3rd Ward Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
3rd Ward is a member-based design center for creative professionals in the Brooklyn, NY neighborhood of Williamsburg. It was designed to fit the needs of multidisciplinary artists, designers & entrepreneurs. Its facilities include four photo studios, a media lab with Mac equipment, co-working space, a 10 000 sq ft fully equipped wood and metal shop, and shared and private office space for freelancers. 3rd Ward also offers interdisciplinary courses, events and exhibitions for its members and the public.
Since its inception in 2006, 3rd Ward has become a DIY utopia and a resource for young talent in New York City
by providing public access to facilities, while still giving members room to do personal work. It is supported by its members rather than receiving government funds or being controlled by a board. The space is the only multimedia workspace and studio in the five boroughs.
In the beginning, 3rd Ward received donations and discounts on equipment and materials from locations including Apple Computers and Tekserve
. To build the space recycling technology was incorporated and most of the supplies were gained from the street and donations. Salvaged and surplus building materials were also used.
To sustain the business while it was still in its infancy, 3rd Ward hosted lavish rent parties
in partnership with underground promoters. For the first year, the income from the parties kept 3rd Ward afloat.
3rd Ward evolved into an art and design incubator; where members pay a fee for access to wood and metal shops, photo studios, media labs and other spaces. It attracts hobbyists and professionals alike, as well as dabblers who sign on for a class at a time. As a one-stop network for the creative set, it has managed to be profitable even in a recession. It has also opened a restaurant, Goods, out of a converted trailer nearby.
As of July 2010, there are over 750 members, a staff of 17, several dozen freelance teachers, and spaces that have expanded to a total of 35,000 square feet. 3rd Ward offers 100 classes a quarter, all described in a course catalog that resembles a magazine
, with interviews and features, which Mr. Goodman oversees.
3rd Ward Members are variously made up of photographers, carpenters, fabricators, graphic designers, filmmakers editors, stop animators, creative directors, sculptors, set designers, fashion and jewelry designers, fair traders and fine artists; interaction amongst the space's variegated membership happens naturally.
Beginning in 2007, 3rd Ward has put together solo exhibitions for artists working in a variety of media from all over the world.
The facility also organizes a host of events which often incorporate home-grown talent such as sample sales; Moviehouse, a showing of local short films; and Drink-n-Draw, which involves pencils, paper, a nude model and beer. Public events have also included TV on the Radio
, Lightning Bolt, Luke Vibert
, Wolf and Lamb, Dan Deacon
, Japanther
, The Hungry Man Marching Band
and Matthew Dear
.
Sweatshop Social - Bags for the People, is a night of custom reusable bag making.
Bags for the People is a non-profit organisation that protects the environment by reducing plastic bag waste through reusable bag sewing workshops. During each workshop environmental education and community interaction is coupled with hands on creative expression, to not only facilitate the switch from throw-away to reusable, but to inspire positive action in life.
Custom Reusable Bags
Since its inception in 2006, 3rd Ward has become a DIY utopia and a resource for young talent in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by providing public access to facilities, while still giving members room to do personal work. It is supported by its members rather than receiving government funds or being controlled by a board. The space is the only multimedia workspace and studio in the five boroughs.
History
3rd Ward was started by Jason Goodman and Jeremy Lovitt in 2006. It was named for the Williamsburg district it is in. The venture began as an answer to the limitations faced by independent working artists in New York City, who historically have no access to the space and tools needed to develop their work. It was a continuation of the facilities and atmosphere they had had as students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in [Boston]. 3rd Ward was created to help allow artisans to create work and work affordably in New York City. The different classes and workshops encourage cross-disciplinary thinking and experimentation, without having to necessarily thinking about profitability.In the beginning, 3rd Ward received donations and discounts on equipment and materials from locations including Apple Computers and Tekserve
Tekserve
Tekserve is an American consumer electronics and information technology consulting business based in the Flatiron District, Manhattan, New York City...
. To build the space recycling technology was incorporated and most of the supplies were gained from the street and donations. Salvaged and surplus building materials were also used.
To sustain the business while it was still in its infancy, 3rd Ward hosted lavish rent parties
Rent party
A rent party is a social occasion where tenants hire a musician or band to play and pass the hat to raise money to pay their rent, originating in Harlem during the 1920s. The rent party played a major role in the development of jazz and blues music...
in partnership with underground promoters. For the first year, the income from the parties kept 3rd Ward afloat.
3rd Ward evolved into an art and design incubator; where members pay a fee for access to wood and metal shops, photo studios, media labs and other spaces. It attracts hobbyists and professionals alike, as well as dabblers who sign on for a class at a time. As a one-stop network for the creative set, it has managed to be profitable even in a recession. It has also opened a restaurant, Goods, out of a converted trailer nearby.
As of July 2010, there are over 750 members, a staff of 17, several dozen freelance teachers, and spaces that have expanded to a total of 35,000 square feet. 3rd Ward offers 100 classes a quarter, all described in a course catalog that resembles a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, with interviews and features, which Mr. Goodman oversees.
Classes
3rd Ward offers interdisciplinary classes in a variety of subjects, from woodwork and welding to digital and web design, illustration and fashion, painting, jewelry, audiovisual multimedia, photography, printmaking, screen printing, and urban ecology. Students can make tables in Intro to Woodworking, practice experimental techniques of Super 8 Film making, write horror screenplays in Creative Screenwriting, and print fabrics in Digital Textile Design. Courses focus on results and are project-based and small in size with a maximum of 12 students in most classes. Instructors are professionally active in their respective fields.3rd Ward Members are variously made up of photographers, carpenters, fabricators, graphic designers, filmmakers editors, stop animators, creative directors, sculptors, set designers, fashion and jewelry designers, fair traders and fine artists; interaction amongst the space's variegated membership happens naturally.
Art
3rd Ward hosts an open call annually for a Summer Solo Show. Previous winners include Johanna Heldebro, Pim Palsgraaf, Selena Kimball, photographer Sean Fader, sculptor Jeremy Leichman and Nate Green & Owen Shoppe who installed a working carousel and overlapping teeter-totters in 1200 square feet (111.5 m²) of space.Beginning in 2007, 3rd Ward has put together solo exhibitions for artists working in a variety of media from all over the world.
Events
3rd Ward also publishes a free, full-color magazine featuring articles and interviews from local writers on art, food, and culture. 50,000 copies are distributed all over NYC every season with readership focused mainly in Williamsburg and Bushwick.The facility also organizes a host of events which often incorporate home-grown talent such as sample sales; Moviehouse, a showing of local short films; and Drink-n-Draw, which involves pencils, paper, a nude model and beer. Public events have also included TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....
, Lightning Bolt, Luke Vibert
Luke Vibert
Luke Vibert is a British recording artist and producer known for his work in many subgenres of electronic music. Vibert began his musical career as a member of the Hate Brothers, only later branching out into his own compositions...
, Wolf and Lamb, Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon is an American composer and electronic musician based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Since 2003, Deacon has released eight albums under several different labels...
, Japanther
Japanther
Japanther is an art project, established by Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, then students at Pratt Institute. Japanther was featured in the 2006 Whitney Biennial and the 2011 Venice Biennale, and has collaborated with a diverse pool of artists such as gelitin, Penny Rimbaud, Gee Vaucher, Dan Graham,...
, The Hungry Man Marching Band
Honk!
Honk! is a musical adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Ugly Duckling, incorporating a message of tolerance. The book and lyrics are by Anthony Drewe and music is by George Stiles...
and Matthew Dear
Matthew Dear
Matthew Dear is an American music producer, DJ and electronic avant-pop artist.-History:Texas- born Dear moved to Michigan as a teenager, where he was inspired by the sound of Detroit Techno...
.
Sweatshop Social - Bags for the People, is a night of custom reusable bag making.
Bags for the People is a non-profit organisation that protects the environment by reducing plastic bag waste through reusable bag sewing workshops. During each workshop environmental education and community interaction is coupled with hands on creative expression, to not only facilitate the switch from throw-away to reusable, but to inspire positive action in life.
External links
3rd WardCustom Reusable Bags