Renee McGarry joins us as the Neighborhood Coordinator for the areas of Kensington, Ditmas Park and Flatbush - including Midwood, where we are seeing a number of artist registrations pop up.  Renee comes from a background rooted in community activism and grassroots organizing.  She’s an art historian, an organizer and a long-time Brooklynite.  In her own words…

I’ve lived in Kensington for 4 years.

You’ll find me hanging out at Sycamore. Always Sycamore.

I’ll never move from Kensington because I love hearing this many languages spoken in a city block.

Leslie Ward is, well, basically, your average rock star.  She’s another one of the neighborhood coordinators that came into her interview and knocked our socks off and she’s representing Prospect Lefferts Gardens for GO.  Leslie has been working over the years with PLG Arts, but what really impressed us was her enthusiasm for the project and stategies for how she would reach out in her neighborhood.  She literally came in with a list that she had researched, including artists that had shown at the Brooklyn Museum who lived in PLG, and started running down all these avenues for outreach that just blew us away.  In her own words…

I’ve lived in PLG for 12 years.

You’ll find me hanging out at Lincoln Park Tavern, Sweet Basil & Prospect Park with my dog, Mali.

I’ll never move from PLG because the location is perfect….so close to the park, botanical gardens and museum. Plus only 10 minutes by train into the city….love that.

Every project like this one needs a good floater and that was the advice I got from the team running the Guggenheim’s Stillspotting project.  For GO, we’ve got a great one in Sophie Buonomo.  Sophie is a masters candidate at Pratt and she’s been working with Sharon in our Exhibitions Department.  We are excited to bring her on board for GO and she’ll be helping us fill gaps where they are needed.  It’s impossible to hire a coordinator for all of the 67 neighborhoods in Brooklyn, so finding someone versatile enough to handle many areas is key.  In her own words…

I’ve lived in Clinton Hill for a little less than a year - before moving to Brooklyn I was in college in Boston.

You’ll find me hanging out at art openings, concerts, museums, barbeques and beer gardens in Bushwick, Bed-Stuy and Williamsburg.

I’ll never move from my area because Clinton Hill is gorgeous - love those brownstones!

Meet Bridget Priolo, our neighborhood coordinator in DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights and the Navy Yard.  You may know Bridget already because she’s one of the people at Rabbit Movers, artists with moving trucks. She leads the RABBIT ART ATTACKS! program with her creative partner and speaks for a love about working with artists and the DUMBO community that cannot be matched.  In her own words…

I’ve been working with RABBIT since 2010. 

You’ll find me hanging out at my Bushwick rooftop on a clear night or down the Rabbit Hole in DUMBO.

I’ll never move from Bushwick because my muse rides the M train.

Meet Steffani Jemison, our project coordinator for GO. We received more than 300 hundred applications for the GO project coordinator and neighborhood coordinator positions, and if you’ve ever been through the hiring process, you know that sometimes you find an applicant that just jumps out at you. For us, Steffani was that person. Steffani has the perfect combination of what we were looking for in a candidate. She’s an incredibly smart and talented artist with a strong commitment to community, but also an experienced arts administrator up to the challenge of coordinating such a large and complex project as GO (73 square miles to cover with 22 neighborhood coordinators; over 500 registered artists as of today; massive community outreach; and then, of course, there’s the internal workings of a large museum). She’s already handling it all with great initiative and enthusiasm. She lives in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and will soon be moving her studio to Bushwick, and we’re thrilled to have her on board! In her words…

I’ve lived in Prospect Lefferts Gardens for one year.

You’ll find me hanging out at Prospect Park.

I’ll never move from PLG because of the diverse community, tree-lined streets, and proximity to Prospect Park.

Meet Victoria Cho, the GO Neighborhood Coordinator for Crown Heights.  Victoria is a writer and she founded Crown Writes, a writing workshop in the neighborhood. She also leads creative writing workshops at a settlement home for the New York Writers’ Coalition.  Victoria’s passion for GO really struck us her interview - her cover letter alone was pretty amazing.  She walked in the door with an incredibly clear understanding of the project and how to translate it in her neighborhood, including some of the best ideas we heard for community outreach.  In her own words…

I lived in Crown Heights for 3 years.

You’ll find me hanging out at LaunchPad, Veggies, Breukelen, Franklin Park, Crown Inn or just walking up and down the street!

I’ll never move from here because Crown Heights is amazingly diverse. Businesses and activists are making sincere efforts to make the area safer, improve communication and solicit discussion about neighborhood concerns and strengthen the presence of arts.

Meet Najva Sol, the GO Neighborhood Coordinator for Crown Heights and Bed Stuy.  Najva is another one who knocked our socks off during her interview.  She’s got more than a strong understanding of her neighborhood and she’s a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and experience curator; check out her collective, the Lowbrow Society for the Arts. While Najva is all over the interwebs thing, she’s a firm believer that working on the ground is where it’s at and that was something that impressed us.  In her own words…

I’ve lived in the area for 3 months, but I have been staying with friends here for over a year- I was working in DC but I’d stay for a week of every month!

You’ll find me hanging out at Imhotep Health Foods, obsessing over the curried pumpkin. Or picking up stacks of books at the Brower Park Library. If it’s sunny, I’ll be sneaking a swim at the (highly under-rated) Kosciusko Pool!

I’ll never move from the neighborhood because the Central Brooklyn CSA, a library branch, a community garden, and a park are all within a block from me. Not to mention a bunch of creative energy and the people here say hello when they see me!

Meet David Michael Perez, he’s a Neighborhood Coordinator for GO in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. You may know David already because for the past three years, he’s been the co-founder and director of FEAST (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics), a public dinner/arts grant program in Brooklyn. To hear David talk about FEAST is incredibly inspiring - he’s been thinking outside the box about how to bring artists and community together for a long time and been incredibly successful at doing so.  We are psyched he’s working on GO and you are likely to see him in Williamsburg for Northside Arts this weekend. In his own words…

I’ve lived in Greenpoint for almost three years and the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area for 8 years.

You’ll find me hanging out at Diner, Marlow & Sons, The Richardson, Pencil Factory, Gowanus Studio Space, & McCarren Park.

I’ll never move from Greenpoint because my street is so lovely and the neighborhood is just my speed.

Whenever Sharon and I were talking to artists about GO, if they lived in Greenpoint their reaction was, “Do you know Joann Kim?”  For Greenpoint artists, it’s probably a rare thing if you don’t know her already, but, if you don’t, meet Joann Kim Nunez, our Neighborhood Coordinator for Greenpoint.  Joann is an event curator, a writer, and an event producer.  She produces the Greenpoint Open Studios every year and Northside Art.  You will likely see her this weekend in Williamsburg as Northside is underway.  We couldn’t be happier that she is on board for GO. In her own words…

I’ve lived in Greenpoint for 4 years and have helped build the art and food community in the neighborhood thru events such as Greenpoint Food Market and Greenpoint Open Studios, working with local businesses and press to support the initiative to create a collaborative platform for emerging artists and artisans alike.

You’ll find me hanging out at Cafe Grumpy (my coffice) and Le Gamin (my other coffice).

I’ll never move from Greenpoint because… I’ve moved out of Greenpoint under the fortunate circumstance of not paying rent in our LES shoebox. My zoo-themed Greenpoint based wedding would attest to that. Otherwise I would never move out of Greenpoint because having grown up in NY it was the first time I felt at home.

Meet Lucia Rollow, who rounds out our team of Neighborhood Coordinators in Bushwick.  Like Julia, Lucia is one of the co-lead organizers of Bushwick Open Studios and you may also know her as the Director of the Bushwick Community Darkroom.  Lucia impressed us in her interview with her passion for Bushwick and its arts community. She has a deep thoughts on community and arts accessibility and works diligently within in the neighborhood on projects rooted in these ideals. In her own words…

I’ve lived in Bushwick for almost 3 years now!

You’ll find me hanging out at Cafe Ghia, Pine Box Rock Shop, Brooklyn Fireproof or any of the other amazing spots within 3 blocks of my house!

I’ll never move from Bushwick because it’s the best :) Everything I want for work or play is within a 10 minute walk of my front door. There’s so much amazing food and art everywhere and everyone in the neighborhood is doing such amazing things!

Meet Sofy Yuditskaya, the GO Neighborhood Coordinator for Bensonhurst, Gravesend, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Bay Ridge. During her interview, Sharon and I were completely impressed by Sofy’s awareness of the artists in these areas - particularly her grasp of what’s going on in the Russian and Jewish communities.  She grew up in these neighborhoods and when asked if this was a lot of ground for one person to cover, her response was she used to roller blade through the streets and she extremely excited to get back to her old stomping ground.  Sofy is a media artist and designer with an impressive resume (she’s worked on projects at the Eyebeam Center for Art & Technology, the ARS Electronica Center, the Netherlands Institute voor Media Kunst, and the Games for Learning Institute).  In her own words…

I’ve lived in the area for 7-10 years.

You’ll find me hanging out at the beach!

I’ll never move from the area because the all night fruit stands are epic and the perogies are as good as they get!

Meet Maril Ortiz, the GO Neighborhood Coordinator for Park Slope.  She is one of the founders of and the co-Director of the Create Collective. She’s lived in the neighborhood for over a decade and as she puts it, “PKS residents might be famous for their love of strollers, bikes, apple products and dogs (I have 3 out of 4), but there is also a vibrant community of artists which I an looking forward to introducing you to.”  We are psyched.  In her own words…

I’ve lived in Park Slope for 12 years.

You’ll most often find me hanging out at Bogota Latin Bistro or strolling up and down Fifth Ave or at JJ Byrne Park.

I’ll never move from Park Slope because I love how everything you really need is just a short stroll away. I constantly bump into friends both new and old. Here you can live the village life and still be part of the excitement of NYC.

Meet Morgan Shockley, GO Neighborhood Coordinator for Bushwick.  Morgan is a recent NYU grad and while she’s a relative new-comer to her neighborhood, we were totally impressed that she totally knows the territory.  During Bushwick Open Studios, I’ll never forget - Morgan was part of the team on the ground trying to paper Bushwick and we were all texting each other as we got each area covered.  We are psyched to have her on board!  In her own words…

I’ve lived in Bushwick for just 6 months.

You’ll find me hanging out at Anchored Inn or Miles or Little Skips.

I’ll never move from Bushwick because it presents the perfect blend of arts, food and vibrancy that I seek in a neighborhood.

Meet Scott Pfaffman, the Neighborhood Coordinator for Red Hook.  Scott’s interview happened while we were sitting at Baked, the local Red Hook bakery/coffee shop.  One morning I was sitting there and in walks Scott, we get to chatting and, turns out, he had just sent in his application.  Scott’s understanding of the art scene in Red Hook is unparalleled; an artist himself, he’s lived in Red Hook for 22 years - long before Ikea, Fairway, cruise ships, and ball field food vendors.  He’s a neighborhood institution, the real Red Hook deal, and he had me at hello. When I asked him for a short bio his response was, “Sculptor, teacher, curator, fabricator.” In his own words:

I’ve lived in Red Hook since ‘87.

You’ll find me hanging out at my studio in Screwball Spaces, picking up kids at the bus top and Sunny’s on Wednesday nights.

I’ll never move from Red Hook because I can’t afford to.