Release Date: April 12, 2006
Contact: Michelle Karshan
Tel: 212-613-6033
Email: mkarshan@aol.com

Brooklyn's Art Weekend to Draw Both Established and Emerging Artists for Third Annual Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk

Brooklyn, New York - April 12, 2006 - Local and visiting artists, both established and emerging, are signing on to participate in this year's largest art happening in Brooklyn. Thrown into the mix are those international artists who have chosen to live and work in Brooklyn because of its thriving and inspirational arts culture. On Saturday and Sunday, June 3rd and 4th from 1 to 6 pm, for the third year in a row, art collectors, gallery and museum curators, as well as the general public, will be able to view the artwork of more than 100 artists at this year's Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk (ArtWalk06).

Paintings, sculpture, watercolor, photography, digital media, and textiles -- from artists who have shown at the New Museum, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), London Fashion & Textile Museum, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Dyezu Experiment Gallery Tokyo, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Contemporary African Art Gallery, Metaphor Contemporary Art, New York Watercolor Society, and the Brooklyn Museum -- will be exhibited through open artist studios, gallery shows, public art projects, and in stores, restaurants, window displays, and more. Open studios give the public a rare glimpse into the artist's workspace and creative process.

ArtWalk06, along Brooklyn's historic and trendy Atlantic Avenue, runs through Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and downtown Brooklyn. The tour and accompanying events are free and open to the public. Stores, restaurants and bars will offer specials to tour goers and anticipated programming will include music, dance, film, readings, and workshops.

In collaboration with ArtWalk06, the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) will host their open studios tour and pier show in the adjacent neighborhoods of Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, and continuing though Cobble Hill - making the weekend Brooklyn's biggest art event of the year. The prominent local sculptor, Chris Piazza , will return to ArtWalk opening her Boerum Hill studio to the public to view what a recent New York Times feature described as, "puppets that reside in architecturally elaborate glass boxes - artwork that memorializes both her cultural heroes and the vanishing parts of New York."

Christian Mendoza, painter and muralist from Nicaragua, whose works draw from the experiences of his homeland and the influences of New York City and Miami, is returning to ArtWalk06 after a year of exhibits and public works showing in Chelsea, Williamsburg, Philadelphia, San Juan, and Tokyo.

Mac Premo, a collagist and animator, points out that his past participation in ArtWalk "has been very lucrative in terms of getting shows and meeting people who are interested in the arts and arts around them." As a result, Premo was invited recently to exhibit in LA. Ashley O'Neal, a Brooklyn-based painter, adds that "the beauty of open studios is that the public gets the opportunity to view the art more fully, interact and purchase directly from the artist."

Maps, guides and artist biographies provided to the public make the tour a perfect setting for dialogue, collecting, and learning first hand about current bodies of work by talking directly with the actual artists.

ArtWalk06 is produced by COlab Projects and the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation with production support from the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association.

ArtWalk06 is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts. In Kings County the Decentralization Program is administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc. (BAC).

For more information including portfolio samples, images, directions, and tour map, see www.artwalk06.com.