A lot went on at Thursday night’s Brooklyn Heights Association Annual Meeting, much of which is touched on in our “Tale of the Tweets” coverage. I have a few points about the business side of the meeting to expand on. In addition to the awards for “best diner” to Clark Restaurant and to Patricia and John Duffy for their renovation of 265 Hicks Street, there was one to the extended Alperin/Lowe/Sullivan family for their various ventures, including Marissa Alperin Studio on State Street between Columbia Place and Willow Place (a frequent stop for your correspondent when shopping for presents for his wife), clothing store and art gallery Goose Barnacle, kids’ clothing shop Junior Lowe, both on Atlantic Avenue, and the re-opening of the Long Island Bar and Restaurant, also on Atlantic.

A new honor was the Martha Atwater Award, named for the Heights resident, TV producer, wife, and mother tragically killed just over a year ago when an out of control truck hit her on the sidewalk on Clinton Street. The first Martha Atwater honoree was Mary Frost, of the Eagle, who received the award in recognition of her coverage of the battle to keep Long Island College Hospital open. Finally, a “Best New Addition to the Neighborhood” award was given to Ted Zoli, with Brooklyn Bridge Park President Regina Myer accepting on his behalf, for his design of the Squibb Park Pedestrian Bridge.

Clay Shirky (photo above), who holds joint appointments as a professor in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and as Distinguished Writer in Residence in NYU’s Arthur. L. Carter Journalism Institute, was evidently prepared (he is a former resident of the area) for an audience heavily salted with geezers, like your correspondent. Hence he saw his mission as dispelling any notion that the internet is leading to the End of Civilization as We Know It. But what is it destroying? There are some distinctions that it is seriously eroding, if not ending.

Shirky said he was sure we were all familiar with the Iliad, the classic account of men at arms and warfare, while a photo of the cast of Hogan’s Heroes was projected above him. Similarly, he said, we knew the Odyssey, the prototypical tale of adventure at sea and on unknown islands; this was accompanied by a photo of the Gilligan’s Island cast. He then showed a typical example of internet trivia: someone’s tweet of their fast food breakfast. Next he showed a page of a blog, NeverSeconds, started by a nine year old Scottish schoolgirl, Martha Payne, who would photograph her school “dinners” (lunches to us) and rate them for taste, healthiness, presence or absence of hairs, and other qualities. Her blog went along for some time, and gained fairly wide readership, with no reaction from school officials until it got mentioned in a newspaper. This caused her to be taken out of class and told she could no longer photograph her school meals. Her “Goodbye” post went, as they say, viral, and generated so much protest that the county council reversed its decision, and Martha’s blog, complete with photos, continues. Shirky said this illustrates one of the cultural changes the internet is effecting: an erasing of the professional/amateur distinction. Once, to reach a wide audience quickly, you had to be a professional journalist. Now, thanks to the internet, even an amateur can.

Another distinction being lost is that between public and private – as Shirky discussed in this chat a few years ago with “Switched”:

Shirky noted that tweeting on Twitter is often used as a means of chatting with friends, as oppeosed to e-mail or text messaging, but that it isn’t private, as e-mail or texting is.

As to whether the internet is oblivious to, or drowning out, “serious culture” (like the Iliad or Odyssey), Shirky noted that the printing press was invented in 1450, that the first erotic novel was printed in 1495, but that serious philosophical papers weren’t printed until the 1600s. So, just be patient. (Actiually, the first thing reported to have been printed by Johannes Gutenberg was “a German poem”; after that he produced the first printed Bible. He also printed papal encyclicals, church indulgences, and Latin grammars.)

Since I’ve used Wikipedia as a reference, it’s worth noting an interesting statistic that Shirky used in his presentation. The total person-hours used to produce and edit the entire content of Wikipedia up to a fairly recent date is approximately 100 million, but the total time spent watching TV over the same period of time (I don’t recall if he said, but I’m assuming this is worlwide) is estimated at 200 billion person hours. So, the time used by amateurs to produce an encyclopedia is, in shirky’s words, a “rounding error” compared to couch potato (or stationary bike/treadmill) time.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/65931

The Brooklyn Heights Association urges us all to write, call, or e-mail (or all three) Governor Cuomo asking his help to save Long Island College Hospital. While acknowledging that there are allegedly seven suitors possibly interested in buying LICH, nevertheless:

SUNY Downstate has failed to turn over the LICH financial records parties have requested. Moreover, SUNY Downstate has made representations about LICH finances that are simply not true. Without open books, potential suitors cannot evaluate LICH’s economic viability — and there is no assurance that the disposition of LICH will be a fair one. SUNY Downstate’s actions have revived fears that its real goal is to sell the land to a real estate developer.

Instructions on how to contact the Governor are on the BHA website.

Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8799

On Monday evening, May 6, the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Park Slope Civic Council, and several other neighborhood civic groups, are co-sponsoring a Mayoral Candidates’ Forum to be held at Congregation Beth Elohim, 274 Garfield Place (at Eighth Avenue), from 7:00 to 9:00. All interested voters are invited, and no RSVP is necessary. You may submit questions for the candidates to Google Moderator. All mayoral candidates announced to date–Sal Albanese, Adolfo Carrion, John Catsimatidis, Bill de Blasio, Joe Lhota, John Liu, George McDonald, Christine Quinn, and Bill Thompson–have been invited.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/57793

Ask the Mayor’s Office about the inundation of shoots for movies, TV shows and commercials and you’ll get this response: “The industry provides high-quality jobs in an era when low-paying service jobs have become the norm.” According to the Boston Consulting Group, NYC’s film sector is the strongest in history, generating $7.1 billion in 2011, while employing 130,000.

But some residents of brownstone Brooklyn have a different take, saying that they’re paying the price for the boom. According to a story in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, with “the streets of historic Brooklyn Heights clogged with film trucks on a regular basis, local businesses and residents are fuming.”

Judy Stanton, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, says she’s losing count of the multitude of shoots in the neighborhood. For one, filming of flick “Delivery Man” is taking place at Plymouth Church, the Promenade, Brooklyn Historical Society, Henry Street, Montague Terrace, Remsen Street and Pierrepont: “How many blocks? No answer. I think it’s excessive. More consideration needs to be given to little neighborhoods like this one. Last week, ‘Law and Order’ and a Lottery commercial were shooting at the same time. The Lottery trucks blocked Montague from Court to Henry street. That really did affect merchants.”

Andrea Demetropoulos, who owns Rocco and Jezebel pet shop at 89 Pineapple Walk, has launched a cease-fire petition, and tells the Eagle, “Filming is out of control. Three customers and the UPS guy this morning told me they couldn’t park anywhere. They’re killing the people who live here. This entire neighborhood is only 5 by 13 blocks. There needs to be a moratorium.”

The Brooklyn Eagle counts more than a dozen major films and TV shows being shot locally over the last two weeks: “Delivery Man,” “Smash,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “The Angriest Man in Brooklyn,” “Noah,” “Golden Boy,” “Zero Hour,” “Orange,” “666 Park Avenue,” “Carrie Diaries,” “Person of Interest,” “How to Be a Man,” “Infamous” and “Made in Jersey”—along with a number of commercials, like the New York Lottery spot being filmed on Montague Street. Much more in the Eagle piece here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49580

City Council Member Stephen Levin has a kitty of $1 million in “discretionary capital funding” to spend in his district, which includes Brooklyn Heights, and he’s asking his constituents for advice on how to spend it. So, he’s called a meeting fro Wednesday evening, October 17 (by the time you read this, that probably means “this evening”) from 6:00 to 9:00, at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, to hear your ideas.

According to the Brooklyn Heights Association:

Examples of the type of eligible project that might result from the participatory budgeting effort are: buying new library collections, new playground equipment for a park, computers for schools, a school or community space renovation, new street furniture (trash cans, benches, bike racks, street lamps), public art, intersection safety improvements.

The “viable” projects that come from this and similar assemblies will be put on a ballot, and all residents of the council district 16 or older will be allowed to vote on them. Those receiving the most votes, up to a total of $1 million, will be assured of a place on the City’s forthcoming capital budget to be adopted next spring.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49334

The Brooklyn Heights Association alerts us to the fact that there will be no garbage pick-up tomorrow, Monday, October 8, because of the Columbus Day holiday. Garbage should be held back until late Tuesday night; it will be picked up Wednesday. Those whose recyclables are normally picked up on Monday will need to wait for the following Monday, October 15, for recyclables to be picked up.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/48949

The Brooklyn Heights Association alerts us to the fact that there will be no garbage pick-up tomorrow, Monday, October 8, because of the Columbus Day holiday. Garbage should be held back until late Tuesday night; it will be picked up Wednesday. Those whose recyclables are normally picked up on Monday will need to wait for the following Monday, October 15, for recyclables to be picked up.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/48949

While Sunday’s second Montague Street BID Summer Space event included plenty of recreational activities, with music, games, dance, restaurant & retailer goodies, the main event was without a doubt the annual Brooklyn Heights Association-sponsored Dog Show, which offered prizes for: Best Treat Catcher, Best Tail Wagger, Best Hairdo, Coolest Ears, Best Trick, Cutest Medium-Big Dog, Most Affectionate, Cutest Small Dog and Dog Who Most Likes The Judges.

The show not only prompted dozens upon dozens of canine entries, but drew a massive crowd of hundreds of enthusiastic onlookers on Montague Street, between Henry and Hicks streets. Your correspondent was consumed pawning his wares down the block during his coop’s (well-timed) annual sidewalk sale, so no news on the victors… but for the many that visited the neighborhood, it couldn’t have been a more perfect advent for autumn. (More photos below)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/48154

With the Brooklyn Heights Association’s annual Dog Show returning to Montague Street Sunday, Sept. 23—part of the BID’s Summer Space—it seems apropos to share info about how much New Yorkers prize their pets. Webbie Puppy Tales featured a “New York Dog Spotting” post Sunday, with stats from the NYC Economic Development Corp.: As of February 2012, +/-1.1 million pets reside in the city (600,000 dogs, 500,000 cats), with an ownership rate of about one pet for every three households.

The corporation breaks down ownership by region: Downtown Brooklyn, which includes the Heights, is home to between 15,001 & 20,000 pets. The most-populated NYC nabes are the Upper West & East Sides (lining Central Park), Staten Island, Astoria and—for whatever reason—Williamsburg.

Meanwhile, BHA President Judy Stanton shares with BHB readers that the organization will offer registration information and details for the Brooklyn Heights Dog Show soon after Labor Day. She says, “The idea is to make this homegrown show fun for dogs, their owners and the audience. Any dog who lives in Brooklyn Heights is eligible to enter the show on a first come, first served basis.” Poochie lovers with suggestions for show categories can email info@thebha.org, heading the Subject with “Dog Show.”

(Doggie pic: Puppy Tales/Chart: NYCEDC)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/46305

With the Brooklyn Heights Association’s annual Dog Show returning to Montague Street Sunday, Sept. 23—part of the BID’s Summer Space—it seems apropos to share info about how much New Yorkers prize their pets. Webbie Puppy Tales featured a “New York Dog Spotting” post Sunday, with stats from the NYC Economic Development Corp.: As of February 2012, +/-1.1 million pets reside in the city (600,000 dogs, 500,000 cats), with an ownership rate of about one pet for every three households.

The corporation breaks down ownership by region: Downtown Brooklyn, which includes the Heights, is home to between 15,001 & 20,000 pets. The most-populated NYC nabes are the Upper West & East Sides (lining Central Park), Staten Island, Astoria and—for whatever reason—Williamsburg.

Meanwhile, BHA President Judy Stanton shares with BHB readers that the organization will offer registration information and details for the Brooklyn Heights Dog Show soon after Labor Day. She says, “The idea is to make this homegrown show fun for dogs, their owners and the audience. Any dog who lives in Brooklyn Heights is eligible to enter the show on a first come, first served basis.” Poochie lovers with suggestions for show categories can email info@thebha.org, heading the Subject with “Dog Show.”

(Doggie pic: Puppy Tales/Chart: NYCEDC)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/46305

New York City may be offering its neighborhoods an olive branch—or at least snippers to prune it—with a substantial budget increase for care of street and park trees. Over the past decade, NYC’s declining bottom line has given responsibility for beautification and maintenance in the Heights to the Brooklyn Heights Association, which has overseen a cyclical block pruning program. Since 2001, it has dedicated more than $75,000 to pruning, planting and tree care from member donations. A major BHA effort took place in February and March.

For the fiscal year that begins this week, NY’s City Council added $2 million for tree pruning to the $1.45 million in Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed budget. The extra money is part of $30 million in restorations to the Parks Department’s budget, including money for public pools.

Of course, the move equates to more than a green thumb from the city. According to The New York Times, falling trees and limbs have led to a marked increase in injuries, deaths and lawsuits. “Tree pruning is something where you don’t see the impact of deferring until there’s a tragedy,” Park Slope-based Councilman Brad Lander told the Times. “Hopefully, getting pruning back on a better schedule will mean New Yorkers will be safer.”

Money added for tree care would put street trees on a more timely pruning cycle. Because of budget cuts, the pruning rotation had been elongated to every 15 years from once every 7 years in 2008. During that time, the budget for street-tree pruning contracts fell to $1.4 million from $4.7 million.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43743

Update: Following last evening’s hearing, a majority of the Community Board 2 Land Use Committee voted to approve the new owner’s request for a variance to re-convert the Bossert to transient hotel use. The matter will now go to the full Community Board for consideration. We’ll keep you posted.

David Bistricer, buyer of the Bossert Hotel, was on hand for this evening’s hearing before Community Board 2′s Land Use Committee on his application for a variance to reconvert the grande dame of Montague to a “transient hotel.” While he didn’t speak, his attorney and several consultants offered these assurances: (1) it will be a hotel–indeed, a “sophisticated and upscale” (but not too upscale) hotel–not a dorm; (2) the beautiful lobby won’t be altered, but will become home to a first-class restaurant; (3) there will also be dining on the roof, but it will be very quiet; and (4) their studies of likely increases in traffic from guests arriving by taxi, limo or private car (they have an arrangement with Quick Park for valet parking service) and from delivery trucks indicate that the impact, compared with present conditions under Watchtower ownership, is not “significant.”

So, who liked it? The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, citing, among other things, the new owner’s “commitment to local hiring”; Glenn Markman, co-owner of Heights Cafe and soon-to-open Della Rocco’s, who said it will attract more business and perhaps more people to move to the Heights; Karen Johnson (who discovered she had a namesake in the audience), who “feels confident it will be done correctly”; the Montague Street BID, whose Executive Director, Brigit Pinnell, said the real comparison to be made was with alternative uses for the building, which include a dorm, a social services facility, or medical offices; and Borough President Marty Markowitz, whose spokeswoman said it will “help Downtown Brooklyn’s business community to thrive.”

Who had doubts? Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Judy Stanton asked what controls are in place to assure that this will be, and remain, a first class hotel. Consultant Jeff Klein said that the design, level of service, and room rates should do the trick. Ms. Stanton then noted that if the projections were wrong, there could be a large increase in taxi traffic. She also said she was concerned about guests arriving by private car; in particular, that they might have to wait in idling cars for valet service. Spokesmen for the buyer said that the assumptions made in the environmental assessment were “very conservative”, and that guests reserving rooms would be asked if they planned to arrive by private car, so that valet service could be scheduled to meet them.

Other cautionary messages came, unsurprisingly, from people living in the Bossert’s immediate vicinity. Several people from 200 Hicks Street expressed concerns. Richard F. Ziegler said the planned re-conversion “could be an asset [to the neighborhood] or an absolute devastating nightmare.” He found the statements made by the buyer’s attorney and consultants “confusing,” and said the residents of 200 Hicks had retained “high priced counsel” to represent their interests in the variance proceedings. Gretchen Dykstra, former City Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, expressed great concern about the rooftop lounge and dining area. She noted that a rooftop lounge at the Empire Hotel, also owned by Mr. Bistricer’s company, had become a venue for parties with DJs and loud music that went late into the night. When local residents complained, they were told that the owner wasn’t responsible; the space was leased to the organization[s] giving the parties. Kay Desai said more information was needed, and her husband, Rohit Desai, sternly warned Committee members that their failure to demand such information could be in violation of law.

Other neighbors with cautionary messages were David Green and Nils Larson, both Remsen Street residents. Mr. Green noted that the valet parking operation would result in an increase in traffic on Remsen because cars being taken from the hotel to Quick Park would have to go that way. Mr. Larson, a recent high school graduate, said he had grown up in Brooklyn Heights and always loved the neighborhood’s serenity. He has two much younger brothers who, because the local streets are safe, are able to walk to school and to squash lessons. He fears that the increase in traffic generated by the hotel may end that.

Photo: Brownstoner.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42752

The “temporary” swimming pool (we understand it will be around for five years) located just inland of Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park (see photo, taken from Promenade) is, according to Brownstoner, likely to open even sooner than a projected June 28 date. Stay tuned.

In other parks related news, the Wall Street Journal reports that City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, seen here riding the lead horse on the first official spin of Jane’s Carousel, and here with Brooklyn Heights Association President Jane McGroarty at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s “Sunset Bhangra” party, is resigning to become head of the San Francisco based Trust for Public Land. Mr. Benepe served as Commissioner for ten years. Mayor Bloomberg has announced that Veronica M. White, now head of the City’s Center for Economic Opportunity, will be his successor.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42628

If you’re a registered Democrat (we understand there are a few around here; Brooklyn Heights has not yet had an Alferd Packer; note: though the linked piece spells his name “Alfred” it really was “Alferd”); there’s an important primary election to determine who may represent you in Congress coming up on June 26. The Brooklyn Heights Association gives us these details:

THIS MATTERS. Turn-out will be low because nobody thinks about voting in June! In the U.S.Congressional District which includes Brooklyn Heights, new boundaries and shifting populations have created a contest. Hoping to unseat our incumbent Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez are three challengers: Erik Martin Dilan, George Martinez and Dan O’Connor.

If you will be out of town on June 26, you need to vote now by absentee ballot. Here’s how: 1) Download a pdf version of the absentee ballot application at http://vote.nyc.ny.us/absentee.html and mail it to the Kings County Board of Elections, 345 Adams Street, 4th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, no later than June 18.

2) You can easily go to the Board of Elections Office on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. by walking across Borough Hall Park to 345 Adams Street (directly in line with Remsen Street). Go to the 4th floor and fill out the application. They will give you a ballot and you can vote on the spot.

Some polling sites have changed. Click here to find the current polling site for your address http://gis.nyc.gov/vote/ps/index.htm. You can also telephone the Voter Phone Bank at 1-866.868.3692 with questions.

Call the BHA office at 718-858-9193 if you need help. Thank you!

And thank you, Judy Stanton and the BHA.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42343

On Thursday evening your correspondent donned rain-ready togs before heading down to Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s Sunset Bhangra party, but the weather proved benign, as the rain that threatened stayed just to our north. People kept coming in droves; fortunately, food and drink were plentiful, and good. Video, more text and photos after the jump.

Looking down from the entry at 6:15 p.m., I could see a good sized crowd beginning to assemble.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation President Regina Myer.

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Brooklyn Heights Association President Jane McGroarty.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Executive director Nancy Webster.

In the video above, party guests cut loose learning to dance the bhangra way. It was a Bollywood climax to a delightful party.

Love the Park? Consider becoming a charter member of the Conservancy. Details are here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/42026

The ISSUE Project Room brings in architect and community leader Tom van den Bout as its new Board Chair. The nonprofit member of the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance, established in 2003 by artist Suzanne Fiol, is an outpost for cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary arts in the borough.

Brooklyn Heights resident Van den Bout is an architect and founding partner with NV/design.architecture in New York. Before launching the company in 1995, he worked for several other prominent architectural firms. He also served as President of the Board of Governors for the Brooklyn Heights Association for three years, and a Board Member for 12+ years.

He has lived in the Heights since 1991, and brings to ISSUE a strong background in community service. His BHA work focused on development of Brooklyn Bridge Park, preservation and the BHA’s centennial. Van den Bout also served on the boards of the Dodge YMCA, Prospect Park’s Audubon Center and as Chair of the Landmark Committee of Brooklyn Community Board 2.

Van den Bout succeeds the four-year term of Steve Wax, a partner at Campfire media and founder of Cine Manifest and Chelsea Pictures. In addition to van den Bout’s appointment, the Board elected consultant Jeanne Lutfy, former President of the BAM Local Development Corp., as Vice Chair; and David Sims of Lever and Beam, LLC, as Treasurer. Marcus Brauer, of Russell Reynolds Associates also joins the Board.

Van den Bout comments, “It’s an honor to serve as chair for such a wonderful board and such a vital and important performing arts organization. This is an exciting time at ISSUE. Our move to the historic theater at 22 Boerum Place, the impending renovation of the space, the growth of our audience and connection to a new neighborhood will create new opportunities for our organization and the artists we support.”

ISSUE supports emerging and established experimental artists through 100+ programs each year, including music concerts, literary readings, films, videos, dance, visual and sound art, new media, critical theory lectures and discussions, site-specific work, commissions, educational workshops, master classes and genre-defying interdisciplinary performances that challenge and expand conventional practices in art.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41821

The ISSUE Project Room brings in architect and community leader Tom van den Bout as its new Board Chair. The nonprofit member of the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance, established in 2003 by artist Suzanne Fiol, is an outpost for cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary arts in the borough.

Brooklyn Heights resident Van den Bout is an architect and founding partner with NV/design.architecture in New York. Before launching his own firm in 1995, he worked for Steven Holl Architects, Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Associates, Kohn Pedersen Fox and Michael Gabellini. He also served as President of the Board of Governors for the Brooklyn Heights Association for three years, and a Board Member for 12+ years.

He has lived in the Heights since 1991, and brings to ISSUE a strong background in community service. His BHA work focused on development of Brooklyn Bridge Park, preservation and the BHA’s centennial. Van den Bout also served on the boards of the Dodge YMCA, Prospect Park’s Audubon Center and as Chair of the Landmark Committee of Brooklyn Community Board 2.

Van den Bout succeeds the four-year term of Steve Wax, a partner at Campfire media and founder of Cine Manifest and Chelsea Pictures. In addition to van den Bout’s appointment, the Board elected consultant Jeanne Lutfy, former President of the BAM Local Development Corp., as Vice Chair; and David Sims of Lever and Beam, LLC, as Treasurer. Marcus Brauer, of Russell Reynolds Associates also joins the Board.

Van den Bout comments, “It’s an honor to serve as chair for such a wonderful board and such a vital and important performing arts organization. This is an exciting time at ISSUE. Our move to the historic theater at 22 Boerum Place, the impending renovation of the space, the growth of our audience and connection to a new neighborhood will create new opportunities for our organization and the artists we support.”

ISSUE supports emerging and established experimental artists through 100+ programs each year, including music concerts, literary readings, films, videos, dance, visual and sound art, new media, critical theory lectures and discussions, site-specific work, commissions, educational workshops, master classes and genre-defying interdisciplinary performances that challenge and expand conventional practices in art.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/41821