35 Claver Place

by Nina McCune

For the sixth year in a row, South of the Navy Yard Artists (SONYA) is hosting its annual Studio Stroll, inviting New Yorkers to celebrate and engage with Brooklyn artists living and working in Clinton Hill, Fort Greene and Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Celebrating art and artists in Bedford-Stuyvesant?

ART IN BEDFORD-STUYVESANT?

Whereas the neighborhood may be internationally famous for its historic brown-stones, vibrant churches and tree-lined streets, it is also home to thousands of dynamic artists and is invigorating its support of the arts community-wide. A 20-minute subway ride on the C line allows Manhattanites to view the strong developments in Bedford-Stuyvesant artistry. In March of this year, murals depicting artists like rapper and actor Mos Def, comedian Chris Rock, and poet June Jordan have drawn the public eye to the depth of talent prevalent in the neighborhood. However, supporting and promoting artists is nothing new in this neck of the woods.

For nearly 38 years, the nationally renowned Restoration Corporation's Center for Art and Culture housing the Skylight Gallery, has preserved and promoted the artistry of the African people. This active community center exhibits art and sculpture, offers poetry and jazz performances, and engages community youth through artist workshops and programs. The 5-year old Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) similarly promotes the artwork of people of color. Director Laurie Cumbo notes that Bedford-Stuyvesant has always had a happening art scene, however the artwork tended to be produced in the neighborhood and exhibited elsewhere. By having institutional homes for artists in their neighborhood, the creative dynamic is readily captured and presented to an already engaged audience.

In addition to these institutions are a variety of artist groups. Next door to SONYA, the newly formed Bedford Stuyvesant Artist Association (BeSSA) is a multicultural community organization of artists whose primary mission is to establish networks among artists and to seek exhibition and educational opportunities for its members. These organizations, and many others, contributed to the successful Project Diversity, a multi-venue exhibition of 200 Brooklyn artists which opened in April. This show unites audiences and artists across racial and gender lines and celebrates the tremendous diversity, cutting-edge style, and cultural vision unique to Brooklyn artists. With strong institutional homes and active professional organizations, artists in Bedford-Stuyvesant can flourish. This is cause to celebrate the neighborhood and its talent during SONYA's Studio Stroll.

20 YEARS OF ART AT 35 CLAVER PLACE

Just as the larger community has supported artists for decades, one group of artists deserves mention. For over 20 years, an artist building at 35 Claver Place has been home to many emerging and accomplished artists. Considered by some a mysterious community behind a new, big blue door with a legendary alarm system; but to those in the know, 35 Claver has enabled and sparked art production for artists like Mary Jones, Harriet Korman, and David Sardi. Not only is the physical space ideally suited to the production of art, the building is a community within the community, offering artists the space and freedom to produce their visions.

The story of this building runs deeper than the starving artist searching for a large space with low rent: in 1985, Anthony Chamberlain and Gina Inverso-Chamberlain committed to building a community of working artists. "We weren't looking for people to take up space; we wanted people to use the space. We were looking for serious artists from many disciplines so that painters could talk with sculptors and musicians without leaving the building. We thought then, as we think now, this would allow creativity to build from each [artist's] skills and bounce around ideas without feeling like you were treading on artistic territories," says Chamberlain. "Doctors and attorneys can live anywhere. I could have been just a landlord. But I decided to rent to artists and to build a community of artists."

Long-time residents and newcomers alike echo the sentiment of serial refrigerator photographer Desmond Fisk, in that "no place ever felt comfortable until I ended up here. This is a building where you can leave your door open and feed from the nourishment of your neighbors," referring to both the intellectual stimulation of even the most casual hallway chatter and to the dinners often shared among tenants. Prior to moving in, painter Elisabeth Condon had "heard stories about this building - its coherence as an artist building - for years. This place is a nucleus for artists." Yet, the building's strong internal community coupled with its seemingly remote location on the western edge of Bedford-Stuyvesant by no means indicates that its artists are reclusive.

Quite the opposite, the diversity of artwork within this building prompted its residents to join SONYA in the Studio Stroll. Inverso-Chamberlain succinctly relays the building's excitement of the upcoming opportunity to engage with a broader audience: "In this kind of open, cooperative, warm, friendly and supportive environment, it's impossible to not be effected by the energy and enthusiasm to simply be here. Now imagine the kind of artwork that generates." This, then, begs the question: just what kind of artwork is generated at 35 Claver?

Of the 14 participating artists in the building, there is much to experience. The sole photographer of the group, Fisk documents refrigerators, lost gloves and storefront churches. These images demonstrate everything from consumerism to broader lifestyle choices. And the building is rife with conceptual artists creating avant-garde presentations on similar themes: Brian Balderston provides spaces that encourage audiences to examine their relationship with every-day places. John Bjerklie likes to create spaces to tell a specific place's story - either historical or imagined. Miwa Koizumi and Marco Scoffier expand the concepts of every-day items like cell phones and food; Danniel Swatosh uses photography and sculpture among other media to synthesize life experiences. Brian Holoubek and Poogy Bjerklie use every-day items like clothing and photography to emphasize the humor in life.

The painters at 35 Claver offer a broad examination on a variety of topics as well. Blair Bradshaw uses the lens of science to explore coding and organization. On the opposite end of an ordered, scientific spectrum, Elisabeth Condon uses Dr. Seuss-like 'memory-scapes' to imaginatively reflect on her travels. Linda Marston-Reid incorporates spirituality and place with unusual technique. Territory and space as seen through the lens of soccer stadiums informs much of Martin Ake Smith's work. On a sometimes light note, Nina McCune highlights American women of the 1950s, and the colorful, minimalist works of Deborah Kammer make large statements.

As a newcomer to SONYA, 35 Claver Place is only one of the over 40 locations where New Yorkers can engage with artists and their artwork - in the neighborhood where the artists live and work. This tantalizing invitation to come to Bedford-Stuyvesant and explore its vibrant, diverse arts community creates an essential connection for continuing the tradition of cultivating and appreciating art in one of Brooklyn's proudest neighborhoods.

Please check out the artwork of 35 Claver Place at 35claver.org and of the SONYA artists at sonyany.com.