Great pollution begets great art (via flickr user allisonmeier)

Sure, Bushwick might be the anointed Neighborhood of Art right now, but don’t think the only artists in Brooklyn live off the L train. Gowanus has its fair share of artists, too, and they’ve been holding their own Open Studios events for the past decade and a half: tonight, the Bell House is hosting a free kickoff party and meeting for GOS, and they’re inviting everyone to show up and participate. (more…)

This tiny woman is all sorts of amazing (via flickr user Emilia Brock)

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Sweden’s greatest living legend, Robyn, and now that Lena Dunham’s done popularizing songs that were already popularized on hit TV shows for a bit, we’re left with nothing but an MP3 of “Who’s That Girl?” and a lifetime of bleach blonde, platformed memories to keep us disco-ready. Luckily, though, those Robyn dance parties we love so much NEVER DIE, and party-planners Silent Drape Runners are dropping another Body Talk-themed soiree at the Bell House this month. (more…)

Sunny’s in better days (via flickr user waywuiwei)

Six months after Hurricane Sandy, Red Hook staple Sunny’s Bar is still shuttered, which sucks for everyone in the neighborhood, and for pretty much most breathing, thinking human beings capable of feeling love, too. But they’re doing their best to get back on their feet, launching an Indiegogo campaign and feting it with a May Day celebration/benefit at the Bell House in Gowanus. (more…)

Eh, Brooklyn’s close enough. (via flickr user flickrized)

This Saturday marks the return of the Kentucky Derby, and while Brooklyn’s no Churchill Downs, the borough’s fairly into feting things like fast horses, fancy hats and Southern cocktails. My one-and-only horse race experience was one blessed beer-soaked day at Preakness, and there was way more Budweiser-induced grass-vomiting than mint julep-swilling, but, hey, things are a little less hoity-toity in Baltimore. It seems like Brooklyn’s day at the races will be a happy medium between the two, here are some events to check out around town: (more…)

What can we say, people love ginger whiskey. via Facebook

1. Start the weekend off with the right kind of decadence: a champagne tasting (Friday)

2. Take solace in your loneliness with stories about other people’s terrible dates, at the Ex-Files (Friday)

3. A candy-themed party promising sensory seduction. On a Friday night. The week before Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget the birth control, kids! (Friday)

4. Crazy $ince Da 90$ is a dance party open to everyone, even if you’ve been unbalanced since the early 80s (Friday) (more…)

You should RSVP for the next Robyn party. Not that we’re telling you what to do.

Things we learned about Brokelyn readers last week: You love free vibrators, and you certainly freaking love Robyn. We heard the big free Robyn dance party at Public Assembly on Saturday was a bit of a hard-to-get-into shit show (but a big enough deal that the Wall Street Journal was there too). Even Brokelyn’s No. 1 Robyn super fan Rachel texted “I have been waiting for an hour to get into this Robyn event. I did this to myself.” Well the idea was so good, it’s happening again already! Silent Drape Runners are throwing Robyn dance party No. 2 on Sept. 22, this time at bigger The Bell House. It’s still free, but this is your last chance to catch it! (more…)

Beware of snark-infested waters.

Here at Brokelyn, every week is snark week, hence our natural a-fin-ity for Shark Week. Well, that and jaw-some slo-mo footage of toothsome maneaters lurking below the surface stalking a surfer snack. Alas many of us are lost at sea without cable and adrift from Discovery Channel’s annual ratings feeding frenzy. You can get your free Great White fix with fellow a-fish-ionados and fin-atics at The Bell House on Thursday, for a special Shark Week edition of the Secret Science Club. Not only do you get the usual sweet science-y talk, but the club is also premiering Great White Highway, a documentary debuting during Shark Week! (more…)

FRIDAY
8pm: cast members from fox’s animated series bob’s burgers eugene mirman, kristen schaal, larry murphy, and jon benjamin show off their comedy skills and previews from the new season at the bell house, free (get there early!).

8pm: tonight’s kings county comedy hour at bushwick’s vaudeville park features nikki glaser, tony zaret, mark normand, kara klenk, adam lowitt, and host matt koff. free. (more…)

FRIDAY
7:30pm: experience jj abrams’ new show alcatraz as an interactive bank heist investigation event where you help solve the mystery while exploring three levels of the historic williamsburg savings bank. 1 hanson place, free. (more…)

C'mon, pup, you can do better. Via Flickr's megan adams brooks.

Beer for Beasts is a huge ass fest at The Bell House on March 31, organized by Sixpoint and Beer Advocate and featuring more than 40 handcrafted small batch brews. Tix would cost you some $65 (the proceeds benefit the Humane Society, aka the “beasts”), and one of the two sessions is already sold out. But there’s still a shortcut to getting in for free: at noon today, Beer for Beasts opened its call for volunteers for this year’s event. They’re looking for 30-40 people to work the event and … there’s not much more info on what that entails, but they make them out to be a highly coveted spots, which can only mean one thing: free beer!