bushwick project for the arts

oriana on 3 Jan ’11

photos in this post by Rachel Lefkowitz

neighborhood: east williamsburg | space type: art & event space | active: 2009–2011 | link: website

Update May 2011. As many know, Bushwick Project for the Arts was also an experiment in radical living environments: all the artists were housed in reclaimed trailers. Though the trailers were meant to be kept under wraps, it became something of an open secret within the artistic community—and the legal one. As was perhaps inevitable, BPA became a target of local law enforcement, and was shut down this spring (in a pretty shitty way) by the city.

Don’t worry about the artists, though; they’re still at it, elsewhere in Brooklyn, coming up with plenty more crazy ideas for repurposing their space, and throwing great shows and parties while they’re at it.

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The Bushwick Project for the Arts—affectionately (and often pejoratively) known as the Bushwick Trailer Park—is a collective of mostly visual artists, housed in a former nut-roasting factory in an industrial corner of East Williamsburg. The cavernous interior space—an ever-changing work in progress—is used for all different kinds of events, including parties, plays, film screenings, classes, art exhibits, and more. Tucked into corners are a silkscreening studio, a metal and wood shop, a ceramic studio, and even a couple of kilns.

Bushwick Project for the Arts is around the corner from Shea Stadium, Werdink / Ninja Pyrate, 3rd Ward, The Archeron (which used to be Bushwick Music Studios), and House of Yes, among other great spaces.

 

 

Like this? Read about more art collectives: Swimming Cities, The Schoolhouse, Monster Island, Hive NYC, Silent Barn