brooklyn brainery

pioneer works

oriana on 15 May ’14

space type: nonprofit, skillshare, gallery | neighborhood: red hook | active since: 2012 | links: website, facebook, twitter, wikipedia

Pioneer Works is huge. It’s around 27,000 square feet with 40-foot ceilings, which is just truly, absolutely enormous. The building dates back all the way to 1866, and for more than a century was home to Pioneer Iron Works, one of the largest machine manufacturers in the country.

Prominent Brooklyn artist Dustin Yellin bough the building in 2010. As he told the New York Times, “My crazy dream is to create a kind of utopian art center.” And Pioneer Works is something pretty close to that dream. The nonprofit has several elements, including a massive exhibition gallery and event space (one of the biggest in the city), classes and workshops, a science lab with a powerful photographic microscope, artist residencies, institutional residencies (currently the Clocktower Gallery), a radio show, and a modern art periodical called Intercourse Magazine.

all photos by Maximus Comissar

The events range from open studios to lectures (“How to Fake Your Own Death” is popular and recurring), from Hackathons to concerts, with musical acts like Spiritualized, Ariel Pink, and Omar Souleyman. And the classes are equally varied—some recent examples include “Physical Storytelling,” “The Alchemy of Light,” “From Tesla to the Transistor,” “Homebrew Kimchi,” “NY Theremin Society Workshop,” and “Lock-Picking and Open-Source Security.”

So get out to Red Hook and learn something! But first read the Q&A with David, Pioneer Works’ Director of Education.

brooklyn spaces: Tell me a bit about the history of this building.
David: Okay! I know this because we had a Red Hook history class here recently. It was built in 1866, then in 1871 it burned down, and it was rebuilt in 1872. It was originally Pioneer Iron Works, one of the biggest iron works in the country. After that it was a tobacco-drying warehouse. Then they were doing something manufacturing until the 1950s; whatever they were making was super heavy, so they had this system to move it all around in here, and rollers set into the floor to roll it out the door. And then since the 1960s it was used to store financial records. When Dustin bought it, there was no heat, no running water, minimal electricity. The windows were all bricked up, the floors were wrecked, the staircases were terrifying. It took about a year of heavy work to get it into shape.

brooklyn spaces: I love that uniquely artist vision of walking into a completely decrepit space and saying, “I can see what this is going to be.” It’s like that quote about sculptors, how they look for the piece within the marble and then let it out.
David: Exactly. Dustin was like, “All right, this building is my next piece of art.”

Dustin Yellin sculpture

brooklyn space: How did you become involved?
David: I was teaching high school and really wanted to quit, so when Dustin presented me the opportunity to start a teaching program here, I thought I’d give it a shot. So we started, and it went really well in the summer, and then it went really well in the fall, and then Hurricane Sandy happened, and it just totally knocked us out. This whole building was like shoulder-deep in water. We tried to keep doing classes even though we had very little power and no heat—I bubbled in the classroom, like in ET, just encased it in plastic curtains, and we put in as many heaters as we could without blowing the circuits, but it was still so, so cold. We didn’t get heat until March, so that’s when we finally started doing classes again. Since then, we’ve just been growing and growing and growing.

brooklyn spaces: How would you classify the different kinds of classes offered here?
David: They’re pretty different, but it’s basically stuff that’s either really new or really old. We do cutting-edge stuff like microcontrollers and 3D printing and upgrading the firmware in your camera; those are for artists, designers, software developers, to demystify the process of new technologies that everyone wants to know how to use. And then we do old stuff, like paper marbling, or wet-plate or tintype photography, which is Civil War era. It’s to a similar aim as the newer stuff: giving artists a new vocabulary and a specialized practice.

brooklyn spaces: Do you come up with an idea for a class and then go out and find a teacher? Or do people bring you ideas?
David: Both. The lock-picking class, which is super popular, came about because I saw a lock-picking tent at Maker Faire—although tracking down someone who picks locks for a living was really hard. Then on the other hand, a woman came by the other day who wants to do a bread-baking class. We were like, “But we have no ovens, we have no flat surfaces, we don’t have anything.” And she was like, “It’s okay, we can make it work. How about we cook the bread on sticks over a fire?” We’ll try basically anything if it seems cool and the teacher seems competent.

brooklyn spaces: There seems to be a strong movement in Brooklyn for these kinds of classes and skillshares, as evidenced by the extreme popularity of places like 3rd Ward and Brooklyn Brainery. Why do you think that is? Do people just want to have more hobbies?
David: I think it’s deeper than that. Demystifying processes is so enabling. There’s a huge movement of open-source hardware and software in the tech world, and I think part of that is because we’re so controlled by the companies that make the technology we use. The fact that you can’t just open an iPhone and replace the battery is a conscious choice on their part. It’s not because oh you might do it wrong; it’s to keep you under their control. The open-source movement puts the power back in the hands of the individuals, and I think people are used to that idea now, so by applying that model to education, we’re unlocking it a bit. And I think it’s going to continue to grow.

brooklyn spaces: With so many choices, do you think they’re beginning to overlap? What makes Pioneer Works’ offerings unique?
David: I mean, maybe there’s some overlap with what 3rd Ward was doing, but we have something that they didn’t have.
brooklyn spaces: Integrity?
David: Oh yeah, well there’s that. But also we’re a nonprofit and they were a for-profit, which makes a huge difference. We’re an arts institution; it’s just a very different kind of space. Plus we have the nicest building. Once people come here once, it’s not hard to get them to come back.

brooklyn spaces: Do you think being in Red Hook has had an influence on how the space has developed?
David: Sure. There’s such a strong community here, and a real neighborhood feel, like I’ve never experienced anywhere else in New York. We’re trying to find ways to use this space as more of a community center. At the end of April we did a twenty-four-hour hackathon that was Red Hook themed. Business owners from the neighborhood gave us challenges, and all the tech people competed to make apps to address those issues. Pizza Moto catered the event. I love those guys—after the flood they came down to Van Brunt Street when nobody had any power and just started cooking pizzas for free, out on the street under the police lights.

brooklyn spaces: What are some of your future goals for the space?
David: We’re building a lot of relationships with terrific groups like Invisible Dog and Generally Assembly and Fractured Atlas. We don’t know what we’re going to do with them yet, but we’re kicking around ideas. We’re also starting to collaborate in a bunch of ways with Brooklyn Museum, which is perfect because they want to be linked to a gallery and we want to be linked to an institution. Obviously we don’t want to be a museum, but the way they’re organized and the integrity they have, I think it’s a really great model for us.

***

Like this? Read about more skillshares: Brooklyn Brainery, Exapno, Time’s Up, Ger-Nis Culinary Center, Lifelabs, UrbanGlass, 3rd Ward

brooklyn historical society

oriana on 20 Jan ’14

space type: museum, nonprofit | neighborhood: brooklyn heights | active since: 1863 | links: website, facebook, twitter

The Brooklyn Historical Society is definitely a bit more conventional than the spaces I usually cover here. But this is a site about exploring everything our borough has to offer, and that doesn’t only mean watching aerialists in a Bushwick loft or riding flaming bicycles in a Bed-Stuy alleyway. And it should also go without saying that Brooklyn is absolutely steeped in history, and that the particular initiatives, accidents, and cultural tides of the past are in large part responsible for making the present what it is.

Othmer Library archives; all photos by Alix Piorun

BHS is a beautiful way to connect with all that. As Programs Associate Meredith Duncan told me, “Sharing the past is so important because it informs what’s happening in the present, and also what will happen to the future communities and culture of Brooklyn.”

Founded in 1863 as the Long Island Historical Society, BHS’s mission is to “make the vibrant history of Brooklyn tangible, relevant, and meaningful for today’s diverse communities, and for generations to come.” The gorgeous building, which turns 150 this year, is best known for its stunning two-floor research library. But after finishing a $5.5 million renovation, the space now features a lot more: four art galleries, an event space for public programming, a classroom for student workshops, and a gift shop filled with crafts from a wide variety of Brooklyn makers.

The four galleries cover a lot of different ground: currently on exhibit upstairs is “Documenting Sandy,” a collection of mostly cellphone pix from the harrowing superstorm and its aftermath; whereas the just-opened exhibit on the main level, “In Pursuit of Freedom,” is a public history project exploring the heroes of Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement.

"Documenting Sandy" exhibit

The public programming offered at BHS is extremely diverse as well. Some of this year’s fascinating events include: Pat Kiernan in conversation with Gothamist publisher Jake Dobkin, an original musical by the Irondale Ensemble called Color Between the Lines, a lecture on the history of the Gowanus Canal by popular Brooklyn Brainery speaker Joseph Alexiou, a walking tour of the Wallabout Historic District, and the Brooklyn Zine Fest—just to name a few.

And then, of course, there’s the nationally recognized Othmer Library. Its various collections include municipal and administrative records from the villages that eventually became Brooklyn, personal and family papers dating back to the 1600s, genealogies, war histories, several thousand prints and drawings from the 17th century on, and more than 300 oral history narratives. There’s also a photography collection that starts in the 1870s, which includes amateur and professional photographs of buildings, people, and major cultural events, from the building of the Brooklyn Bridge to the 1977 Bushwick blackout. And there’s a large collection of cultural ephemera relating to Brooklyn icons, from the Wonderwheel to the Dodgers.

Othmer Library archives

There’s even a whole room dedicated to maps, as well as a person whose entire job is to catalogue and classify them. The amount of history contained in these maps alone is staggering; in addition to extensive street and lot maps, there are centuries-old Fire Department maps, municipal maps, sewage system maps, transit maps, and on and on. It’s exhilarating to look through them and feel the power of history’s force under your fingertips.

The majority of the collections are available for public use, although you need to make an appointment to view some of it. There are also various online-accessible catalogues—but don’t skip a visit to the marvelous building if you can help it.

"Landmarks of New York" exhibit

You should definitely visit to see for yourself the incredible resources available throughout BHS. In the meantime, sign up for the newsletter, where you’ll get to see Photo of the Week and a Map of the Month taken from the archives. BHS also publishes books, curriculum kits, and neighborhood guides, from Greenpoint to Bay Ridge, some with accompanying walking tours and podcasts.

BHS gift shop

According to Meredith, some of BHS’s future goals are “to encourage more interaction with the greater Brooklyn community, and to become a cultural hub, both for Brooklynites and for tourists.” In addition, they’re hoping increase educational initiatives; through donations and grants, schoolchildren can visit for free, so they’re working on expanding outreach to teachers who could take advantage. BHS also works with university professors to help them use original artifacts in their classes. And of course, BHS will continue to be a resource for anyone who, for any reason at all, wants to learn more about amazing Brooklyn.

***

Like this? Read about more historic spaces: South Oxford Space, Brooklyn Lyceum, The Schoolhouse, Broken Angel

oriana on 12 Sep ’11

space type: skillshare | neighborhood: prospect heights | active since: 2010 | links: website, tumblr, facebook, twitter

Update: The Brainery moved! They got a sweet new space in Prospect Heights which opened in early 2013.

Brooklynites are lots of things. We’re partiers, we’re makers, we’re performers and rock stars and artists. We’re also, maybe most importantly, collaborators. We love to share our knowledge with each other, so naturally skillshare and the “quirky education” movements are huge. There’s lecture series like OCD at Pete’s Candy Store, Nerd Nite and Get Smart at Galapagos, the Secret Science Club, Adult Ed, and everything at the Observatory; plus groups that are dedicated exclusively to hobbyists and experts and those who want to learn from them, like LifeLabs, Brooklyn Skillshare, TradeSchool, 3rd Ward, and, of course, the Brooklyn Brainery.

What Dickens Drank: Historic Cocktails

The Brainery has been getting a lot of press lately—from places like the New York Times, Brooklyn Based, GOOD, and Brokelyn—and deservedly so. It’s a perfectly wonderful idea: pair people who are passionate about a topic—anything from urban forestry to microwave candy to beekeeping to Haitian Creole—with an audience who wants to learn about it. Plus (and very importantly these days) classes at the Brainery are super cheap, as low as $5 for an evening’s worth of learnin’. That’s what I paid for The History of the New York City Subway, an interactive lecture that included tons of fun facts, passed-around books with photos of old train cars and subway graffiti, and of course YouTube clips of subway scenes from Saturday Night Fever and The Warriors. That was my first Brainery class, and I plan to take a whole lot more. You should too; it would be impossible to look through their course list and not see something you find fascinating. But before you click over, check out my interview with Brainery founders Jen and Soma, who happen to be some of the nicest, most animated, funniest people I’ve interviewed yet.

[all pix courtesy of the Brainery]

Designing for Non-Designers

brooklyn spaces: Give me a quick history of how this got started and why.
Jen: I think one of the reasons we started this was to give us an excuse to learn more and research more. Soma and I are both just really curious; we had been going to all these classes and lectures, and it just started getting really expensive.

DIY Sandle-Making

Soma: We were going broke, basically. When you drop $300 on a class, there’s only so many times you can do that before you can’t pay rent.
brooklyn spaces: Yeah, I would say one time.
Jen: I guess we were richer back then.
Soma: What amazing days! So we decided that there had to be a way to offer classes more cheaply. We wanted to take classes on things like welding or shoemaking, but I mean, we’re not planning to become welders or cobblers, we just want to have a fun hobby or learn a little bit about something. And we realized that if you find people who are hobbyists at something—and really, in Brooklyn you can find an expert on anything—they love sharing it with other people. Basically the idea is that anyone can take a class, because it’s super cheap and accessible, and anyone can teach a class, because we all have a teacher hiding somewhere inside of us.

Ethiopian Cookfest

brooklyn spaces: Did you have this space from the start? How did that come about?
Jen: No, for the first year we rented space by the hour at Gowanus Studio Space, just across the canal by the Bell House. They were great, but we really needed a place we could settle into.
Soma: So we raised about $10k on Kickstarter and then spent a long time hunting for a space, because it turns out that in New York, finding a space is probably harder than finding ten grand. But eventually we moved in here, and it’s been great ever since.

Scents & Sensibility

brooklyn spaces: What were some of the earliest classes?
Soma: Man, I taught so many classes, I don’t even know. I think in the beginning I was teaching half the classes. It’s always been the same eccentric mix of stuff that we have now. We had a class about optics, a class about meat, a class about perfume.

brooklyn spaces: So what unites the class offerings?
Soma: It doesn’t matter what the subject is, but we really want everything to be collaborative. Everyone should be talking and it should be fun.
Jen: We don’t want people to be afraid to challenge the teacher or ask a question. People are still sort of in the mindset from college or whatever of like, up there is the person who knows everything and they are transmitting the information to you. But at this point in our lives, there’s no need to do that anymore.

setup for Making Ginger Ale

brooklyn spaces: What’s your background, are either of you teachers?
Soma: Absolutely not. Well, now we are. But no. I have a background in computer science, and Jen has a background in art.

extracting DNA from a strawberry

brooklyn spaces: What are some awesome classes that you’ve taught or taken?
Soma: My favorite class that Jen taught was her weather class. It turned out that the class was full of scientists. Everyone was a scientist, and they did their homework and knew all kinds of stuff and it was amazing. It was like a crystallization of what the Brainery could be in an alternate universe, where everyone in the class is already an expert. And I don’t even know, my favorite class to teach? I teach so much that I forget everything. I teach classes across the board, I teach Thai food and programming and the science of perception, just everything. I love every class I take, too. I will come to any class and be completely riveted by it. I can’t pick a favorite.

Spices 101

brooklyn spaces: How do decide what classes to offer?
Soma: People submit like crazy. We used to recruit people, but now people are always contacting us.
Jen: We’re always looking for new teachers. If anyone has anything they want to teach, tell us!

Soma at the Crawfish Boil

brooklyn spaces: Do you guys do events also?
Jen: Not as many as we’d like, but we had a big crawfish boil at the City Reliquary over the summer. We tried to make it educational, so we did trivia and we had a test, but it was basically just a party. It was really fun. Our newest thing is we’re putting together this club, Society for the Advancement of Social Studies. It’s going to meet at a bar, maybe monthly. We’re not sure what we’re going to talk about yet—labor rights? Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?—but it’s going to be nerdy and amazing. We’re really excited about it.

brooklyn spaces: How do you feel about being in Brooklyn today? Do you think something like this is inspired by Brooklyn?
Jen: Oh yeah, we’re totally a product of our environment. I don’t think we’d be doing this if we lived somewhere else.
Soma: We’re obviously doing a very Brooklyn thing in Brooklyn, I think it’s just hilariously Brooklyn what we do. But we’re totally self-aware and we love it.

***

Like this? Read about more skillshares: Pioneer Works, LifeLabs, 3rd Ward, Ger-Nis, Time’s Up, Urbanglass

lifelabs new york

oriana on 19 May ’11

neighborhood: nomadic | space type: skillshare | active since: 2001 | links: website, facebook, twitter

In Brooklyn these days, we’re in the midst of a renaissance in shared learning experiences, like skillshares, interactive teaching, and different kinds of adult “ed.” There’s so many different avenues of nonconventional learning, from places like Brooklyn Brainery, TradeSchool, Brooklyn Kitchen Labs, Alpha One Labs, and The Commons, and series like OCD Lectures, Nerd Nite, Adult Ed. And one of the older groups focused experiential learning is LifeLabs NYC.

Started by social psychologist LeeAnn Renninger, who has a doctorate in urban ethology from the University of Vienna, LifeLabs is “an incubator for ideas on living wisely and well, offering courses, labs, and events for the common good.” What kinds of classes? Oh, awesome things like Yapper Lab (the art of better conversation), Sense School (fine-tuning your five senses), and Surprisology (adding surprise to every aspect of your life).