Brooklyn_Love's Xanga

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 21:10:35 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Brooklyn Love (art) Salon is a time and place for artists, open-hearted searching people and their friends to present what they do (or want to do), building on themes, making connections and sharing experiences.

The following pages document the Brooklyn Love (art) Salon (and sister salons in Berlin and San Francisco) in monthly journals and photos. Enjoy reading about the monthly events, which began in Red Hook, Brooklyn in December 2002, hosted by Ric Oquita and Christian Matuschek.

Heartfelt thanks to all of our salon friends who brought their light and love to these gatherings!

Visit the homepage for Ric's Cafe (www.xanga.com/ricscafe) a salon hosted by Ric in Bielefeld, Germany beginning April 2006!

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 18:36:37 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

It is a wonderful opportunity to share food, ideas, giveaways, works-in-process and to meet once a month with friends in a supportive environment.

Also a time to acknowledge courage, heart, talent, hard work and humor, and to express appreciation for luminous moments and surprises. And a time to eat (first of course!) drink and socialize.

Paula, Mary, Chico, Ric, Christian, Cindy, Steve, Graciela, Lucrecia, Tracy and Petra met in Red Hook, Brooklyn on a Sunday afternoon in September. Our theme for the month was Ripening and Harvesting

Ric opened with a reading of a Carl Sandburg poem entitled

“Under the Harvest Moon”

Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

Paula shared a series of photos taken every day of the same spot in her garden, which inspired a lively discussion about harvesting and collecting treasures.

We talked about aspects of encasing and collecting sentimental objects. Paula keeps a reliquary of bottles, love letters, pieces of her family's hair and phone messages from her children from the last 10 years.

Mary read a poem which opened our hearts and minds to the neglect and contempt that ripened in New Orleans. We were asked to think about the damage of what was harvested and to consider our theme in terms of “sowing what you reap.”

Time to Share

by Mary L. Brady

Someone is always angry down below

Someone stopping us from reaping what we sow

Who are you this time

That you let your deadly sea

Wash over our people and forced them to flee

Or to starve and die

While no one stood by?

Are you Poseidon or Neptune raging the Devil’s ugly hand

Waving destruction over our land?…

Or, are you Poseidon or Neptune the Angels of God

Warning us to prepare

Warning us to care

For our fellow man

Who cannot reap what they have sown

For their harvest has been blown

Drowned beneath the sea?

It is God’s message that the angels brought to me

We must care

We must share

Our crop that we have reaped

Not only for now – but through eternity!

This was Tracy's first Brooklyn Love salon and she surprised many of us who are familiar with her paintings. We were wonderfully pleased to finally meet the artist of these wonderfully provocative paintings.

She showed us a painting which is part of a series of old women, some with tattoos and piercings. She told us that they are usually seen on large canvases. We thoroughly enjoyed reflecting on the painting and discussing the idea of harvesting and ripening into old age.

Cindy, Graciela and Ric created an improvisation based on three friends visiting an art museum at different ages, from 2 years to 80 years old. It was great fun and Christian captured our salon with his terrific photos!

We had our monthly giveaway and shared announcements. Graciela told us that she is going to Cuba in December. She has a concert in November which we are all invited to!

Graciela closed our last salon in Red Hook with the song “Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember and if you remember
then follow.

Try to remember when life was so tender
When noone wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
When love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember and if you remember
then follow.

Deep in December it's nice to remember
Although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
Without a hurt the heart will hollow.
Deep in December it's nice to remember
The fire of September that made you mellow.
Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow.

A heartfelt thanks to all of our Brooklyn Love (art) salon friends for a memorable three years!

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Wed, 07 Sep 2005 10:44:14 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

We began with a free drawing with our impressions of tolerance while listening to the Gypsy/Cuban duo Bebo and Cigala. We shared our drawings with each other which inspired a lively discussion in which one perspective of tolerance was the feeling of "vibrations when opposites work together. "

We listened to the collaborative music of Bebo and Cigala again to inspire us further.

Paul read new lyrics from his musical about Van Gogh, "Painting the Wind" from a song called "Despair" sung by Gaugin. Paul reflected on Gaugin's inner turmoil and shared his experience of the collaborative process with us.

Will shared photos from his visit to India, which he experienced as a continent rich in diversity. His photos reflected the theme of tolerance as a distinct intimacy because of the openness of physical contact which he felt is less an issue in India.

Many of us shared our experiences of travels to India and the feeling of moving deeply into a culture as an outsider. Will also shared a series of photos taken of his mother and the landscape of his hometown in Ohio.

Paula H. read some short writing and Paula J. sang two original songs, “In This Time” and “Love and Forgetting”.

We enjoyed a lengthy discussion about Tolerance and Intolerance. Silvia talked about Ethnicity Day at her school and how students practice tolerance by sharing their different cultures.

Ric read thoughts by various philosophers on tolerance, some of which spoke of tolerance negatively as an act of submission. Many felt that tolerance is an active process and that intolerance is as a state of being.

To close or salon, Nicole taught us a gypsy song called “Romale”

Brooklyn Love (art) salon meets again on September 18th in Red Hook. The theme for September is Ripening and Harvesting.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 17:17:16 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Our salon began with a sumptous table of tasty treats, inspiring thoughts of happiness!

After some food and chat we began our salon by drawing our versions of the Chinese Double Happiness symbol, representing two soulmates walking arm in arm.

Jane celebrated the happiness of closing on her new home ...

Marion shared her symbol of balance and harmony ...

Alrun showed us her drawing of two linked souls. We enjoyed interpreting the picture in different ways. Jane recognized the bottom of a pair of sneakers ... two "sole-mates"!

Ursula inspired by the memory of her life-long love for chocolate, drew two Lindt candy bars!

We then sang “Science Fiction/ Double Feature” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show and expressed our wished-for Double Feature. Some favorites included: Jules et Jim, Young Frankenstein, Amelie, Eternal Sunshine, Sideways, and Le Bal ...

Chicoshared his love for the sea and his Double Happiness drawing of two boats, expressing his longing to be out on the water ... Chico read a poem dedicated to the Brooklyn Love salon …

"Our Brooklyn Love Salon" by Chico Eberle

I look forward to our salon and anticipate the enjoyment we share.

Be it the food and drink, the conversation which opens each heart to share.

The feeling of friendship, our differences so obvious brings a smile to each,

And sharpen our minds as we learn from each other and extend our reach.

Our Sunday afternoons together seem to elicit joy to all who attend,

We are as one during the short time, we give what we have to send.

It is my sincere hope that we leave with a new view and without duress.

May we all continue to live, love and share with each other our success.

There were many new friends, like Silvia, who were attending the salon for the first time. Silvia enjoyed the Brooklyn Love slideshow and shared some lovely feelings about being with us on a warm Sunday afternoon…

Paula, who is a commercial food photographer, shared beautiful pictures of her two children ... her Double Happiness!

Which inspired a chat about good meals! Judith reflected on a past experience when she was a food stylist sharing leftover gourmet meals from photos shoots with a homeless woman that she often met at a subway station. She is still moved by the memory of the woman, who revealed something of her past by thanking Judith for sharing delicacies which she was once accustomed to eating.

Tomek and Marion shared that their two-month visit to Brooklyn from Frankfurt is a Double Happiness for them, because it is their first vacation abroad together.

After exchanging information about great, free summer events in the city, we had our monthly giveaway.

Mary shared a moving story called “What’s New?” a story about a recent loss of a loved one, written and read from the heart.

To close Ric read a scene from his play “Echoes from the New World.”

After our salon, we enjoyed a long, summer walk to the Red Hook waterfront ...

Brooklyn Love (art) salon meets again on July 24th 2005. Our theme for July is: Tolerance: The Heat Is On!

Our sister salon in Berlin, Salon 46 met on the same day in June to celebrate Stefanie's Birthday - Geburtstag im Park

Visit Double Happiness, our sister salon in San Francisco online at www.doublehappinesssalon.com
Double Happiness meets again on July 17 with the theme Agenda

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 02:35:43 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Paul played a musical selection from “Painting the Wind” called “Claudine’s Dream”, with music by John Henry Sheridan.

Tim shared a collection of captivating photographs from his “Last Light Series”

David showed a series of photographs taken after the blizzard in Provincetown on January 31, 2005.

Lucrecia invited us to decorate her tree project with positive words and phrases, which will be painted over and given to an organization in the Bronx working with children with special needs.

... We filled the tree with affirmations in English, Spanish and German

During our break, Jessica and Nicole played music from Radio Station WKCR 89.9, a jazz and classical music station that has been on air for 65 years and struggling financially.

Our afternoon was blessed with a magnificent rainbow!

After our break, Nicole passed a hat for the radio station and Jessie sang “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” by George Gershwin.

Richard talked about his recent trip to Cairo and shared a presentation of his exhibition entitled “Playground.” He explained that in his work he explores ideas of looking and seeing and uses common imagery and rethinks it.

“Clouds”, “Empty Nests”, “No Colon, No Conclusions”, “The Die Is Cast” are titles of some of his pieces. Visit Richard online at www.dis-positiv.org and http://10.or.at/-productions

To close, Ric read from a piece written by he and David called “Day Old Dish” while Patricia and David improvised movement.

Brooklyn Love (art) salon meets again on May 22nd 2005. Our theme for May is inspired by a Dylan Thomas poem!
The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower.

Our sister salon in San Francisco, Double Happiness, celebrated their first gathering on April 3rd, 2005. Please visit Double Happiness online at www.doublehappinesssalon.com

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Sun, 06 Mar 2005 15:49:45 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Brooklyn Love (art) salon is a time and place for artists, open-hearted searching people and their friends to present what they do (or want to do), building on themes, making connections and sharing experiences. It is a wonderful opportunity to share food, ideas, giveaways, works-in-process and to meet once a month with friends in a supportive environment.

Also a time to acknowledge courage, heart, talent, hard work and humor, and to express appreciation for luminous moments and surprises. And a time to eat (first of course!) drink and socialize. ...

Patricia, Sophie, Chico, Mary, Ric, Paula, Frank and Richard met on a Sunday afternoon in February. Our salon was hosted again by Frank at the Fading Ad Gallery (www.fadingad.com), his beautiful and welcoming space on the corner of Bedford and Myrtle in Brooklyn. Our theme for the month was Making Ends Meet.

We began our gathering with an art project. On a strip of paper, each person wrote down a goal and things needed to achieve the goal. We linked our thoughts in a chain and made our ends meet!

Our sing-a-long was "Lady Madonna" by the Beatles. Frank shared his memory connected to the song of traveling through Germany and playing Side B of the 45 "Inner Light" in a small town pub.

Sophie brought us into a circle and taught us a playful call and response. Ric led the group in a game of "Telephone". Each person whispered an idea from their Goal Strip, which was whispered around the circle and sometimes transformed into a new idea. "Be flexible with Yoga" became "Be flexible with your organ" and "Be flexible with your Orchid".

Mary read a new short story about a recent fire that scorched her home.

After a few announcements, Paula enchanted us with a song titled "Face It Honestly".

Sophie recited two original sonnets, "Letter to My Sister" and "Teaching Artist". She read a new piece inspired by this month's theme.

Brooklyn Love (art) salon meets again on April 3, 2005. Our theme for April is Spring Ahead!.

Brooklyn Love (art) salon announces the arrival of Double Happiness, our sister salon in San Francisco on April 3rd, 2005
hosted by Jolyan and Genna. Double Happiness' theme for April is FORTUNE.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Sat, 05 Feb 2005 13:40:14 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Brooklyn Love (art) salon is a time and place for artists, open-hearted searching people and their friends to present what they do (or want to do), building on themes, making connections and sharing experiences. It is a wonderful opportunity to share food, ideas, giveaways, works-in-process and to meet once a month with friends in a supportive environment.

Also a time to acknowledge courage, heart, talent, hard work and humor, and to express appreciation for luminous moments and surprises. And a time to eat (first of course!) drink and socialize. ...

Patricia, Susan, Frank, Tim, Phil, Ric and Eric met on a Sunday afternoon in January. Our salon was hosted again by Frank at the Fading Ad Gallery (www.fadingad.com), his beautiful and welcoming space on the corner of Bedford and Myrtle in Brooklyn. Our theme for the month was Distance Made Good.

Ric began by sharing how the theme had affected him in the last few weeks while preparing for the salon. Distance Made Good is a nautical term, with reference to reaching a certain destination. The idea of a Desire Line was also brought up as another reference for marking a defined goal. A Desire Line is a name for the well-trodden purposeful, path through a forest, a park, a meadow.

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We began with two movement improvisation activities. In the first game, we each chose a line from a subway map and walked the path in the space.

After a discussion about destination and negotiating each other in the space, we played the game a second time trying not to think about our paths or negotiating with one another.

Frank reflected on the activity with a story about his participation in a march during the recent Republican Convention and the experience of reaching a destination while negotiating obstacles.

We each told a story about our own desire line, which led to an engaging discussion of purposeful improvisation and wishful structure in our lives.

Ric shared his experience growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness with Armageddon as the culmination of his Desire Line. Tim related deeply to the ideas and told us about his own challenges balancing improvisation and structure. We celebrated his wish to pursue teaching photography as a path along his Desire Line.

Ric made a few announcements regarding upcoming artists grants. Creative Capital (creative-capital.org) Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art (www.frankinfurnace.org) and The Artist’s Exploration Fund (www.artsinternational.org)

We read an email from our friends in Berlin, Sybil and Anne:

DISTANCE MADE GOOD?
A letter from Berlin to New York

Distance is something we experienced recently when we travelled 5000 miles from New York to Berlin, after having been there for 3 weeks (Sybil) and 3 months (Annie). A journey which would have taken us 4 weeks by ship not so very long ago and now takes you half a day or night. To cover such a long distance not only means to overcome distance in space, but a distance in time. Right now, when we write this letter and think of you, it’s noon in Berlin, snow on the roofs under a cloudy sky, whereas it’s only seven a.m. in your city, so you may be still in bed dreaming towards a brand-new day.

The human body is slower than its artificial extensions, its tools and telephones and planes. Jetlag is its way to get back to body clock after skipping time. You sleep it off, awake refreshed – and feel there’s something missing. Something behind your ribs. The human heart can’t keep up with transatlantic speed and sticks to its own beat. It can be a damn stubborn muscle and even beat backwards. As it does, when we think back of New York. Pieces of our hearts still linger in Prospect and Central Park, Harlem and Brooklyn, in Red Hook at Ric’s place, in Cindy’s beautiful home and Frank’s inspiring gallery where you are meeting today. We envy you, being able to just step in the next subway which takes you to this special place and meet those special and gifted and loveable people. So you better enjoy it.

We miss you. Since pieces of our hearts still linger in New York, you might think we came back more light-hearted (and could take heavier luggage through the check-in), but no. It seems our hearts have been gaining weight there, growing with every new place and face and memory we came to love. And that’s all your fault, because you were so welcoming, so warm-hearted, so, well, wonderful.

And this is the thing about Distance made good – right now we have our doubts. It would be much better with less distance. You could tell yourself “We are going to New York for the weekend. You know, there is this salon.” “What was it all about?” “Well, something about distance. Never mind, put on your boots, we gotta go.”

Thank you for going with us part of the distance ... Annie, Sybil, and Jim

Patricia presented a short dance improvisation that expressed so beautifully the very personal reflections on living in the moment and being true to each one’s path made throughout the salon. Patricia spoke eloquently how she engaged body, mind and experience in her movement exploration.

Susan shared an inspiring poem by the Russian poet, Anna Akhmatova written in 1961, entitled “Petersburg in 1913” excerpted from “Poem without a Hero”.

Behind the gates, a barrel organ is wailing,

They are leading a bear, a gypsy is dancing

On a walkway pocked with spittle.

A steamship is sailing to Skorbyashchaya,

And its melancholy whistle

Echoes over the Neva.

On the dark wind there is freedom and rage.

Just like the memory of “The People’s Will,”

Here the Goryachee Field

Is only a stone’s throw away.

There are things more miraculous still,

But let’s go—I have no time to waste.

For our monthly giveaway, Ric passed along a 2005 Calendar of Matinee Idols to Phil and a CD-ROM of Williams Sonoma Cookbook to Frank.

Frank closed an especially memorable salon by passing around old photographs with stories from his childhood and memories of he and his mother.

Frank shared this image of he and his mother entitled "Cobwebs"bordered by an original poem.

Brooklyn Love (art) salon meets again on February 27, 2005 at the Fading Ad Gallery at 3pm. Our theme for February is Making Ends Meet.

Friday, December 31, 2004

Fri, 31 Dec 2004 21:05:15 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Also a time to acknowledge courage, heart, talent, hard work and humor, and to express appreciation for luminous moments and surprises. And a time to eat (first of course!) drink and socialize. ...

Carrie, David, Frank, Mary, Janice, Anne, Cindy, Ric, Tim and Sybil met on a Sunday afternoon in December to help celebrate B-Love's second year! Our salon was hosted again by Frank at the Fading Ad Gallery, his beautiful and welcoming space on the corner of Bedford and Myrtle in Brooklyn. Our theme for the month was Waiting for the Light.

We began with a thematic sing-along, which turned into a bouyant jam session. We started with the spiritual "This Little Light of Mine," followed by "Our House" by Crosby, Stills and Nash.

We segued into a passionate rendition of "C'mon Baby Light My Fire" by the Doors and a sweet version of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Cindy serenaded us with the song "Vincent" by Don McLean.

We followed with an inspired medley of greatest hits of 1972, including "Alone Again, Naturally" by Gilbert O’Sullivan, "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack, and "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor.

Mary delighted us with the song “Mendocino” by the McGarrigel Sisters. We buttoned our sing-a-long with "Blackbird" by The Beatles.

David led a dance improvisation with Ric and Carrie called “Standing in Line and Passing Through."

Mary read part of a short story called “At Home Anywhere” set in Post 9-11 New York. This story, about a couple who live in a part of Brooklyn's Muslim neighborhood, follows the story of a fellow who thought he was at home anywhere. Mary promised that she would read part two of the story at our next salon.

Janice shared a painting she is working on from a six piece series called “About Women”. This painting is an acrylic watercolor. She has two pieces so far in the series.

Sybil and Anne initiated a group activity in which everyone wrote down their wishes on paper, tied them up and put them in a bottle. Our two friends from Berlin will toss the bottle into the waters off of Coney Island on New Years Eve.

After a short break, we had our monthly Giveaway! Each person also received a tea light to brighten their winter. Carrie received a free ride on the subway, Janice received a back massager and a musical CD compilation David received a DVD of the movie musical “Carmen Jones”. Ric and Cindy enacted a favorite moment from the movie, in which Carmen tells the leading man, "Rub my feet, sugar."

Tim read an engaging and especially amusing short story called “Citizen” set in Mendocino, California.

Ric sang a song from the musical Big River called “Waitin’ for the Light” to accompany a slideshow of Christian’s photos from Muenster, Germany where he is currently studying.

Far beyond horizons I have seen
Beyond things I've been
Beyond the dreams I've dreamed
Are the things I've done
In fact each and every one
Are the way that I was taught to run

I am waitin' for the light to shine
I am waitin' for the light to shine
I have lived in the darkness for so long
I'm waitin' for the light to shine

We closed our salon with a game called “Scenes in a Minute”. At first, we divided into two teams and gave each other situations or places based on the theme “Waitin’ for the Light” like Coma, Church, the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush, Outer Space. Our last round was played with the group to the theme “Waiting for the Light”

Our theme for January, 30 2005 is DISTANCE MADE GOOD. Mapping our journeys in paint, stories, songs and images, sharing how we got to where we are now.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Tue, 23 Nov 2004 02:35:50 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Also a time to acknowledge courage, heart, talent, hard work and humor, and to express appreciation for luminous moments and surprises. And a time to eat (first of course!) drink and socialize. ...

Tim, John, Ursula, Frank, Paul, Ken and his daughter, Cindy, Anne and Ric met on a Sunday afternoon in November. Our theme for the month was Changing Urban Landscapes (Inner and Outer).

This month's salon was hosted by Frank at the Fading Ad Gallery, his beautiful and welcoming space on the corner of Bedford and Myrtle in Brooklyn. The neighborhood has various names but we liked "Sonya" best ... Frank opened our gathering with an original song entitled "Stop All The Clocks," inspired by Joni Mitchell with words by W.H. Auden.

Our thematic sing-along's included the songs "The Times They Are A-Changing" by Bob Dylan and "Changes" by David Bowie.

Paul introduced two songs from his musical, "Painting the Wind". Paul read the dialouge while John, the composer, played along on his guitar. It was exciting to hear the musical fruit of their collaboration!

Ken treated us to an original composition which he had written many years previously. It was the first time he had sang the song in public. We hope he will share more of his songs with us!

Tim followed with an entrancing series of photographs, full of vigorous colors, arresting characters and captured moments. We all enjoyed moving into the landscapes of his photos as he spread his collection across the floor of the gallery

It was a truly lovely experience to be immersed in the combination of Tim's photographs and the art work hanging on the walls of the Fading Ad Gallery.

A terrific celebration of and meditation on the theme!

Our gathering was envigorated even further by Anne, who shared her personal and public experience with a changing landscape. In Berlin, where she lives, Anne has been developing a DragKing personae who occasionally moves around the city accompanied by friends.

To develop her character, Anne follows some guidelines, which she shared with us. "Everything you see is yours" can be used as the basic principle for entering a room, walking and looking around. Eating and drinking is very much about surviving and munching down what you've been hunting. And never ever be the first one to smile! You can use your smile occasionly to show you are satisfied with something, but not even dare to think about using your smile as an invitation to communicate with peers, because - "Everything you see is yours" or at least, could be yours.

Anne delighted us with her stories and her own reflections on the theme, articulating so beautifully how the world around her is changed or is affected by this inner/outer game. To include us in this experience, she asked us to give her Brooklyn Drag King a name. We were split between Jim and Spike ...(Thanks to Diane Torr, performing artist from NY, who explained these principles to Anne and her buddies in a DragKing workshop this summer in Berlin.)

This was followed by our monthly Giveaway! Ric found a home for a jacket and a DVD and Paul outdid himself with an overflowing bag of goodies! We all left the November salon with a gift!

After our Giveaway, Cindy entertained us with her own gift for improvisation. In this game, the group secretly chose one of Tim's photos and placed it on a music stand. When we called out "One-Two-Three- Action", Cindy opened her eyes, looked at the photo and began an improvisation based on the photo.

As always, Cindy brought us to tears with her comedic skills. One of our favorite scenes was based on a small dog standing alone in an urban landscape. Cindy howling woefully was enough to tickle us silly!

Frank read us a powerfully written story entitled "False Memories or Twisting at Two". The depth of his storytelling and writing was captivating! Thank you Frank, for opening up your heart and your home to us. It was a memorable day at Fading Ad Gallery!

John, born and bred in Brooklyn, played an original song entitled "Just Another Day In Brooklyn." His talent inspired us. We are eager to hear more from John! He invited us to visit his website at www.JohnHenrySheridan.com

Ursula then shared some tasty poems with us as well as a delicious salad. Brooklyn Love (art) Salon continues to be nurtured and grows with the support of dear friends like Ursula. Her heartfelt reading of an original poem called "The Wall" reminded us again of the scope and depth of the theme. Based on her reaction to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the poem evoked feelings and other poems in the room. Paul read an original poem called "Thoughts by a Pond", Anne recited a poem by William Carlos Williams called "This Was Just To Say" and Ursula closed this very special salon with a reading of "Combat" by Harvey Shapiro.

Brooklyn Love (art) salon meets again on December 19, 2004 at The Fading Ad Gallery (www.fadingad.com). The theme for December is WAITING FOR THE LIGHT.

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Wed, 27 Oct 2004 22:46:41 GMT

Welcome to Brooklyn Love!

Also a time to acknowledge courage, heart, talent, hard work and humor, and to express appreciation for luminous moments and surprises. And a time to eat (first of course!) drink and socialize. ... Tory, Janice, Silvi, Victoria, Cindy, Judith, Mindy, Beledo, Carol and Ric met on a Sunday afternoon in October ...

Tory brought a painting to share, which inspired a discussion about process. Tory told us that she began this painting in a different way by filling in the background first ...

Silvi, a journalist, shared her experiences interviewing the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Visits with both artists that inspired her ...

After a brief introduction, Ric initiated a game in which we passed around a ball and named somthing that we wanted to do yesterday and did and then what we wanted to do yesterday and didn't...

Then came our monthly giveaway, with a surprise visit from neighbours who brought us a bag of paints!

Silvi received a clock, Victoria and Janice discount coupons and Tory wore her new Bear ear muffs!

Victoria read an excerpt from her journal about an encounter with a Muslim family at the airport ...

Mindy read a monologue about an ongoing fantasy life with a podiatrist ...

Victoria sang "Lazy Bones" and the theme song from "The Jeffersons". Ric sang "Waters of March" and "Piel Canela" accompanied by Beledo on guitar ...

Victoria and Cindy read an excerpt from Ric's new play "Echoes del Nuevo Mundo" ...

Silvi and Ric documented the salon with their photos. Brooklyn Love (art) salon meets again on November 21, 2004 at The Fading Ad Gallery (www.fadingad.com). The theme for November is " ..."