We’ve been pals with 3rd Ward for a long time. We’ve gone to their parties and seen some pretty awesome stuff come out of their wood/metal shops, jewelry studio, and photo studios.

You may know 3rd Ward as the place to learn Photoshop, welding or chicken-raising techniques in a matter of weeks. But did you know you can also set up your office there? 3rd Ward has a vibrant co-working center where you can enjoy the camaraderie of other creative souls along with brand-new Macs fully loaded with all the design, editing and animation software you could ever want. (more…)

FRIDAY
2-4pm, 3:30-5:30pm: knit-a-boob workshop: knit prosthetic breasts for patients and survivors of breast cancer who have lost their own to surgery. note: due to resources, knitting experience is preferred. textile arts center, free (rsvp). (more…)

FRIDAY
enter to win free admission to a quickbooks workshop at greenpoint coworking

7pm: launch party for nick bertozzi’s new graphic novel about the cross-country adventures of lewis + clark. bergen street comics, free. (more…)

The author, as rendered by art students (for cash)

Hey kid, you want to be in art classes — naked, unmoving, magnanimously muse-like — and get paid for it? Let me show you the way. To ease your mind, take it from someone who’s been through it a few times: Art modeling is one of the most charmingly asexual enterprises ever. Unlike, for example, an unremarkable walk down a city street, no one looks at you with possessive lechery and cruelty. Here’s a rundown of the major New York art schools (all Brooklyn-accessible!) that will pay you, how much you’ll get paid — what you should expect from the experience. (more…)

FRIDAY
7pm: textile arts center’s kimberly hall discusses the appeal of handmade items, followed by a silent auction for scarves crafted by ‘virgin’ knitters. free wine + cheese! gowanus.

9pm (doors): this month’s dig deeper ‘60s soul party at southpaw features syl johnson (his 1967 ‘different strokes‘ has been sampled by wu-tang clan and others) and the sweet divines. southpaw, $15. (more…)

Remember Craig Murphey on Saturday while fighting hunger

Hunger sucks, almost as much as oblivious drivers who run down bikers (remember this from last week?). The New York City Coalition Against Hunger is taking on both issues Saturday, hosting a fundraiser and raffle in honor of Craig Murphey, an anti-poverty activist who was killed by a truck in Williamsburg while biking home three years ago. The Bushwick event features an awesome raffle with more than 50 bona fide sweet local prizes, including a $500 gift certificate to 3rd Ward, $200 worth of tattoos and a signed first pressing of the Vivian Girls’ first album. Plus, there’s a hummus (Murphey’s favorite food) cook-off and music, and all the money goes to fight hunger. (more…)

Introduction to the Lathe, anyone?

The creative juggernaut that is 3rd Ward is bringing you our next birthday raffle prize: a free class of your choice at the Williamsburg design center. That’s right, you’ll be schooled in screen printing, jewelry making, photography, welding, woodworking, video editing in the sleek media lab, urban ecology or one of many, many others. Just take your pick. Besides providing fun (and functional!) classes, 3rd Ward brings Brooklyn’s creative community together. And as we celebrate Brokelyn’s birthday, we’re also celebrating 3rd Ward’s. Happy fourth birthday, 3rd Ward! We love you! (more…)

If being able to type 90WPM is the most impressive computer skill you have, it may be difficult (i.e. impossible) to stay competitive in today’s hyper-digital workplace. Knowing how to use Photoshop, InDesign, FinalCut Pro and other programs can be beneficial when applying to jobs or landing freelance gigs. Though Pratt has an amazing list of computer graphics courses for the serious (and well-funded) student, some of us just want to dabble. So we did a price check to find the best rates on digital-design and video-editing classes around town. Got another lead? Please let us know in the comments. (more…)

wishin you some 3-D love, via someecards

What are you doing to celebrate luuuurve day? Yes, we know some of you will be toasting to amore with some of the finest beers in the borough, thanks to the Brokelyn Beer Book. What if you don’t have an amore to share the love with? Our pals at the skint have put together an excellent and extensive roundup of great events across the city in the next few days, incuding a pajama-clad Meatup at the Bell House (dance floor makeout forecast: 100 percent), dinner deals, high-tech sex seminars and a bunch of places to go to commiserate with the fellow broken-hearted. (more…)

Have you been thinking this is the year you are going to learn something new? Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn Esperanto or pluck a harp, but how about making your own LED lamp or nature journaling? NYU and The New School aren’t the only places with interesting-sounding classes this winter. There are plenty of schools and “learning collectives” here in Brooklyn where you can pick up all kinds of useful and not-quite-so-useful abilities. They vary in price—with a few distinctly out of our range—but most are likely better values than, say, $430 for a series of museum walking tours with NYU: (more…)