We're moving
For 7 years, the Silent Barn has called 915 Wyckoff home. Originally, this space was built out by The Skeletons, a band that had already lived at Silent Barns in Williamsburg and near Oberlin College. Over the years, 915 Wyckoff transformed from Skeletons' practice studio into a fixture of Brooklyn's DIY underground. The many residents and friends that 915 Wyckoff has seen over the years have completely saturated the building with creativity and positive energy. We've had so many amazing shows that a new mop turns completely black as soon as it touches the floor.
Because of this series recent events, The Silent Barn will soon have a new address. Although this is an extremely painful decision for us, it's one that is necessary and ultimately very exciting as well. The Silent Barn has been a live-in space for its entire history. "Living in the stew" has been part of our mission as a venue, but it's also necessary financially - with rent dollars subsidizing the venue's costs, we were able to run Silent Barn with little regard for how much money we pull in through shows. After thorough research, it's become clear that because of the way our building and surrounding neighborhood are zoned, there is no way that we can rezone to allow residents to live at 915 Wyckoff. To appeal our case to the local government would take nearly a year - in the time it takes to appeal, Silent Barn would fall into irreparable debt. Given the amount of support we've received through Kickstarter, we need to be certain that when we reopen Silent Barn, we will be able to keep our doors open for years to come. There is simply no way for The Silent Barn to continue at 915 Wyckoff.
Nonetheless, all of us at Silent Barn are ecstatic about the possibilities of a new space and blank slate to be create with. In the coming months, we'll be hunting for a location that is ideal to our needs. Given our experience with the positives and negatives of our space at 915 Wyckoff, we'll be able to design a new space that will be better than before. It will be safer and more secure. It will maintain our symbol of living immersed in artistic expression. It will hopefully be completely disorienting to anybody who enters for the first time. With the opportunities of a new space, we’ll be able to give everybody who has supported us the Silent Barn that they deserve.
In the meantime, we need to get out of 915 Wyckoff by the end of the month. Through this week and weekend, we will need plenty of volunteers helping us cleaning up our space, and putting everything into boxes and loading it into trucks. Volunteers will see Peter Edwards’ glowing orb exhibit and see 915 Wyckoff for the last time. This is going to be a crazy, crazy week. Come and have fun with us and pay your last respects to this phase of our history.
If you would like to volunteer (and we sure need the hands this week!) please sign up to our group. If you haven’t check out the Casper Electronics installation, which will now be the final project in the space, check out these photos and video.
753
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Funding period
Jul 20, 2011 -
Sep 18, 2011
(60 days)
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151 backers
Yum! A pack of Silent Barn Stickers.
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373 backers
A Silent Barn T-Shirt, designed & screened by Eli Lehrhoff of DUBKNOWDUB.
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33 backers
One Ticket to G Lucas Crane Gourmet Food and Tape Event :)
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24 backers
Collection of 10 lovingly packaged cassettes from Partylab, and one special Silent Barn benefit compilation tape put together by Green Age "Records"
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6 backers
Free admission to Silent Barn for a year, a collection of 10 lovingly packaged cassettes from Partylab, and a set of Silent Barn event poster prints designed & signed by Rob Chabebe @ Eye Bodega.
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6 backers
Free entrance to Silent Barn for life. And of course: A Silent Barn t-shirt, a 4-course tape meal dinner event with G Lucas Crane, a duplicate of any Party Lab tape forever, Silent Barn event poster prints designed & signed by Rob Chabebe @ Eye Bodega, & anything else we can do for you as the Silent Barn. When we figure out what a plaque of our donors would look like, it will be to honor and recognize our gratitude for your support at this really interesting turning point for the Silent Barn. Thank you!
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Everything mentioned above. We carve your name into every mop, broom and dustpan in the house. We carve your likeness into something in the house. We all honor you as a modern Leo Medici.
Comments
Creator Castle Oscar on September 2, 2011
Michael,
I'm sorry I can't provide the specifics you're looking for at this point. We'll certainly be keeping everybody abreast of news about a new space - we're only just starting to look for new spaces now that we've left the old one. We also will be fully transparent about how the dollars are being used - we intend to publish an estimated budget for future expenses asap, as well as for the money we're saving by leaving the old space. Put briefly, the bulk of the money will go to renovating a new space, with some money going toward a sound system and some money going toward special projects like our future gardens project. This is certainly the best use of the money we're being given through Kickstarter, we know this much. I'd also add that we made this announcement as early as possible, so that nobody is donating who isn't on board with this new goal.
It was a big change of plans to move, and a sad one at that - we wouldn't have done it unless it were completely necessary. I understand your frustration. We are frustrated too! With luck, all will become clear soon, and we'll be better than ever. Hope this helps!
Creator Michael McGregor on September 2, 2011
OK, thanks for the response. Not all that informative, or insightful. Would be great to know where you are moving, and how the funds will be used. After all, the project wasn't to relocate the silent barn. This is essentially something totally new and different.
Creator Castle Oscar on September 1, 2011
We're starting looking for new locations now that we've finished the massive task of moving out of our old space. Fingers crossed for an October 1st move in!
Creator Michael McGregor on September 1, 2011
So....there is no space? Just read that yall moved out of 915 already...where will the new location be?
Creator Castle Oscar on September 1, 2011
We would love to stay in Ridgewood! We took a look at a space recently that was in the neighborhood, but it was too small for us and too close to other quiet apartments. It's mostly important to get a space that works for our eccentric uses of space and can stay open permanently - the specific neighborhood is something we hope to have a luxury in being choosey about, but we might not have that luxury.
Creator Dana Mach on August 23, 2011
Please, consider staying in the neighborhood. One of the reasons I love supporting Silent Barn is that you're so close to Ridgewood and the area I've come to love. There are already so many spaces in the "East Williamsburg/Bushwick" area, and we need you here!
Creator Michael McGregor on August 23, 2011
sooo....where will the new location be? very curious to learn more. have yall found a space? is it zoned properly? would be nice to know as this project goes forward