The inaugural edition of The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition brings together more than 200 artists to celebrate the diversity and creativity of this beloved borough. We asked a select few to reflect on their pieces. Keep reading for inspiration. ✨
You can also download the free Bloomberg Connects app and click each image to follow along in the galleries on our digital guide!
Botanic Luncheon by Tabitha Whitley
This painting explores the dappled light that one only sees in spring and summer. Nineteenth-century Impressionists like Renoir include this lighting in paintings such as The Swing and Luncheon of the Boating Party. To me, this light signifies the end of another harsh, gray NYC winter and the beginning of the magical energy that takes over the city when the weather is warm. It also takes me back to the treelined streets of Bed-Stuy, where the dappled light would float over me as I rollerbladed down the block with other neighborhood children, under the watchful eye of a neighbor.
In the painting Botanic Luncheon I depict two contemporary figures on a blanket in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oftentimes when I see people of color in art, it is to make a political or racial statement. In my work, I prefer to share images of Black joy and take from my own personal experiences. I think it is radical in its own way to show people of color existing in ordinary scenes. —Tabitha Whitley
Corona Shelter, Prospect Park by Stanley Greenberg
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the mayor closed all the playgrounds in New York. I spend a lot of time in Prospect Park and noticed that people were taking dead branches and building play areas and shelters for and with their children.
People began to engage with the park in a way they hadn’t before. The shelters provided places for outdoor activities at a time when outdoors was the only safe place to be. I visited many other Olmsted parks around the country during this time and found only one or two shelters in other places. It was a particularly Brooklyn response to a problem. —Stanley Greenberg
Shoji 4—Bedford Avenue by Akiko Yamamoto
My childhood home was built by my father in the traditional Japanese style, and it was filled with shoji doors. Because they are made of paper, they would often tear and need to be repaired, and I remember watching my mother do this work. She would boil rice flour to create a rice glue and use it to bind fresh paper to the frames. I loved the clean white translucence of the refreshed screens.
I wanted to commemorate this tradition in my Shoji series. I live and make art in Brooklyn, so my shoji screens incorporate the textures of the city. They are not minimal clean white, but rather show the complexity of textures, patterns, and colors. I wanted to embrace the essence of Brooklyn’s bold attitude. This one is named for Brooklyn’s longest street, which passes through so many layers of culture along its length. —Akiko Yamamoto
Hear from the Brooklyn artists in person
Brooklyn Talks: Contemporary Artists in Practice
Thursday, November 21, 7–9 pm
Follow the artistic process—from creation to curation! Four contemporary artists—Hayden Haynes, Samantha Jacobs, Diana Markosian, and Melissa Joseph—explore their practice in rapid-fire conversations with curators.
(Psst: Members get 40% off tickets to this event. Not a Member? Join today!)
From the top: Tabitha Whitley. Botanic Luncheon, 2024. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist. © Tabitha Whitley. (Photo: Courtesy of the artist); Stanley Greenberg. Corona Shelter, Prospect Park, 2020. Pigmented inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist. © Stanley Greenberg. (Photo: Courtesy of the artist); Akiko Yamamoto. Shoji 4—Bedford Avenue, 2024. Collage, rice paper, magazines, origami paper, silver leaf, and acrylic paint on wood board. Courtesy of the artist. © Akiko Yamamoto. (Photo: Courtesy of the artist); Hayden Haynes (Photo: Courtesy of the artist); Samantha Jacobs (Photo: Tira Howard); Diana Markosian (Photo: Zoe Potkin); Melissa Joseph (Photo: Miguel McSongwe; Clothing: anOnlyChild)
The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition is organized by Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli and coordinated by Sharon Matt Atkins, Deputy Director for Art; Lauren Bierly, Senior Exhibition Project Manager; and Jennie Tang, Special Exhibition Administrator; with support from Kimberli Gant, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art; Carmen Hermo, former Associate Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; and Catherine Morris, Senior Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum.
With tremendous gratitude, we thank the Brooklyn Museum Board of Trustees for their visionary support and commitment to the breadth of Museum and citywide celebrations as we embark on our 200th year. It is with appreciation to them and to the supporters of The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition that we are honored to present the works of local artists who make our community what it is today.
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