Silent Barn: Brooklyn’s Latest Collective
Brandon Zwagerman- Outreach, Public Meetings
-How long have you been living in Brooklyn?
I actually live in Queens (and proud of it) and have since 2006, other than a 1-year stint in Brooklyn.
-What brought you here?
I got a job at an urban design and architecture firm after grad school and moved her from Michigan. I have been involved in various paces and places of show booking/promotion on the side as well.
-What do you find to be unique about the artistic community in Brooklyn?
The sheer size. You will never know even a fraction everything going on like you would in a smaller city; this can be both exciting and overwhelming. Finding small communities that you can understand and feel a part of within the massive matrix is one way to sanely interact with the whole.
-What are some of your inspirations—both in your art/career and just in your everyday life?
The cityscape, the people, the small special intimate places that feel like a refuge from the unrelenting commerce and hype that this city sometimes seems to run on. The Silent Barn has always felt that way to me. It humanizes “New York City” and all the great baggage of meaning and expectation and branding attached to it.
-Do you see yourself staying in Brooklyn?
I plan on staying in Queens for the next several years at least, while coming over to the Barn, the rest of Brooklyn, and indeed the rest of the city constantly.
-What’s a perfect Brooklyn day for you?
My favorite days in New York involve endless walks or bike rides through far-flung corners of the city, from Woodlawn Cemetery to Breezy Point and everything in between. It is so easy to loiter around in the same neighborhoods, but it is important to remind yourself how vast this place is.
-What are the challenges inherent to being an artist in Brooklyn?
I consider myself a facilitator rather than an artist myself, but I’ll say the same thing many others will— the cost of living here versus, say, Detroit, is challenging. But perhaps the incomparable transit, economy, density, diversity, and media access are fair trades for that(?). There’s a debate.