A formerly private art space located on 269 Kent Ave. in Williamsburg will open its door’s to the public for the first time this Saturday, from 3 to 6pm. Instead of serving ice-cold, cheap and terrible tasting beers like PBR or Coor’s Light to visitors, Ran Tea House will be serving traditional Chinese tea.”We use tea as a starting point to try to communicate,” Director Jenny Zeng told DNAinfo about the unique alternative offered to people who visit the gallery instead of alcohol.
Usually whenever we visit a much hyped art opening, we witness many people drinking beer after beer, focusing more on the beer left at the bar, then the art that is on the wall. At Ran’s, they want their experience to be the complete opposite. The tea will serve as a starting point for actual human conversation (not the twitter/Instagram DM kind), with a tea teacher on staff, ready to perform the slow, meditative ceremony of making traditional Chinese tea.
The free opening tomorrow will not only have art, but performers showcasing both classical Chinese opera and Chinese dance. After the ceremony, people can come anytime from 10am to 6pm on weekdays, to purchase iced tea while moving around Williamsburg, or to come inside and choose from a selection of different Chinese drinks. On weekends the gallery will host film screenings and special events.
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