Arts

Singer-songwriter and composer Gabriel Kahane describes the way architecture, literature, and historical research inform his compositions and why he's drawn to storytelling tied to place.

Urban planner Daniel Campo and public artist Dylan Gauthier revisit the Williamsburg waterfront, once an informal playground on abandoned land appropriated by residents, and discuss how unplanned open spaces can create potential for adventure and discovery.

Kristian Sanford contemplates the subjects and gradual decay of memorial murals in Bed-Stuy and considers how time simultaneously erodes and enhances these very personal but highly public artworks.

Performance artist Karen Finley actively reimagines Columbus Circle through the conceptual and geometric elements of the mandala.

UnionDocs' Christopher Allen and Aris Dilone and Los Sures' Ramon Peguero discuss a four-year documentary project capturing Williamsburg's Southside that demonstrates how creative documentation of place can complement the work of community-based organizations.

Jonathan Tarleton explores how the Weeksville Heritage Center is leveraging Crown Heights’ and Bed-Stuy’s storied pasts, local assets, and arts and culture to catalyze a community in the midst of shifting neighborhood dynamics.

Presenting the second of two runners-up in our Common Shares writing competition: Yen Ha brings us the story of a pair of strangers navigating the extremes of the sharing economy.