Archive for March 7th, 2007

So, with my friend, Honey in tow I braved the single digit wind chill and wandered through the streets of Brooklyn in UNCOOL anticipation. As we reached Freddy’s Backroom at 8ish PM, we smiled with elation while eagerly gripping 2 beat-up cardboard boxes, some plastic kiddie scissors, glue, styrofoam round thingees and a few other oddities we found lying around the apartment. We were ready for a fun-filled evening of making dioramas- yes, yes… you remember those adorably crappy little boxes filled with household crafty items and/or junk that your mother was once so proud of and your dad thought was just plain stupid.

We enter Freddy’s with delight. Huh- well, let’s see… there’s some band in the backroom breaking down their set, but we see NO other diorama-making creative geniuses anxious to play with primitive art supplies. So, we saddle up to the bartender.

ME: Oh, hi. We’re here for the Diorama Lodge.

BARTENDER: Oh… is it diorama night? No I don’t think so, I think maybe she took March off.

Ahhh, the disappointment was ALMOST too much to bear (especially since said bartender did NOT share a round of free drinks with these 2 weary diorama-less travelers to ease our sadness at this disheartening revelation. But, then we spotted them: 2 guys (strangers with an artistic glint in their eyes) hanging at the bar with all sorts of strange items that could ONLY be… yes, you guessed it- diorama supplies!!! Okay, SO THEN THERE WERE 4.

So, the next little while was spent constructing a nifty, yet half-ass group diorama over a pack of cherry Pez with folks named Fluff, Honey & Paul. We watched the little frogs swimming in the aquarium and discussed scuba diving in Thailand and fuzzy hats and discovered that everybody liked dogs. Ooh, and apparently Lake Baikl in Siberia is one of the freshest bodies of water and is home to blind fish, hummels and seals. “You will overcome many obstacles”, said the crumbly old fortune cookie from Fluff’s pocket.

No one from Freddy’s ever came by to check on us to take a drink order and we weren’t in the mood to hang at the bar, so we took a field trip with our new found friends down the street to Burrito Bar for some pom margaritas, cold beer and okay Mexican food- yum!

Overall: Wasn’t that impressed with Freddy’s, and the diorama lodge was kind of a bust cause it apparently was cancelled without all weblinks getting this info so the news was not widely spread. To be fair though, Freddy’s website had the correct information (THANKS FREDDY’S- WE STILL LOVE YOU), but it just goes to show you can have fun in any situation you happen to find yourself in as long as you have a little patience, some people willing to be silly, some pez and a smile.

PS: For anyone interested- according to the fortune cookie your lucky numbers are 12, 24, 47, 1, 25 & 38.

I braved the snow this morning and made my way out to Chelsea’s Mixed Greens Gallery to check out A. A. Rucci’s newest exibit, “Don’t Take All Night, To Show Me You Love Me”. I often forget to take the time to browse through Chelsea’s many tiny and lovely galleries. It is always oddly satisfying: the clean white walls, empty rooms of exciting new work, quietness save for the clicking of heels walking slowly around the space.

Today was no different. The gallery was empty, and I was free to wander in total silence. The collection was small and sparse but enjoyable none the less. Rucci’s work uses brilliant color and texture, and thus pops off the smooth white walls. The brightness of each painting burns your eyes a little, but the effect is unusual and exciting. Some of his work is dedicated solely to this examination of color, often through thin bright stripes and circular canvases. Other paintings in the collection are slightly more narrative , featuring bodies with no heads and colorful birds.

The highlights of the collection are the few sculptures Rucci has included this time around. The sculptures involve gold birds perched in diverse spaces. They are unexpected and beautifully frivolous. Also be sure to seek out the titles of each painting which are hidden in the corner of the gallery on tiny white slips of paper, and not next to the painting. The titles are long, enchanting sentences that add volumes to each work of art.

Though I wouldn’t necessarily say this particular exhibit is a must see, it is an excellent example of what you are missing out on if you forget to take the occasional (and completely free!!) tour of the many Chelsea galleries.