VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY // Be Part of the 2011 DUMBO Arts Festival

 

The DUMBO Arts Festival is Brooklyn's biggest annual arts event, bringing together 200,000 visitors, more than 500 artists, 100 studios, 50 galleries and stages, 100 programming partners...and, if you'd like: you.

This year's festival runs from Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25, and organizers are looking for volunteers to help out both before and during the event:

This year we are searching for volunteers who can devote some of their time between Friday, September 16th and Thursday, September 22nd, as well as, the three days of the Festival itself.

The activities you might engage in include assisting exhibiting artists with installation of their works, guiding attendees through and between the various exhibits, lending a hand at one of our performance stages, or helping the next generation of artists at our children’s creation station.

They are also looking for a few volunteers who can start working on specific projects early on in September.

Meet some new folks, hang with some of the city's premiere artists and see some mind-blowing work -- in other words: Go fill out the volunteer form now.

After the jump check out a video of highlights from last year's DUMBO Arts Festival.

ESSENTIAL EVENT // The World Maker Faire returns to NYC this September

Hey, all you makers. We feel it's our duty to not let you miss the 2nd Annual World Maker Faire, which will bring a broad range of amazing creativity and innovation to the New York Hall of Science in Queens on September 17 and 18. It's an especially apt location for the fair, as the hall was formerly part of the 1964 World's Fair.

Organized by the people at MAKE Magazine, the event is "a newfangled fair that brings together science, art, craft and engineering plus music in a fun, energized, and exciting public forum." Last year's event featured more than 450 vendors and received widespread coverage from PBS, the Wall Street Journal, Time Out New York, WNYC and many other outlets.

Most importantly though: If you're interested in participating in the fair, you've still got a few days to apply. The deadline is this Saturday, August 20. Just fill out the entry form. The fair is open to both individuals and groups and non-commercial and commercial makers.

Hit the jump to watch a video about last year's inaugural World Maker Fair from Rocketboom.com. Also, make sure to like the World Maker Faire's Facebook page for the latest updates.

Pig Roast pics are up!

Thanks to everyone who came out for our Pig Roast last Saturday! See below for a couple of our favorite shots and check out the 3rd Ward Facebook Page for the full 130+ photo album. Thanks to Liz Clayman for the amazing photographs.

MAKER EVENT // Red Bull Creation Brings the Country's Best Creators to McCarren Park

Are you ready for the ultimate maker battle? We sincerely hope so, because it's happening very soon right here in Brooklyn. On July 7 some of the nation's best hackers, builders and makers will descend upon our borough to take part in Red Bull Creation, an intense 72-hour marathon of technology and creativity. On July 10 they will present what they've made at McCarren Park from 3-7pm. The event is totally free.

We caught up with Red Bull Creation producer Jason Naumoff to get the inside scoop. He's been working with Red Bull for a couple years to put on the event. "This is the year that we finally made it happen," he says. "And New York is the perfect place to do it. Such a great community exists here and has for quite some time. It's a celebration of New York and Brooklyn creativity in particular."

Out of the 16 teams from across the country that qualified for the event, there are naturally a few hometown competitors. NYC Resistor (birthplace of MakerBot) and Alpha One Labs will represent Brooklyn, and ITP, New York University's interactive technology graduate program, will also field an all-star team. Other teams hail from every corner of the U.S., from Texas's Innovation Thirst and Los Angeles' Double Wide to Baltimore's Harford Hackerspace and the Houston/Austin/Portland/San Francisco combo of the Effin Ladies.

While the teams will be scrambling to come up with the most amazing things that they can in their 72 hours, Naumoff says it's more about collaboration and creation than winning. "We're doing something kind of different, an 'uncompetition.' We're going to have a judged award based on some criteria announced the day of the event, but we're also doing a team's choice award, where we'll ask all of the teams which other team they'd really like to work with. We want to create an environment that represents what hacker spaces and build spaces are really about."

There's no doubt that Red Bull Creation will showcase some of today's brightest and most daring makers, but the most exciting part of the event is the unknown. "We just don't know what's going to be built and what's going to happen," Naumoff says. "We're putting out a broad topic, bringing together some really amazing people, giving them the resources to create something, and watching it unfold."

One of the summer's first official, must-see events. Mark your calendars: Red Bull Creation culminates July 10 from 3-7pm at McCarren Park!

Check out a video about Red Bull Creation after jump.

—John Ruscher

FREE EVENT // Photographer Thierry Van Biesen Talks Vision on Wednesday

Join photographer Thierry Van Biesen tomorrow for a special session of Branding Your Vision. This event—free and open to the public (spread the word!)—offers the amazing opportunity to learn about his 20-year career and catch a highlight of instructor Elizabeth Waugh’s otherwise sold-out course. (Stay tuned for details about the Advanced Vision course starting in August.)

Beirut native Van Biesen, who shoots fashion and advertising in Paris and New York, received an intensive education in finding his own vision during the summer of 1989 when he was a teaching assistant at Art Kane Photo Workshops. There he learned from masters including Ralph Gibson, Art Kane, Sarah Moon, Len Jenshel, Duane Michals, Arthur Elgort, Uli Rose and Jay Maisel. Tomorrow he’ll share those tips, including a few words on lucid dreaming (!), which has been an influence on his absurd, vivid and gorgeous work.

“New York City is full of photographers, so it's important to have unique positioning—an awareness and understanding of what separates you from the rest,” says Waugh, who also teaches Intro to Digital Photography and Studio Lighting: Product Photography. She describes her involvement with 3rd Ward as “…incredibly fulfilling. It’s like nothing else in the city; Brooklyn at its best!”

Wed, Jun 29, 7—10pm
345 Eldert St, Suite 214, Brooklyn
Free and open to the public
RSVP required; email alex@elizabethwaugh.com 

Photo by Thierry Van Biesen-- Cara Cannella

MEMBER EVENT // Sip Cocktails For a Good Cause at DRINK

3rd Ward member Les Brown has put together a great event called DRINK, and it's taking place this Tuesday, June 28 at Brooklyn Brewery as part of Edible New York's Eat Drink Local Week.

You'll be able to enjoy signature cocktails from local bars including Dram, Maison Premiere, The Richardson, Rabbithole, Manhattan Inn, Brooklyn Winery and The Drink, as well as tasty bar snacks from Nita Nita, Urban Rustic/Lodge, Fat Goose, Fornino, Adamba Imports, Bahn Mi, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and Brooklyn Brine.

There will also be an "Iron Bartender"-style battle between local bartenders, who'll square off to create cocktails using secret ingredients. Plus tunes from neo-tango/gypsy jazz band Djangos and Tangos

All proceeds from DRINK will benefit the Northside Town Hall Community and Cultural Center, a joint project of two North Brooklyn non-profits, Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG) and The People's Firehouse, Inc (PFI.) The center, at the former location of the Engine Company 212 firehouse, will be the new home of the two organizations and will also provide a "flexible cultural exhibition and community meeting space on the ground floor and serve as a place for all to celebrate and build community."

DRINK starts at 8pm at Brooklyn Brewery. Sips are limited to the quantity at hand, so get there early! Grab your tickets and RSVP on Facebook!

Crest Fest // SATURDAY

This Saturday marks Crest Hardware's fourth annual Crest Fest, the kick-off celebration to the six-week Crest Hardware Art Show.  From 1 to 7 pm, enjoy live music, DJs, food from The Meat Hook, drinks and some of the most inventive hardware-inspired art we've ever seen!

Check out the videos below to get a taste of Crest Fest! For full details on performers, directions and how to get involved, head here.

"Hello, I like You" by Mixtape Club

 "The Deep" by PES

Makerbot Make-A-Thon // 3D Pics are Up!

BarnettDid you come to our Makerbot Make-A-Thon and get scanned? Here are some of the 3D scans that were taken by resident Makerbot artist, Kyle McDonald. Click on each image and you can rotate each image in 3D! Plus, click here for the full album on Thingiverse.com.

And this is just the beginning. You can start with a face... but can add or subtract anything you want. Add some glasses, a quarter behind your ear, or a salt shaker balancing on nose. Poke around Thingiverse and see what else you can find.

TJSaira

DRINK-N-DRAW SPOTLIGHT // Albert Oeswadi’s Comic Creations

From time to time, we like to spotlight one of the good folks coming to Drink-n-Draw (every Wednesday from 8 to 10:30pm!). Today’s lucky Drink-n-Draw-er is Albert Oeswadi, who caught our eye with this lovely lady (much larger and lovelier after the jump).

By day, Albert is a public accountant who “inappropriately doodles during meetings,” he says. By night, he sketches comics, cartoons, and what he calls “random, silly things.”

Why does he come to Drink n Draw? “It’s the perfect way to relax after a long day of work and meet people. Overall, it’s more rewarding and cheaper than happy hours, therapy sessions or a gym membership,” he says, adding, “The unlimited PBR doesn't hurt either.” We’ll drink to that!

Albert--originally from Indonesia--is an Upper East Sider, but says “I recently developed an interest to explore more of Brooklyn after my friends moved to the borough - I hope to do the same one day.” Good man.

Albert says his sketches are “heavily influenced” by Mike Mignola, one of his “all-time favorite” comic artists. Check out more of his work on his Blogspot and Tumblr -- and come on out next Wednesday night!

-- Anastasia Friscia

B-DAY BBQ // The End is Nigh...Come Dance in the Sand with Moviehouse

In case you haven’t heard, the world is ending. What better reason to carpe diem and indulge all your senses? Tomorrow at 3rd Ward’s fifth birthday barbecue, catch live video artists Jesse Mann and Sebastian the Sand Animator (who uses—look at you guessin' it!—sand to make live animations). With side-by-side performances in Studio C, the two will be kept on their toes by a beat boxing Kata and one-man rock band Jarred Barron while audience members play in the “sandbox.”

The interactive performance presented by Moviehouse wraps up the current season of the event series (hosted monthly by 3rd Ward and returning with Cinema Parque at Sternberg Park in July), which engages audiences in the creation and discussion of film and video work. Series organizer Chris Henderson describes the events as “part screening, part salon, part spectacle.” 

“3rd Ward allows us all the creative freedom to do what we like while providing us with dedicated on-site staff and the space as an in-kind donation. Even though we've expanded to other venues, I honestly can't imagine that we'd be still be going if we hadn't come here,” he says of the partnership. “It’s like family—we’re the crazy cousin that stumbles in once a month.”

Doors and Food 2pm; $5 suggested donation. RSVP to moviehousebk@gmail.com

-- Cara Cannella