The Brooklyn Art Library, the Best Way to Spend a Day Off in Williamsburg

My 15 year-old brother Zadrian visited me all the way from Hawaii this weekend, so I took Monday off to spend time with him and celebrate my birthday. I struggled to think of things to do that would interest him in the neighborhood, so I suggested we taste chocolate at Mast Brothers on North 3rd mainly because I was craving chocolate. After Mast Brothers, we stumbled on The Brooklyn Art Library just a few stores down. I remember walking in here a few years back when they only had a small 3 ft high shelf and now the walls of the room are lined with sketchbooks.

The library is simple, you sign up for a library card (your name, email and phone number) and then you use their online catalog to browse for sketchbooks by interest, profession, location, color, mood, etc. The "librarian" (read: tight jeans, henley shirt, facial hair) will then bring you two sketchbooks at a time. Most of the fun is not knowing who's sketchbook you are going to get, and each sketchbook is inspiring in its own unique way.

My favorite sketchbook was by local Illustrator Greg Kletsel (see below). Anyone can participate by buying a sketchbook that cost $25--I assume part of the cost goes to maintaining the library--or $60 if you want them to digitize it, and submit it to the The Sketchbook Project, which to-date has close to 28,000 artists' sketchbooks.

I ended up buying myself a sketchbook to fill and a Pattern Box of postcards by 10 contemporary female pattern designers curated by the Textile Arts Center in New York. I've been super interested in pattern making and am currently taking Joshua Davis' Skillshare class on Generative Art, so hopefully I'll have some work to fill into my sketchbook!

Two Student Shows You Need To Check Out in NYC This Week

Need a dose of inspiration? Check out these end of the year student shows from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). Both are free and are only open this week.

ITP Spring Show 

May 14 (5-9pm) and May 15 (4-8pm)

NYU Tisch School of the Arts

721 Broadway, 4th Floor South 

GSAPP 2012 End of Year Show

May 14-18 (10am - 5pm)

Columbia University Avery Hall

1172 Amsterdam Avenue

I went to the GSAPP reception this Saturday to support some friends who completed their first year in the program.

From Cattelan to Santacon, Why I Love New York

It's my final weekend in New York City for the year and I had no intention of wasting it. Friday was sort of shot for me as the night before was the JWT holiday party... you know how that goes... but I had promised my friend Jason I'd attend Art After Dark at the Guggenheim for the Maurizio Cattelan "All" exhibit. The massive scale of the exhibit hanging from the center of the Gugg was a sight in itself. Can't really explain, so you'll just need to go see the exhibit before January 22 when it closes.

Not a surprise but I really liked the floating "Z"s

Then my weekend went from high-brow to low-brow pretty quickly with SANTACON on Saturday! Last year was pretty awesome so I was definitely participating again this year; however, I think my old age is catching up to me and this year will probably be my last. We met up at South Street Seaport and head uptown to Bryan Park. Like Cattelan, I can't really explain it so you'll just have to look at the photos:

My favorite moment of Santacon, Tyler being spanked by Santa:

This weekend pretty much sums up everything I love about living in New York.

Neon Zip Tie Lamp Posts

I saw these lamp posts in the sculpture garden on Governor's Island and thought they were the coolest things ever. Who knew zip ties came in neon colors! The neon zip tie lamp posts are a part of a piece called 'Flaming Cactus' by ANIMUS.