Home
>
Events Calendar
>
Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture
Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture
About the Dweck
Conveniently located at BPL's Central Library on Grand Army Plaza, the auditorium seats 189 people - nearly twice the capacity of the Second Floor Meeting Room, the Library's next largest space - and is fully accessible. The Dweck features an elevated stage (25 feet wide and 10 feet deep) and wood and perforated acoustic wall and ceiling panels that make the space particularly well suited to musical performances. Other essential modern amenities include a control room, adjustable stage lighting, a movable "smart" podium equipped with a control panel, removable seating to accommodate wheelchairs, and an assistive listening system to improve auditory access.
The Dweck Center's inaugural year was a great success, with the presentation of an ambitious roster of 200 educational and cultural programs, including literary series, scholarly lectures, film screenings and discussions, and musical performances. The new space enables BPL to better accommodate our expanding audience for public programs, which had enjoyed steady growth over the past several years and swelled as a result of the Dweck. FY08 saw a 116% increase in attendance at PED programs conducted at Central Library, the majority of which were held in the auditorium. Attendance at Dweck programs alone totaled 17,000.
Contact library for reservations and policy. Central Administration Office: 718.230.2198.
All events are free unless stated otherwise.
Highlights from the Dweck
Somi, "African Lady"
Musette Explosion
Will Holshouser, accordion; Matt Munisteri, guitar; Marcus Rojas, tuba
Chocolate Chip Chamber Music presents The Sweet Treat Trio
Young listeners join the series' emcee and mascot, Baker Bobbie, in a favorite children's board game in which they are moved by music through a world of sweets. Though the eye candy is pure imagination, rich, decadent melodies by such greats as Brahms and Mendelssohn create a convincing backdrop, especially when performed by the vibrant virtuosi from Carnegie Hall's Academy. As always, Chocolate Chip's real treat and signature ending - a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie, sends everyone off on a sweet note.
Andrey Gritsman is a New York-based poet, essayist and doctor. He penned seven books of poetry in Russian and three in English. He is an editor-in-chief of an international poetry magazine "Interpoezia". An astute observer of the contemporary literary process, he writes extensively for Russian- and English-language literary periodicals. This program will last approximately 90 minutes.
A young New York couple, hit hard by The Depression, move to the family farm only to confront a barren, ramshackle plot of land. The couple enlists the help of dispossessed farmers and soon builds a collective, utopian society that can withstand droughts, unfair tax collectors and other hardships. This program will last approximately 90 minutes.
Pianist Simmons offers a diverse mix of repertoire from the classics to the cutting edge. Chosen as Concert Artist Guild's inaugural New Music/New Places Fellow, she possesses artistry, passion and creativity, infusing all of her diverse projects with a unique brand of communicative power. Simmons was first runner up at the 2000 Miss America Pageant where she performed Chopin's Etude in c-sharp minor, Op. 10, No. 4. This program will last approximately 90 minutes. The Classical Interludes series is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Please exit via Eastern Parkway Exit.
New Perspective Theater presents The Wild Boy: A Haudenosaunee Fable
A Seneca mother and father are upset over their wild little boy's bad behavior. The boy becomes lost in the woods and is adopted by a mother bear and her daughter. The bears "tame" the boy by teaching him cooperation and courtesy. He returns to his family transformed.
O'Neill and series host Leonard Lopate discuss Netherland, a novel about the unlikely friendship between an ex-pat European and a wily trinidadian entrepreneur founded upon their love of cricket in post-9/11 New York. O'Neill was born in Cork, Ireland, and grew up in Mozambique, South Africa, Iran, Turkey, and Holland. His previous works include the novels This is Life and The Breezes and the nonfiction book Blood-Dark Track. This program will last approximately 90 minutes.
Richard Pena, Program Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Chairman of the Selection Committee of the New York Film Festival, is a film curator and scholar. He will discuss Depression-era filmmaking, with a focus on some of the films shown in the library's Hard Times series. This program will last approximately 90 minutes.
Semmel performs Beethoven's last three piano sonatas, op. 109, 110 and 111. Semmel has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician in Israel, Europe and America. This program will last approximately 90 minutes. Please exit via Eastern Parkway Exit.
Kazakhstan, 1949. A military train full of ethnic minorities, forced to live in exile under Stalin's regime, hauls through the endless steppe. Among the passengers is a Jewish boy, Sasha, whose grandfather dies on the journey. It seems death is imminent for Sasha as well, but he is saved by Kasym, a Kazakh railroad worker. A small aul, where a lot of Russian and Polish exiles live, becomes a place of refuge for Sasha, who now goes by the name Sabyr. While the first nuclear bomb is about to be tested at a nearby firing ground in celebration of Stalin's 70th birthday, the little boy is also planning a surprise for the "Father of Nations."
Visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/464328820
to purchase tickets.
This program will last approximately 90 minutes.
In recent years the lines between fact and fiction have grown blurry. Journalists, historians, and memoirists have been challenged on the truth of their non-fiction and novelists have sought to capture real-world details. Geoff Dyer is the author of three novels, a critical study of John Berger, and four genre-defying books, including But Beautiful, which was awarded the Somerset Maugham Prize, and Out of Sheer Rage, which was a National Book Critics Circle finalist. His latest book is Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi. This program will last approximately 90 minutes.
Bob McGrath--award-winning author, musician and original cast member of the show--performs his own music. THIS EVENT HAS REACHED CAPACITY AND REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
In honor of Sesame Street's 40th year on television, personalities from the show and behind the scenes come together to discuss the impact of TV's longest-running educational program for children. Featuring Louise Gikow, author of Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street; Bob McGrath, original cast member since season 1 in 1969; Executive Producer Carol-Lynn Parente; Chris Cerf, Sesame Street composer and lyricist; Rollie Krewson, puppet builder with The Jim Henson Company; and Fran Brill, puppeteer for Zoe and Prairie Dawn.
Please call to reserve your seat! 718.369.9385 ext. 152
Copies of Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street will be available for purchase. A book signing follows the event.
This program will last approximately 90 minutes.
Stay connected with all the library's great events by signing up for our eNewsletters.
Acknowledgments
Brooklyn Public Library gratefully acknowledges the many donors who have provided generous support for public programs at the Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, including:
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Circle Apartments LLC, Con Edison, The Fund for Brooklyn History, Herman Goldman Foundation, Cheryl and George Haywood Endowment for Cultural Diversity, The Hearst Foundation, Inc., The Kahn Endowment for Humanities Programs, The Miriam Katowitz and Arthur Radin Fund, Mapleton Endowment, National Endowment for the Arts, New York Council for the Humanities, New York State Council on the Arts, Martin L. and Rona Schneider, Sandra and Peter Schubert Endowment Fund, The Shen Family Foundation and the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust.
