclaimed orchestral pop album Composed was released by Brassland in 2012. The set will feature Kane Mathis on the kora, with a gallimaufry string quartet rounding out the band. Expect to hear favorites along with debuts from Mirah’s forthcoming album and Bischoff’s new release out this spring.

Lakou Mizik
Co-presented with 651 Arts & Haiti Cultural Exchange
May 6 at 8pm
BRIC House Ballroom, $20 Adv | $23 Door
Lakou Mizik is a thrilling, genre-blending musical experience. It is comprised of a collective of Haitian musicians who are bringing new life to Haitian roots music, with legends like master voodoo drummer Sanba Zao, and young stars like Steeve Valcourt and Jonas Attis.

BRIC ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
BRIC sparks creative expression for local artists through one to three year residencies that combine rehearsal time, performances, and community engagement.

The Knights
Residency: Through Spring 2016
The Knights are a Brooklyn-based orchestral collective that engages listeners and defies boundaries with programs that showcase the players’ roots in the classical tradition and their passion for musical discovery. In their second season at BRIC House, they bring us three ambitious and adventurous programs.

Family Concert
February 13 at 2pm
BRIC House Gallery/Stoop, $10 Adv | $12 Door
The Knights bring some foot-stomping fun to a family-friendly concert featuring dance music through the ages. From Beethoven to Spanish folk music, join the orchestra up close in the BRIC gallery, with a cameo appearance by a guest dancer who may just teach you a move or two! “One of Brooklyn’s sterling cultural products…known far beyond the borough for their relaxed virtuosity and expansive repertory” (New Yorker), The Knights deliver imaginative, boundary-pushing programs that are brilliantly performed and just plain fun. Perfect for families with children age five and up.

Orchestra Concert
February 13 at 8pm
BRIC House Gallery/Stoop, $18 Adv | $21 Door
Celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with an orchestral program chock full of love duets, heroes, and good old-fashioned romance. Performed inside BRIC’s towering gallery space, The Knights are joined by world-renowned violinist Gil Shaham for Prokofiev’s darkly tinted post-Romantic masterwork, featuring soaring melodies of Hollywood proportions. Co-Artistic Director Colin Jacobsen joins Shaham as soloist for Sarasate’s playful folk duet, Navarra. Last but certainly not least is Beethoven’s monumental “Eroica” symphony – a love note to Napoleon that forever changed the face of classical music.

Blueshift: Chamber Music
April 8 at 8pm
BRIC House Ballroom, $15 Adv | $18 Door
Blueshift puts the adventurousness of the Knights center stage as they put new and old side by side and bring classical virtuosity to contemporary expression. This program features Knights member Christina Courtin (violin, vocals, arrangements), and includes music by Judee Sill, Bach, and more.

The Commons Choir: BROOKLYN REZOUND
Residency: Through Spring 2016
Led by choreographer Daria Faïn and poet Robert Kocik, The Commons Choir collectively sets our humanity’s troubles and highest ideals to song, movement and spoken word. BROOKLYN REZOUND is a new project that examines stories of displacement and entitlement throughout Brooklyn’s history and our aspirations toward the American Dream. What are we working toward and how does it change us? Using a collective creative process, the Choir uses voice and movement as links between art, health, and social change. This season BRIC will host the Choir in the first stages of creating BROOKLYN REZOUND, which will culminate in a dance and music performance in 2017.

Public Interviews: Building the Glossary
February 16 – 20, 4-7pm
BRIC House Artist Studio, FREE with RSVP
Add your voice to the project by participating in an interview with The Commons Choir. Why did you come to Brooklyn? How does that aspiration translate into your life here? When you leave home for somewhere new, what are you working toward? What do you lose? How does it change you? Your words and gestures will help build a glossary of terms that form the foundation from which the performance will grow.

Voice & Movement Open Community Classes
Saturdays through March 19 – April 30, 10:30 – 12pm
BRIC House Gallery, FREE with RSVP
In this class, taught by master teaser Daria Faïn, participants will use sound and movement as a force for building health and connecting with others. Building on basic actions that explore what sound carries as emotion and where it lives in the body, the class will move from individual expression to fully embodied communication. Open to all levels of experience. Especially welcomes speakers of all languages.

BRIClab RESIDENCY
BRIClab is a commissioning and residency program that offers emerging and established local artists time and space to explore and expand the possibilities of their work in music, dance, theater and multi-disciplinary performance. This season BRIClab features projects at the intersection of theater, music and media.

Built For Collapse
Red Wednesday (work-in-progress)

March 4 & 5 at 7:30pm
BRIC House Artist Studio, $10 Adv | $14 Door
Red Wednesday follows a family’s lasting trauma through political then cultural revolution, as different generations make sense of how their actions affect each other and their understandings of freedom, peace, humanity and revolution. Inspired by the controversial story of Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, Iran’s foreign minister during the 1979 hostage crisis, the production pays special attention to those left to clean up the mess when we blow each other up.

Stephanie Fleishmann & Saskia Lane
The Sweetest Life (work-in-progress)

March 18 & 19 at 7:30pm
BRIC House Artist Studio, $10 Adv | $14 Door
An adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen short story The Flax in sound and image, The Sweetest Life is a treatise on the loss of innocence and a riff on resilience and optimism in the face of suffering. Performed as a song cycle that draws from folk and contemporary traditions — moving from playful lullaby to stark rhythmic call — it is a meditation on transformation.

James Harrison Monaco & Jerome Ellis
Museum (work-in-progress)

April 15 & 16 at 7:30pm
BRIC House Artist Studio, $10 Adv | $14 Door
James and Jerome make theater that feels like reading a modern novel. They perform live music that evokes narrative action. They do all this at the same time, in such a way that the audience sees spectacles of far off places and far away times in their mind. For the first time, they turn their attention to visual art and our relationship to image as inspiration, seeking to create a new kind of museum tour – one that captures the beauty, poetry and narrative of museum spaces, whether you’re standing in front of a work of art or not.

Liza Jessie Peterson
The Peculiar Patriot (work-in-progress)

April 29 & 30 at 7:30pm
BRIC House Artist Studio, $10 Adv | $14 Door
The Peculiar Patriot follows Betsy LaQuanda Ross, a self-proclaimed peculiar patriot, who makes regular visits to her incarcerated friends and family. As Betsy navigates love between barbed wire, she passionately sews a memory quilt for the urban street soldiers who are serving time. But when sudden tragedy strikes, old wounds are uncorked and she’s forced to confront a hidden truth. The Peculiar Patriot gives voice to the voiceless and shines a glaring light on America’s fastest growing epidemic/industry with provocative and hilarious dialogue and gripping pathos.

BRIClab PREMIERE
Introducing BRIClab PREMIERE. A new program that expands the BRIClab residency and commissioning program to a project that is ready to be fully realized.

Nia Witherspoon
The Messiah Complex (World Premiere)

May 20-21 & 25-26 at 8pm
BRIC House Artist Studio, $15 Adv | $18 Door
The Messiah Complex is a play about the legacy of the Black Panthers in the age of crack, where a scratch at a DJ booth incites a replay of the past that heals generations of violence on black queer bodies. The Messiah Complex brings ritual into theater, shifting from the secular to the sacred through the rites already present in black life – the frenzy of a nightclub, the libations poured on street corners, and the sonic landscapes of hip hop – and ultimately tells a story of recognition, revolution and forgiveness.

THEATER

Shoptalk: Women in Theater
Co-presented with Vertigo Theater
March 22 at 7:30pm
BRIC House Artist Studio, $10 Adv | $14 Door
Shoptalk is a casual salon-style gathering of theater makers engaging with the pressing topics that define theater today. For this installment, we consider the past and current trials, tribulations, and accomplishments of women in theater. Typically held around a dining table, this presentation will be the first time these intimate conversations are opened up to a broader public. Past Shoptalk discussions have included such luminaries as Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis; director and producer John Gould Rubin (The Private Theater, Labyrinth Theater Company); Lucille Lortel and Obie Award-winning actor Stephen McKinley Henderson (Between Riverside and Crazy); and Obie award-winning playwright Lucy Thurber (Hill Town Plays).

Touretteshero: Backstage in Biscuit Land
May 19 & 20 at 8pm
BRIC House Ballroom, $15 Adv | $18 Door
Jess Thom has Tourettes, a condition that makes her say biscuit 16,000 times a day. Her unusual neurology gives her a unique perspective on life; one she’s about to unleash on the world. Accompanied by her assistant Chopin, Jess intertwines comedy, puppetry, singing and incredible tics to explore spontaneity, creativity, disability, and things you never knew could make you laugh. Jess is neurologically incapable of staying on script, and that’s when the anarchic fun begins. Devised and performed by Jess ThomandJess Mabel Jones (aka Chopin). This program has been made possible with support from the British Council.

BRIC TV
BRIC TV is an award-winning cable TV channel and digital network created by BRIC and based in its state-of-the-art media facilities in downtown Brooklyn. With an audience of influential tastemakers and a reach of millions, we are the voice of the borough — reflecting the best that Brooklyn has to offer and telling Brooklyn’s story to itself and the world at large. Programming airs live on (Time Warner Cable 756, Cablevision 70, Verizon 46 and livestream) and posts to YouTube daily.

A NEW SEASON OF HIT SERIES

The Show About The Show – Recently dubbed one of Indiewire’s top TV shows of 2015, this self-referential scripted series is about a Brooklyn filmmaker (Caveh Zahedi) trying to make a TV show. Co-starring Alex Karpovsky, Eleonore Hendricks, Dustin Defa and a who’s who of Brooklyn’s independent filmmaking community.

Brooklyn Is Masquerading As the World – Acclaimed filmmakers Terence Nance and Chanelle Aponte Pearson (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty), along with their team at MVMT, direct a lyrical portrayal of the borough’s creative culture, profiling some of Brooklyn’s most fascinating and unconventional artists and makers.

Maz & Juan Strike Back! – Two investigative journalists, Murtaza “Maz” Hussain and Juan Thompson–both from The Intercept–get deep and personal about current events and existential topics. Special guests from last season included filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Black Panther), journalist Jamil Smith, and foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal.

Straight Up – A Brooklyn-style spin on the classic reporter roundtable. We invite local journalists to The Emerson bar to swap stories from the streets and give us their take on news coverage of domestic and international events.

Stand Up Brooklyn with Greg Johnson – Greg Johnson hosts this showcase of some of the city’s hottest emerging comics as they hit the stage during his weekly Stand Up night at Brooklyn’s Splitty.

BHeard Town Hall – BRIC TV hosts a who’s-who of local politicians, activists, journalists and community members, gathered in BRIC House to unpack some of the most important yet difficult issues facing the borough today. From Gentrification to Race & Policing, no topic is off-limits and no viewpoint is ignored. The next town hall will focus on Criminal Justice Reform (March 24).

BK Live – BK Live continued with the best hyper-local news, arts, events, sports and more. Our eclectic hosts introduce you to politicians and community advocates, photographers and bartenders, athletes and musicians — and then we head out into the borough to bring you the stories that capture the energy and complexity of Brooklyn today.

B-Side – A live in-studio music series, featuring performances from Brooklyn’s hottest emerging and established musicians. B-Side is open to the public–come sit in the TV studio and get lost in the sound. Upcoming shows include:

Renee Neufville
February 11, 7:30pm, FREE
A champion of all forms of live music, Renee (one half of the iconic group Zhane) will share some of her new work which is infused with her experience in R&B, pop, Jazz and dancehall worlds.

Chelsea Reject
February 18, 7:30pm, FREE
Chelsea Reject is not your average rapper. She is a 21-year old MC from Brooklyn, with Caribbean roots by way of St. Lucia.

Baeb Rxxth
February 25, 7:30pm, FREE
The New York-based duo of Devon Craig Johnson and Nasimiyu Murumba, perform their first single “Gutter,” which blew up their Soundcloud page with over 15K hits, and much more.

BK Stories – a weekly showcase of short films from around the borough, created by some of the area’s best producers and filmmakers.

Brooklyn Made – a weekly showcase of makers, builders, designers, and artists who are turning Brooklyn into one of the most creative places in the world.

B. Vines – A personal documentary series that explores the hidden worlds of Brooklyn’s subcultures with host Brian Vines.

INTERSECTIONS
BRIC presents programming that crosses the borders of art, performance and media.

THE STOOP SERIES
Illuminating the arts and life around us in Brooklyn, BRIC’s Stoop Series features artistic performances, presentations, participatory activities and dynamic conversations. Drop in and explore music, visual art, film, media, storytelling, comedy and other creative fields.

Amphion String Quartet & Bridget Kibbey, Harp
February 9, 7-9pm, FREE
Enjoy the acoustic sounds of strings and harp floating through our Art Gallery for this special collaboration between the “the focused, forceful young” Amphion String Quartet (The New York Times) and virtuousic harpist Bridget Kibbey. The narrative power of this rare and colorful combination is explored in a program that features the artists’ own arrangement of Bach’s stunning F minor Concerto, masterpieces by Caplet and Debussy, and a new work for the quintet by Nathan Shields. Presented in collaboration with Concert Artist Guild.

We Be Darker Than Blue: An Intergenerational Sisterhood Through Artistic Activism
February 16, 7-9pm, FREE
Come and experience a night of poetry with one of the most important writers of the Black Arts movement, Sonia Sanchez, Brooklyn’s own prolific poetry and slam leader Mahogany Browne, and an opening performance by queer poet, visual artist, and film director, Jess X Chen with large-scale projections provided by the artist Jetsonorama.

Drink & Draw with the House of Larréon
March 8, 7-9pm, FREE
Drink and Draw is back with some glitter and fringe! Bring your paper, pencil, and creative eye for an unconventional sketch night where the models are also the artist/entertainers Larry Krone and Jim Andralis, wearing Larry Krone Brand and House of Larréon originals!

New Music/Old Science
March 15, 7-9pm, FREE
A special look inside the creative process of Anatomy Theater, a new multi-media opera written by composer David Lang and visual artist Mark Dion, that stages a “moral spectacle” inspired by 18th -century operating theaters to explore the relationship of the spiritual to the physical body.

Question Bridge
March 22, 7-9pm, FREE
Question Bridge is an innovative transmedia project led by artists Hank Willis Thomas, Chris Johnson, Bayete Ross Smith, and Kamal Sinclair, and produced by art world luminaries Deborah Willis and Delroy Lindo. The video installation, book, and website facilitate a dialogue between a critical mass of black men from diverse and contending backgrounds. Come and hear how this project creates a platform to represent and redefine black male identity in America. This event is in collaboration with Greenlight Bookstore and the Aperture Foundation.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling for Women in Music
March 29, 7-9pm, FREE
In partnership with Minds Behind the Music, join us for a discussion on industry trends, challenges and career advice from women behind the music including Leota Blacknor VP, Urban Marketing & Label Acquisitions at Caroline Records and more plus a performance by Tangina Stone.

Kavita Shah
April 5, 7-9pm, FREE
A “breathtakingly beautiful” new voice in contemporary music (Downbeat Magazine), vocalist composer Kavita Shahhas been praised by NPR for her “amazing dexterity for musical languages.” A native New Yorker of Indian origin, fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French, Shah incorporates her in-depth knowledge of diverse cultural traditions into her jazz-based repertoire, placing seemingly eclectic songs, instruments, and artists in dialogue with one another.

New York’s Underground Art Museum: An Inside Look at MTA Arts and Design
April 12, 7-9pm, FREE
A panel discussion that gives an inside look at the MTA’s remarkable program of contemporary art commissions throughout the city’s transportation system, with Sandra Bloodworth (Director, MTA Arts for Transit) and several artists who have been commissioned to create the works we see on our daily commute.

Welcome to the AfroFuture
April 19, 7-9pm, FREE
Explore the gamut of Afrofuturism through a number of mediums including: visual art, literature, film, music and dance. Afrofuturism aficionados Greg Tate & Ashley Clark will discuss the ancient and recent history of Afrofuturism, putting it in its bohemian, post-modern context. Acclaimed filmmaker Terence Nance will screen his latest cutting-edge short “Swimming In Your Skin.” Avant-garde hip hop artist H Prizm (of Anti-Pop Consortium) will spin his freshest electro beats, while freestyle dancers: Linda LaNaija, (of Mawu) and Calvin Booker, known for his new spin on tap dance and house dance…dance on. Additionally, there will be live painting around the theme of Afrofuturism by Erykah Hagan aka Egypt.

Skin as a Canvas: Tattoo Tales & the Impact of Body Art on Contemporary Visual Culture
April 26, 7-9pm, FREE
As author Jack London once said, “Show me a man with a tattoo, and I’ll show you a man with an interesting past.” This storytelling event will feature tattoo stories from people of all walks of life describing personal anecdotes on reasons for getting a tattoo, the meaning behind each piece or the experience itself. We’ll also discuss the history of tattoos and the art of tattooing, and hear from Guy Prandstatter, founder of the Academy of Responsible Tattooing (A.R.T.)

BRIC FLIX
BRIC FLIX is a free film screening and conversation that offers premieres, shorts, new media projects, and web series that all reflect the diversity and vibrancy of Brooklyn. Each screening is followed by a discussion with the filmmakers, artists, curators, and more. BRIC FLIX is produced in partnership with renowned film organizations throughout NYC. Once a month; all events are FREE.

Crowdfunded Films with Kickstarter
February 17, 7-9pm, FREE
We’ll present a selection of crowdfunded films from Brooklyn-based filmmakers such as Kweighbaye Kotee, creator of the Bushwick Diaries and discuss crowdfunding challenges; tips plus the impact that web based platforms have had on film with this month’s partner –Kickstarter. Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality. To date, tens of thousands of creative projects — big and small — have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.

Women Behind the Lens with Chicken & Egg Pictures
March 9, 7-9pm, FREE
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we will show excerpts of films made by and/or about women, and talk about the impact of women behind the lens. Selected pieces include “Born to Fly” about Elizabeth Streb and the STREB Extreme Action Company; “Speed Sisters”, the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East; and “Canary in a Coal Mine”, a woman’s story about suffering with a debilitating disease. Chicken & Egg Pictures supports female non-fiction filmmakers whose artful and innovative storytelling catalyzes social change

New Voices in Black Cinema with Act Now Foundation
April 20, 7-9pm, FREE
BRIC FLIX will partner with the ActNow Foundation as part of the New Voices in Black Cinema Festival. The New Voices in Black Cinema Festival presents narrative features, documentaries, and shorts that redefine the black experience in America and around the world. Since its founding in 2005, the ActNow Foundation has been a production company and advocate for diverse, independent filmmakers and playwrights interested in producing work reflecting the infinite range of African-American and Latino experiences across the globe.

LGBTQ Spotlight with IndieWorks
May 23, 7-9pm, FREE
May’s BRIC FLIX will showcase some works by, for and/or about the LGBTQ community with our partner IndieWorks, a monthly film series that screens short films produced by emerging filmmakers throughout New York. They provide a platform for those filmmakers to showcase their work in front of an audience and network with other individuals in the local film community. IndieWorks aims to create an environment that will spark discussion, collaboration and support.

Brooklyn Poetry Slam
January 12, 2016, 7PM
February 3, 2016, 7PM
March 2, 2016, 7PM
April 6, 2016, 7PM
FREE
An intergenerational poetry slam and open mic, featuring Brooklyn-based poets who respond to city culture, national issues, and the exhibitions on-view at BRIC House. Hosted by Mahogany L. Browne, with music by DJ Jive Poetic.

Concrete Stories
Brooklyn Youth Media Festival
May 25, 1pm & 6:30pm
FREE
Produced and curated by a group of media-savvy Brooklyn high school students as part of the BRIC Youth Media Internship Program. This media showcase, produced by youth under the age of 20, celebrates talented young media makers who are telling stories through short films, documentaries, and animations.

FAMILY PROGRAMMING

BRIC HOUSE PARTIES
Brooklyn’s best family daytime parties continue with special daytime activities, including family dance classes, gaming, art making, and other participatory activities, all ending with a family disco party.

Adventures in Storytelling House Party
January 23, 12pm-5pm, FREE
A memorable exploration of community storytelling through song, dance, film, and more.

Hackathon House Party
February 20, 12pm-5pm, FREE
A fun-filled day of learning, sharing ideas and exploring inventions–at the intersection of art and technology.

Make Some Noise Hip-Hop House Party
April 16, 12pm-5pm, FREE
This family day is all about celebrating musical sounds, lyrics, dance, street art, and much more.

BRIC FAMJAM
A new family program designed as a workshop for families to work together to complete one creative art project. From silent movies to mosaic plaque creations, these projects will celebrate the notion of home and more. For families with school age children (ages 7+).

Family Mosaic
February 6, 10am-1pm
BRIC House Ballroom, FREE with RSVP

Not Your Typical Family Portrait
April 3, 10am-1pm
BRIC House Ballroom, FREE with RSVP

BROOKLYN FREE SPEECH
Brooklyn Free Speech is a premiere, state-of-the-art media center where filmmakers, television artists, and organizations come to learn and create innovative media. Every week we showcase over 650 hours of TV shows, film, and shorts created by Brooklyn-based community producers that reflect their perspectives on the world. Watch in Brooklyn on Cablevision, Time Warner, and RCN; watch in all five boroughs on Verizon FiOS; watch worldwide at BRICartsmedia.org/BFS

B Free Awards
April 2
B Free Awards celebrates the diversity and excellence in Public Access Television programming on the three Brooklyn Free Speech channels. We’re rolling out the red carpet for the dedicated producers who share their programs with the community.

B SCENE
B Scene is a film and television screening series, that showcases community produced work, curated by BRIC. We proudly join Weeksville Weekends to present work that is reflective of Brooklyn’s media makers in a way that is uniquely Brooklyn Free Speech

B Scene @ Weeksville: #Black TV Matters
February 13, 2PM
Joins us at the Weeksville Heritage Center for an event that celebrates Black History. In this B Scene screening we’ll view and discussing community produced films and Television programs that explore the lives of African Americans, celebrating their community, relationships, and history.

B Scene @ Weeksville: Art -N- Media
May 14, 2PM
What happens when an artist is given the medium of television or film as a tool to create, capture, and share his or her creativity? Join us at Weeksville to experience media at its most creative. See the films and be a part of creative conversations that speak to the works presented by artist who have been a part of BRIC’s Media Artist Fellowship, and The Brooklyn Free Speech producer community.

B Scene @ Weeksville: The Legacy of Community Media
June 11, 2PM
Join us in celebrating the value community at Weeksville. View and discuss locally produced Film and Television content, and find out how you can take advantage of the low cost classes and free access to production equipment that BRIC provides through Public Access at Brooklyn Free Speech.

BRIC MEDIA EDUCATION
BRIC offers free and low-cost high-quality media education courses that provides the tools needed to navigate the ever-changing world of media and technology. With courses ranging from television studio production to video editing, students gain valuable production skills so they can create their own television show and/or web series.

Media Education Orientation Sessions at BRIC House:
Tuesday, January 12, 6:30-8:30pm
Saturday, January 23, 11-1pm
Tuesday, February 2, 6:30-8:30pm
Saturday, February 20, 11-1pm
Tuesday, March 1, 6:30-8:30pm
Saturday, March 19, 11-1pm
Tuesday, April 5, 6:30-8:30pm
Saturday, April 16, 11-1pm

NEW COURSES

Intro to Social Media
Cost: Free
An introduction to a variety of social media platforms. In the Facebook class, learn how to set up a profile page, and apply privacy and security settings. Students also learn how to navigate posts, upload pictures and videos, and add friends to their feed. In Twitter, students will create a profile for personal or professional use, learn how to tweet in 140 characters, and connect with other users. In the Instagram class, students learn how to set up an account, tips for taking great mobile photography and video, how to build an audience, and best practices using effects and posting content.

Intro to Radio Podcasting
Cost: $50
This two-session course offers a hands-on experience using professional audio recorders and editing software to create one’s own radio podcast. Students will learn about different styles of radio podcasting, best practices for developing and pitching a show, and how to distribute the podcast once it’s complete. By the end of the class, students will produce a 2-4 minute segment in the radio podcast style of their choice.

BRIC MEDIA TALKS
These inspiring talks feature professional producers, directors, documentary filmmakers, editors, and new media producers sharing their perspectives and stories with the community.

Media Talk with Jeff Hermes, Deputy Director, Media Law Resource Center
January 26 at 6PM
BRIC House, Studio B
Theme: Copyright and Fair Use

Media Talk with Sara Macel
April 21 at 6:30pm
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Branch
Theme: Documentary Photography

BRIC MEDIA SHARE
BRIC Media Share is an in-kind grant program for selected Brooklyn non-profit organizations to create video content and help non-profits become “hands-on” with the creation of videos that can promote and inform the public about their work. This content airs on BRIC’s cable and digital platforms throughout the year. Applications for the grant open in February 2016. For more information reach out to [email protected].

BRIC CUSTOM TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Strengthen your employees’ proficiency by providing access to training necessary in today’s media landscape. Our BRIC Education Staff can devote a day or more to in-person training customized to meet your needs. To find out more [email protected].