nbART is an arts organization dedicated to collaborating with artists and community stakeholders in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick to produce, present, and support art in public spaces.
Formed in 2009 by a group of artists, arts administrators and community members who believe that public art is a key component to the development of North Brooklyn, the North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition (nbART) is committed to facilitating projects in these neighborhoods and guiding artists through the often complex process of creating art in open spaces. We aim to promote dialogue concerning urban spaces; enhance the careers of Brooklyn-based artists through commissions and the provision of other resources; and use our voice to advocate on behalf of the North Brooklyn arts community.
nbART's kick off project was the India Street Mural Project, a series of murals addressing the lack of development along Brooklyn's waterfront. Taking place at India Street between West Street and the East River in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, five artists were selected to create murals along the waterfront. Last summer, the murals came alive during a film screening series brought to India Street by two collaborators, nbART and Moviehouse.
With the help of Kickstarter, nbART presented Jason Krugman's Living Objects last fall, a public art installation featuring three LED-lit sculptures in McCarren Park, Brooklyn. The illuminated figures, ranging in size from two feet to 18 feet, were one of the largest public art installations in the park’s history.
Kickstarter also helped nbART reach our goal to present Future Phenomena by Greenpoint-based artist Amanda Browder, which was a large-scale fabric sculpture that was affixed to the building at 1066 Manhattan Avenue from June 19 - June 20, 2010. The 800 square-foot piece was sewn together by local community members who helped create the work themselves by participating in public sewing sessions held throughout that spring. There people helped cut donated and recycled fabric, then sew the work together, and included Brooklyn residents interested in crafts or the visual arts and several older community residents interested in quilting and sewing.
