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Arts & Entertainment

Revisiting Brooklyn's Past Through Art

The borough's history comes to life in a unique, contemporary exhibit.

It was almost possible to feel the drops, twists and turns of Coney Island's infamous Cyclone roller coaster and the sweltering heat and noisy crowd of a Coney Island summer. On a recent Saturday at the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS), those feelings and sounds radiated through the attentive crowd of approximately 40 visitors.

Writer, actor, director and Coney Island native Michael Schwartz brought a decades-old Coney Island Brooklyn to life with his contribution to the BHS and BRIC Rotunda Gallery's newest exhibit, "Artist & Artifact: Re-Visioning Brooklyn's Past." He was one of two writers to present their work; author Elizabeth Gaffney read excerpts from her new novel, "The End of the Age of Wonder."

The exhibit, on display at the BHS and BRIC, presents a vision of Brooklyn from the past in a contemporary and artistic way. Original work from 10 creative minds is showcased: two writers, seven artists and one musician. The artists, selected from hundreds of applicants, examined materials from the BHS and then created works of art with a modern-day spin, including portraits, novels and sculptures.

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"Our collection is a living thing, and history is active too--a living thing," said Janice Monger of the Historical Society and a co-curator of the exhibit in an interview. "We are able to use the collection and interpret it and bring a new look to the past." 

The new works are exhibited side-by-side with their respective BHS pieces.

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After looking through historical documents from Coney Island, Schwartz used a brochure for incandescent light bulbs from Thomas Edison's company, which were used to light up Luna Park, as inspiration for his poems, short stories and even a song with a modern twist.

Schwartz presented an excerpt of the short story, "Hey Gerry!" to exhibit-goers, which brings to life a young boy sneaking free rides all over the amusement park. His poem was a mash-up of creative work and bits of The Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk," which elicited clapping and laughter from the audience.

Schwartz's presentation hit home, literally, for several Brooklynites in the crowd.

"Really, for anybody who grew up [in Coney Island], it rings true," said Rob Burstein, a teacher in Williamsburg who grew up in Coney Island.

Long-time Coney Island resident Keith Suber said he appreciated Schwartz's work because talking about Coney Island's history helps to keep it relevant.

Historical fiction novelist Elizabeth Gaffney revisited Brooklyn through documents, schedules and photos to craft a picture of Brooklyn during the period between World War II and the Vietnam War. Not only does the piece, which will be published by Random House, look at Brooklyn during times of war, it also looks at the issue of race in historic Brooklyn--a common theme among the works.  

Gaffney, a professor at the New School, said it was eye-opening to learn about things she was not looking for.

"That's the reason I like doing historical work," she said in her presentation. "It takes me places I don't always know about."

A student of Gaffney's who was in attendance praised the exhibit and its mission.

"I like this conscious taking of Brooklyn historical moments and...re-imagining them," said Luke Sirinides, who pointed out that all art can be seen as political, or a reflection of the past.

The exhibit, on display until Dec. 17, features a variety of artwork, including video, paintings, post cards and a graphic novel.

Like Gaffney, several artists turned to the issue of race in their pieces. Artist Terry Adkins studied Brooklyn directories from the mid 1800s, which included residents' addresses and occupations. Adkins took all of the black residents—differentiated from their white counterparts by an asterisk—and compiled them into a new directory, consisting solely of the black residents.

Sculptor Meredith Bergmann used the terracotta busts of historical, white male figures, which adorn the building of the BHS, as inspiration to her sculpture of Sally Maria Diggs, a Brooklyn Heights slave, known as Pinky.

"[Bergmann's work] is fascinating to me because there are multiple layers to it," said Deborah Schwartz, president of BHS, in an interview. "Not only is it looking at the history of the anti-slavery movement in Brooklyn, but she chose to create a work of art that is also a reference to our building."

The one musician selected, Daniel José Older, used different stories about police violence, riots and jailbreaks from the 1880s, to create a contemporary opera he dubbed "Murder in Old Crow Hill." The protagonist is a young girl accused of murdering a police officer in Brooklyn who is sent to Kings County Penitentiary, which was built in Crown Heights in 1846. The black-and-white musical film was inspired, in part, by images of the Brooklyn penitentiary.

"The artists' work takes people in a lot of interesting, different directions," said Deborah Schwartz. "Each one reflects different aspects of [the BHS] collection, exploring something very particular. The big takeaway message is history is constantly being re-seen and re-understood and reexamined, not only by scholars and historians but by artists and laypeople."

But the exhibit does more than just convey history in a new light. It brings locals back to their Brooklyn roots by engaging them with local resources.

"It's exciting for us to introduce our collection," said Deborah Schwartz.

"It's a really great exhibit," said Amanda Evans, 21, an intern for the BRIC Rotunda Gallery. "It ties the Brooklyn history with the future. People in Brooklyn have a great sense of pride for their borough."

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