Dawn Robyn Petrlik could have been excused for going negative with the Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition’s spring art show, but she went with hope anyway.
Petrlik, the group’s chairwoman and curator, oversees more than 300 artists who will exhibit new work at the coalitions “Color of Hope” show, which runs from May 9 through June 14 in Red Hook. These may be uncertain times, but artists have responded with optimism.
“Almost every piece of art [in the show] could be considered hopeful,” said Petrlik, a Windsor Terrace-based artist. “The act of creating art and sharing it statement is hopeful.”
The pieces range from the provocative to statement-making, such as Petrlik’s own hand-painted trillion-dollar bills, which feature faces of President Obama, John Lennon and even Bernie Madoff.
“It’s all tongue and cheek,” said Petrlik. “I’m … questioning the value of money, which is seeming somewhat arbitrary these days. I think it’s impossible for most people to actually understand how much money one trillion dollars is. I had to look up how many zeros it was.”
Other pieces include Russell Mehlman’s painting “Memorial Day,” depicting a family scene and Gary Heller’s “The little things in life,” a fuzzy, murky photograph of flowers.
In addition to art, there will be New Orleans-style street bands and other performers. There will also be movie screenings, such as Dawn Scibilia’s Emmy award-winning documentary “Home” on May 16.
Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition spring show [foot of Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, (718) 596-2506]. For info, visit www.bwac.org.
