September 9 & 10
Postponed: Due to rising concerns amid the COVID-19 virus, Knockdown Center will be temporarily closed to the public. It is with a heavy heart that we announce this news, however, we hope that this measure will ensure the safety of our staff and guests. Please check back for updates on rescheduled dates.
For its third annual Show Don’t Tell Symposium, Culture Push brings the ideas and projects of Fellows from the Fellowship for Utopian Practice artists and from Associated Artists together for a weekend of workshops, installations, and panels. Featuring the work of OlaRonke Akinmowo (the Free Black Women’s Library), Kat Cheairs (In This House), Sonia Louise Davis, the Southeast Queens Artist Alliance (SEQAA), and other artists working at the intersection of social activism and artistic practice.
More participants and schedule of events to be announced soon!
About Culture Push
Culture Push is an arts organization that creates programs to nurture artists and other creative people who are approaching common problems through hands-on civic participation and imaginative problem-solving. Culture Push supports the process of creating new modes of thinking and doing and serves a diverse community of creative people. The programs of Culture Push focus on collaboration and group learning through active, participatory experiences.
Learn how you can become part of the commissioning process for the Queens Council of the Arts at an information session on Tuesday October 15, 6 – 8pm! Info Sessions are required for all prospective ACP applicants. More information here, or RSVP here.
About the Queens Council on the Arts Artist Commissioning Program
Queens Council on the Arts is accepting applications for its Artist Commissioning Program (ACP)! Designed to democratize the traditional commissioning process, QCA is seeking individuals with a connection the communities of Maspeth/Ridgewood or Flushing to become an Art Commissioner or ACP Artist.
Art Commissioners evaluate and select the projects, serve in advisory capacity for the selected artists, and participate in monthly art convenings and professional development workshops around commissioning art.
Artists (Choreographers, Composers, Playwrights) receive a $10,000 commission to create a new work. Projects should tell an untold story highlighting underrepresented protagonists, as well as demonstrate a connection to the communities of either Flushing or Maspeth/Queens. ACP artists produce a World Premiere of their project in Queens, and work with an advisory cohort of local Art Commissioners.
WHEN:
SEPTEMBER 28/29, 2019 – 1pm to 4am
1pm – 7pm – All Ages
7pm – 4am – 21+
WHERE:
Knockdown Center
52-19 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn NY 11378
3000 person indoor / outdoor venue
For purchase: Full bar / food trucks.
TICKETS:
https://decom.burningman.nyc/tickets
All tickets are $50 (Children under 18 are Free when accompanied by a guardian, 21 or over, with a paid ticket. All attendees under 21 must leave the venue by 7pm)
Please note, on the day of event, subject to availability, the ticket price will go up to $60. This will happen at Friday, Sept. 27th at 11:59pm!
Note that tickets will NOT be sold at the door, they must be purchased through EventBrite!
FAQ:
https://decom.burningman.nyc/faq
BE PART OF IT:
BRING YOUR ART: https://decom.burningman.nyc/art
BRING YOUR PERFORMANCE: https://decom.burningman.nyc/performance
ADD YOUR THEME CAMP: https://decom.burningman.nyc/theme-camps
VOLUNTEER HERE: https://decom.burningman.nyc/volunteer
ART THEME
Eclosión = The emergence of an adult [insect] from its pupa or larval stage
Decompressing from Burning Man 2019, the NYC Burner Community continues it’s Metamorphosis by producing its first large-scale Decom since 2009.
On September 28th, we swarm to a 3000 person venue with 16 insides/outside spaces and 9 sound-systems being activated by multiple theme camps, artists, performers and all of you who are stepping up to get involved.
The final chapter of the Burning Man 2019 Metamorphoses theme, NYC gathers to decompress, reconnect and begin hatching new plans for 2020.
For DECOM 2019, all are welcome in any form of playa style or, to play along with the theme, consider art and costumery that elevates, illuminates or transforms. Morph as any insectoid or amphibian inspired species or realize your own interpretation as numerous east coast community members infest the Knockdown center, coming together in our full, combined glory.
This is an official Burning Man Regional event produced by your New York City Burning Man Regional team and many community member volunteers. Neither Burning Man nor Black Rock City LLC is a producer or organizer of the event. However, this IS a Burning Man sanctioned decompression event.
10 PRINCIPLES OF BURNING MAN
https://burningman.org/culture/philosophical-center/10-principles/
These were crafted not as a dictate of how people should be and act, but as a reflection of the community’s ethos and culture as it had organically developed since the event’s inception:
* Radical Inclusion
* Gifting
* Decommodification
* Radical Self-reliance
* Radical Self-expression
* Communal Effort
* Civic Responsibility
* Leaving No Trace
* Participation
* Immediacy
BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS
Burning Man’s culture honors and promotes freedom of expression, unless that expression harms others.
The Burning Man organization that supports the year-round activities of the Burning Man community, has zero tolerance for behavior that is non-consensual, abusive, or harmful to others.
This includes and is not limited to:
* Violence – both physical and verbal
* Harassment, including non-consensual interactions
* Coercion (abuse of power – including but not limited to sex, drugs, resources, etc.)
* Sexual Assault
* Intoxication while on duty
* Theft or Vandalism
BUSHWIG NYC 2019
SHAKE. THE. HOUSE.
September 7th and 8th at the Knockdown Center.
This year Bushwig will be even more legendary than ever before with over 300 iconic performers.
Featuring live music from Slayyyter, Mykki Blanco, AJA, Christeene.
Drag shows from Nina West, Bubble T, Charlene, Tammie Brown, Lady Bunny, Horrorchata and all of your Brooklyn favorites.
Join us for 23 hours of drag, dancing, live music, shopping with over 30 vendors and more.
♥ Dance to sets by Iconic DJs like Jasmine Infiniti & Justin Cudmore.
♥ Carry at the Ketel One Bar.
♥ Over indulge with our food vendors.
♥ Get your desserts in the dark room.
Ride our FREE SHUTTLE from Jefferson L Train Station (Jefferson St. and Wyckoff Ave.) to the venue or alternatively use our code “WIGRIDE19” on LYFT for a 20% discount.
Bushwig is a safer space with LGBTQ friendly security, wheelchair access, and designated space near the stage for guests with disabilities. For reservation please email: Simon@Bushwig.com
Final tickets on sale now!
Bushwig NYC is an adults only 21+ event.
#shakethehouse #bushwig2019
Barn Dance with Caller Dave Harvey & The Remedies
Ticket includes: Dance, BBQ Buffet, Beer, Wine, Soda.
Cash Bar Also Available
Attire: Dressy Denim Optional – Free hat with admission
Mechanical Bull
Raffles
A night of celebrating diversity in the Muslim diaspora presented by Mipsterz, a non-profit initiative carving out positive creative spaces for Muslim Americans and other marginalized groups. Featuring performances from Zakarya Masmoudi, Fajjr + Ali, Zainab Mabizari, Sara Alfageeh, MIRUD, Chic Nunar, Fatima Farheen Mirza, Adam Maalouf, Humeysha, DJ AyesCold and visuals by Tingerine.
Schedule:
6:00 pm Doors
6:30 pm NYC Mipsterz Showcase, emceed by Abbas Rattani
7:45 pm Adam Maalouf
8:15 pm Humeysha
9:30 pm DJ AyesCold
Also featuring brand new original Mipsterz artwork and copies of Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A Place for Us for sale, with refreshments from Kolkata Chai Co, Abu’s Homestyle Bakery, Taste of Lahore, and Allan’s Bakery.
Mipsterz is also proud to support the #SWABFORLINA Be The Match campaign, a nationwide effort to find the right stem cell donor for Liyna Anwar, currently battling leukemia. With 20 million potential donors, people of color are often underrepresented in potential matches.
About the Artists
Humeysha
Written and conceived in India by Zain Alam, Humeysha channels diverse influences, echoing sounds from New York to New Delhi. The multilingual self-titled debut evokes a wayfarer’s meditative travels through heritage and homeland. “Zain Alam is primarily a musician, but his work draws from a range of influences, from My Bloody Valentine, to the cinematic extravagance of Bollywood, to the gyrating percussions of Qawwali, a genre of devotional Sufi music known for its rhythm and lyricism. The result is a refined family of sounds that braids South Asian soundscapes into a distinctive flavor of spacious psych-pop, all built atop archival recordings that Alam collected on multiple trips he took to India and Pakistan.” – Pacific Standard
DJ AyesCold
Ayesha is a DJ, music producer, and former talent booker at U Street Music Hall, Washington DC. She recently relocated to New York to work with sample labels at Splice. Under the name ‘DJ Ayes Cold’ Ayesha has performed across the country, spinning at festivals like Bonnaroo and SXSW, and playing rooms featuring a wide range of talent like Blood Orange, Goldlink, Princess Nokia, Kingdom, Joekay, Shabazz Palaces, Gaslamp Killer, Tokimonsta, Venus X, Mike Q, Jayhood, Dave Nada, Madame Gandhi, and more. Ayesha is a vocal advocate for the representation of women and other musical minorities in the music industry, and more recently – in the world of sound design.
Adam Maalouf
Adam Maalouf’s music is found where the modern meets the ancient, where the Pantam (or handpan) meets ancient and traditional styles of music from around the globe brought together using both organic and electronic drums, beats and synthesizers. Pan-tam is the name of the “flying saucer” instrument invented in the year 2000, and the word stems from the combination of the Pan from Trinidad, and the Ghatam (clay pot drum) from South India. Adam’s unique musical style comes to life in genre-bending compositions for solo and ensembles incorporating global musicians.
About Mipsterz
Mipsterz is an arts and culture collective curating, enabling, and amplifying creators of marginalized backgrounds through illustration, film, and music.
On one hand, Mipsterz is a home for creators to build, collaborate, or experiment with diverse folks who share a common connection to a larger tradition. We actively provide mentorship, resources, and a platform to enable ideas and expression. On the other hand, Mipsterz content is for everyone. It is the collective representation and avenue through which our creativity is amplified in broader, diverse spaces. We have worked with everyone from the popular media, academia to museums and art spaces to bring our multi-dimensional third-culture inspired voices and stories to the forefront.
Knockdown Center hosts the Yellow Jackets Collective’s 3rd Queer Lunar New Year Party, PIG: Year of Abundance, a party to celebrate joy and community for queer diasporic people of color.
In 2017, the year of the Rooster, YJC threw our very first queer lunar new year party. We were forged in fire, giving shape to our chosen family in the making and unmaking of things. This last year, 2018, was the year of the earth dog; when what remained from the devastation was nurtured. It was a year of grounding and healing, where people built anew and rooted in what had survived. Now it’s the year of the pig, and for Yellow Jackets, it will be a year of abundance. For us this year is about warm, generous love. It is about believing in the strength of our collective dreams, and scheming with our communities to manifest prosperity and joy. It is a year of reaping what you sow.
The party is meant to center queer people of color. There will be a slew of QTPOC DJs and performers as well as a night market with vendors selling zines, art, and other treats. Most of these performers and vendors are community that we’ve built in the last 3 years collaborating in NYC, and this party is meant as a celebration of our love, commitment and gratitude we have for our chosen families.
There will be NO TOLERANCE for anti-blackness, appropriative garb, harassment, anything nonconsensual. We are asking everyone to be financially transparent, as no POC folks will be turned away. We will have clear community guidelines in the space that we ask everyone to follow.
For context, the Lunar New Year is the first day of a calendar year that cycles with the moon. Hindu, Bengali, Buddhist, Islamic and traditional East Asian calendars are based on this system, and many of us in the U.S. who have ancestors from these ‘othered’ spaces still live and celebrate by it. The new year is a time of family reunion and we want to reinterpret this tradition by celebrating with our chosen families and our queer diasporic families.
Set List: Ushamami, DJ Ushka, Landline Sanrio Service, Br0nze_G0dd3ss, and Oscar Nñ [JUST ADDED]
Hosts: Discwoman, BUFU, BARS Collective, Shama Rahman, Alice Sparkly Kat, Ada Wrong, Yung Nihilist, Poppy and Yin of Mercy Mistress, Neon Christina (RAGGA NYC), China Residencies, Papi Juice, KT + Emilio [JUST ADDED], and Wing on Wo & Co [JUST ADDED]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YELLOW JACKETS COLLECTIVE YJC is chosen family of yellow queers collaborating towards radical futures.
Maspeth Town Hall and The NYC Department of Youth & Community Development present WINTER CARNIVAL
FREE fun for all ages!