Best of 2014: Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden

Model of the TWA Terminal at JFK, complete with runway

Every year, the wonderful folks at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx take ten days to assemble a fantastical miniature representation of many of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Now a 23-year-old tradition, the Holiday Train Show in the NYBG's Haupt Conservatory is the brainchild of Kentucky artist Paul Busse. Using twigs, leaves, acorns and other assorted materials culled from nature, Busse and his team have expanded the exhibit to more than 150 buildings from New York's past and present. Model trains run on tracks weaving around, over and under the Brooklyn Bridge, Old Penn Station, the Statue of Liberty and Yankee Stadium, just to name a few. While the trains seem to be the main attraction for the younger crowd, the exquisitely detailed cityscape is the real masterwork. For the curious (or the former architecture students) a small exhibit-within-the-exhibit illuminates the process by which the artists create a building, beginning with a cardboard model, which takes on progressively finer levels of organic detail, before being coated in a protective shellac. The photos (and video) below attempt to capture a bit of the show's magic, but it really must be seen up close for a true appreciation of the work. Luckily, it will be on display through January 19. If you plan to go, I would recommend purchasing advance tickets, as space is limited. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Roof detail of the old Penn Station

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Haupt Conservatory at the NY Botanical Garden

Detail of Grand Central Terminal

Detail of the Statue of Liberty

Foreground (L-R): Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Met Life Tower. Background: Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge Detail

Detail of TWA Terminal roof

Best of 2014: Kara Walker at the Domino Sugar Factory

Kara Walker's A Subtlety at the Domino Sugar Refining Plant

When I called Ai Weiwei's show at the Brooklyn Museum the most impressive exhibition of the year, I may have misspoken. That title might more rightly be given to Kara Walker's incredible installation this spring and summer at the former Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg. For two months, at no charge (other than the price of standing in a reliably blocks-long line), the public could visit "A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, an Homage to the upaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant."

Entrance to Walker's installation at the Domino Sugar storage shed

Using the soon-to-be-demolished sugar storage shed as an integral actor, Ms. Walker's immense exhibition drew on centuries of the sugar trade's ugly history to explore themes of oppression, exploitation, stereotypes and the objectification of African-American bodies. Dark walls caked with decades of molasses residue, resembling stalactites, imbued the cavernous space with an overpowering scent of sweetness. Light streamed in from clerestories high overhead to illuminate Walker's focal point, a 75-foot-long by 35-foot-high sphinx fashioned from polystyrene coated in bleached sugar. Lording over the warehouse, the head of the sphinx took cues from imagery of the Mamie stereotype of America's not-so-distant past. Her body represented an exaggeration of the overtly sexualized objectification of black women, a depressingly familiar presence in contemporary popular culture, but just the latest strand in a thread that can be traced back hundreds of years. After a month and a half of existence, the sphinx showed signs of discoloration due to sun, leaks in the roof and exposure to hundreds of visitors per day.

Scattered throughout the warehouse and around the base of the sphinx, were molasses statues of children carrying baskets of raw sugar. By the time of our visit, near the end of the show's two-month run, the sculptures were found in various states of decay. Sticky puddles of melted molasses had formed around the children--on the floor, on walls; in low light, one could be forgiven for mistaking the result for pools of blood. The head of one figure had separated from its body, left to melt on the ground.

The show's ephemeral and evolutionary nature gave it a powerful sense of vitality and urgency. Its transience also instilled the feeling that the characters that composed its whole were decaying, and along with the institution that birthed and contained them, would soon be lost to history. But the remarkable impression left by Walker's show will not soon be forgotten.

Best of 2014: Bucks 122, Nets 118 (3 OT)

Jabari Parker of the Milwaukee Bucks attempts a free throw in a game vs. the Brooklyn Nets, 11/19/2014.

After 30-plus years of basketball fandom, I think that November 19th was the date that I finally accepted that I have no true allegiance to an NBA team. Growing up in Kansas in the days after the Kings had fled to Sacramento, and leaving long before the Thunder arrived in Oklahoma City, college basketball was all that mattered in our neck of the woods. And for our family, that meant all Jayhawks, all the time. 

As a Chicago-born child of the '80s and '90s (and as a person with a heartbeat), naturally I was a fan of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls. Just before Jordan retired (the second time), the Boston Celtics selected Kansas' Paul Pierce 10th in the 1998 draft. It didn't take long for my loyalties to change, and by the time the Celtics won the title ten years later, I considered myself a long-time Boston fan. That lasted until 2013, when the Celtics threw 15 years of history out the window and traded Pierce to Brooklyn. Having lived in Brooklyn for several years by that point, it was perfect. Instantly, I became a Nets fan. This was a natural transition, as ex-Celtics Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry arrived along with Pierce. After struggling early in the season, Brooklyn finished the regular season as one of the better teams in the league. I thoroughly enjoyed rooting for the Nets as they defeated Toronto in the first round of the playoffs before succumbing to LeBron James and the Miami juggernaut. Then, a couple of months later, Paul Pierce was off to Washington.

No matter. I still lived in Brooklyn, so a Nets fan I would remain. A few weeks ago, a friend offered me a great seat to see the Nets take on the Milwaukee Bucks. I wore my Tyshawn Taylor jersey. I cheered when the newly-retired Jason Collins was recognized for his years of contributions to the team. And then, as the game went on, Milwaukee rookie Jabari Parker displayed the poise of a 10-year veteran en route to 23 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo played through a twisted ankle suffered during the first overtime to drop 18 points and pull down 12 boards. John Henson played a meaningful role off the bench, and seemed to have fun doing it. But the story of the night ultimately belonged to Brandon Knight. On a night when he seemed to shoot every time he touched the ball, and the vast majority of those missed the mark (he was 5-20 for the game), it was Knight's play in overtime that proved most memorable. With the game tied and under three seconds remaining in overtime, Knight stole the ball, streaked down the court, and... bricked the winning layup. In the second OT, he redeemed himself brilliantly, unafraid to take and drain a game-tying three. The Bucks eventually prevailed, 122-118, in the third overtime, thanks in part to clutch free throws by Knight.

It was sometime in the fourth quarter that I finally admitted to myself that in spite of my residence, in spite of my seven-years-and-counting loyalty to Kevin Garnett, in spite of how fun it can be to watch Joe Johnson take over a game, and in spite of my Tyshawn Taylor jersey, I unequivocally wanted the Bucks to win. They just looked like they were playing with much more joy. I'm sure I'll jump back on to the Nets bandwagon if they make the playoffs, trade Deron Williams or get a new owner. In the meantime, I'll stick with the Jayhawks, and enjoy the NBA as an impartial fan... waiting for the day that the Morris twins lead Phoenix to the promised land. Go Suns!

For Eric Garner, We Walk

For the second night in a row, thousands of New Yorkers took to the streets en masse. They marched to protest a grand jury's decision not to press charges against the NYPD officer responsible for the killing of Eric Garner in Staten Island this past July. Early Thursday evening, a large number of the protestors gathered in Foley Square near City Hall, before heading north on Broadway, bringing traffic to a standstill. Cars, trucks, buses--for quite some time, everything came to a halt.

From what I saw, the affected drivers and passengers did not seem to mind, with some even voicing their support, such as the cab driver in the video below. The honking is clearly audible, but if you look closely, you can see the thumbs-up, too.



With a camera trained on this captive taxi passenger, he was all-too-happy to oblige with an interview.

Many signs such as this bore the last words spoken by Eric Garner to the police:

Others offered a broader message, in the wake of Michael Brown, Ramarley Graham, Sean Bell and others.

On the way across the river, the Brooklyn Bridge, and later the Manhattan Bridge, were closed to traffic to accommodate marchers. By the time I got to the bridge, the protesters were gone, but so was the traffic, with the exception of a handful of police vehicles speeding back and forth:

It was a very eerie, but peaceful feeling. Back in Brooklyn, the police presence was much more visible than usual, as shown by the scene on Tillary Street:

The protests will likely continue through the weekend. Meanwhile, the Justice Department has announced that it will open a criminal civil rights investigation into the Eric Garner case.

Mermaid Parade 2013: A Photo Diary

Parade-goers await the F Train in Coney Island

It started when we boarded an unusually crowded F car in downtown Brooklyn, and grew with each stop. Purple wigs, sequined pants, body glitter, outlandish suits, almost-birthday suits. When a resplendent group of twenty-somethings broke into a boisterous sing-a-long of "Build Me Up Buttercup," we knew we were on our way... to Coney Island, USA.

Last Saturday marked the 30th Anniversary of Coney Island's beloved Mermaid Parade, an annual tradition celebrating the Summer solstice, which invokes the festive and uninhibited spirit of Mardi Gras. In this, my seventh summer in New York, I finally made the leap with Maura to witness the revelry firsthand. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, this year's parade was nearly cancelled. Thanks in no small part to the fundraising efforts of 2013's King Neptune, Judah Friedlander, the show went on. Come along for a vicarious thrill ride...

State of Decay: Interview with an Artist

Teddi Rogers: Angela's Lines (2013). Rose petals and cheese cloth on wood panel.

As you may or may not know, I'm currently acting as a curator for the FXFOWLE art gallery. The latest exhibition--running for two more weeks--features the work of Teddi Rogers, a New York artist who uses a variety of organic materials to deal with themes of loss and decay. I recently interviewed Teddi for the FXFOWLE blog, where you can find our discussion.

"SKINNED", an exhibition of Teddi Rogers' mixed-media "Skin Series," will be on display in the FXFOWLE Gallery through Friday, July 12, 2013. The gallery is located at 22 West 19th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10011. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm or by appointment.

You can see more of Teddi's work at www.teddirogers.com.

Yeah Yeah Yeah! The Great GoogaMooga Has Landed.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs closing out their explosive set at the Great GoogaMooga 2013 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Year Two of the Great GoogaMooga food/drink/music festival kicked off with a bang last night at the Nethermead in Prospect Park, and will run through tomorrow evening. After last year's semi-fiasco, in which lines and vendors short on stock prevented many in attendance from actually enjoying themselves, dozens upon dozens of local food vendors--including Red Hook Lobster Pound, Roberta's and Mile End--are making sure that festival-goers will not leave hungry this year. At last night's opener, the lines were reasonable, and the food was good--if often overpriced (e.g. $10 for a small bowl of crawfish pasta). Most food dishes seem to be priced between $8 and $12. For me, the two standouts were a deliciously juicy, buttery truffle burger from Umami Burger (now in NYC), and the always-stellar chicken from Dirty Bird To Go. The concession stands feature a decent selection of beer and wine, but if your tendencies run toward hydroplaning, you can purchase tickets to sample a smattering of offerings from around the globe in the beer and wine tents.

So. All of that was great. But the real reason I dragged Maura there was to--finally!--catch my favorite band in the world live and in concert. After an atmospheric, typically idiosyncratic set by the Flaming Lips (with groovy sets that couldn't be wholly appreciated before nightfall), Brooklyn's own Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the stage in front of a packed meadow. Karen O and her wailing electric guitar of a voice brought the house down with bandmates Nick Zinner, Animal from The Muppets (aka Brian Chase), and occasionally David Pajo on guitar and keys. They hit the ground running, employing the phenomenal Broadway Inspirational Voices gospel choir for the opening number, "Sacrilege"--the lead single from their latest album. For an idea of the effect, check out their performance last month on Letterman:



The whole show was pure energy, from an enormous, inflated, Flaming Lips-esque bouncing eyeball, to the moment when Karen passed the mic through the crowd for the bridge of "Cheated Hearts," and through to the super-charged encore of "Date with the Night," which concluded with the unquestionable destruction of said microphone. 

When it was all said and done, the crowd was able to disperse quickly and peacefully, much to our delight... and another reason we will return to the new-and-improved GoogaMooga, perhaps as early as tomorrow. De La Soul, here we come!

More from DUMBO Arts Fest 2012

One day left, if you've yet to catch it... for motivation, here are some photographic observations from the last couple of days.

Tobacco Warehouse, dressed to the eights

Interactive children's art in the Tobacco Warehouse 

Clockwise from Top Left: Ingenuous temporary seating and counters mounted to scaffolding, festival-goers helping to paint wearable art, backpack art

Top: A construction site gets in on the act, Bottom: "Portable Forest"