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July 13, 2011
Strange Bedfellows: BAM And The Barclay Center
HYPERALLERGIC
by Liza Eliano
While the press release for the BAM-Barclays alliance promises to create “one of the most vibrant and unique cultural districts in the U.S.,” it is unclear what type of arts programming would be suitable for such a huge arena. The collaboration may provide an excellent opportunity to introduce new audiences to contemporary art and culture, but how much will BAM have to sacrifice its own creative vision to suit the arena’s needs? My fear is that we will get a Disneyfied version of BAM’s programming—especially considering BAM president Karen Brook Hopkin’s use of the word “spectacle” to describe the prospective works.
...While the verdict on BAM’s programming is not out yet, some Brooklynites are already less than optimistic about the collaboration. The billion-dollar Barclays Center is already an unpopular project among locals, including couple Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley whose documentary Battle for Brooklyn covers the six-year long war the community waged against Atlantic Yards. Many see BAM’s role at Barclays as a ploy to squash complaints from those who are not so eager to see a giant basketball arena bulldoze their home. Galinsky notes that the partnership is a “much greater benefit to Ratner from this P.R. perspective than to BAM.” The truth in his statement cannot be denied—while BAM will receive a curatorial fee, the institution will make no profit off of ticket sales for their performances.
NoLandGrab: Six, seven, eight years — who's counting?
Posted by eric at July 13, 2011 5:44 PM