You aren’t going on on a limb when you say this, but Bushwick was really missing something while the Silent Barn was closed. Fortunately, it’s back and getting back to business as usual. The focus over the first few weeks has been on live music and DJ sets; shows which have been (forgive us) barnburners. If what has already gone down in the space since reopening in its new location (603 Bushwick Avenue) is anything to go by, then the new Silent Barn is well on its way towards blowing the old one out of the water. As the space is finding its feet again, its residents and artists in residence are now finding time to put on other events, like the first art exhibition in the new space, Activation, in between working to add things like a barber shop and a record store.
Activation will be running until March 29th and is very much in keeping with the spirit of the Silent Barn. It’s focused on the D.I.Y punk scene of 1980s Washington D.C and its intersection with the myriad social and political issues pertinent to the city at the time such as the struggle for recognition of Apartheid in South Africa as well as prejudice towards African Americans closer to home.
The exhibition is being curated by Lorissa Rinehart through the Center for Strategic Art and Agriculture (CSAA), “a non-profit guided by the belief that art and urban agriculture have the profound ability to transform the spaces we inhabit into sites of creativity, empowerment, and community.” CSAA, who are located in Silent Barn itself, are also helming a project to construct a roof terrace on the new barn. Other projects on the horizon are a community garden for the roof terrace and ESL classes projected to begin in the summer. Get in to check out Activation which runs through to March 29th, then get excited about the return of one of Brooklyn’s most interesting art spaces and the promise of one of its coolest rooftop spots once the weather gets warm again.