Highlights & Events

- Oct 11, 2023

Sunset Park Open studios Oct 14 & 15 1-5 pm

For more info about all the participating organizations and artists, please visit https://sunsetparkopenstudios.org/

- May 24, 2023

Matt Browning

For Member of the Month

Tell us about yourself

"I'm an artist from Seattle, WA, who moved to NY in the fall if 2019. After making work in my apartment for the first few years living here, I started coming to MakerSpace in order to work on some larger scale wood carvings I wouldn't have been able to make at home. "

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

"I've been carving all my life, but I studied Fiber Arts at the University of Washington in the early 2000s, and this education really affected the way I made art moving forward. Now I think of most of my work, even carving, as closely related to weaving."

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

"I would say three things inspire me in almost equal proportions: Materials, techniques, and reading. Often, some material from my daily life will "assert" itself, kind of asking me to account for it in a way I hadn't before. This often leads to trying to comprehend something about the material, like what its mechanical properties might be, or how it might be situated within the forces and relations of production that condition our world. Understanding something mechanical or historical about the material helps clarify what sorts of techniques I might use while working with it."

DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS YOU CAN TELL US ABOUT?

"I have an exhibition opening on May 24th at Essex Street gallery here in New York. "

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT MAKERSPACE?

"I found out about MakerSpace online, but when I toured the space I knew it would be a really excellent place to work. There is a high level of knowledge and enthusiasm shared amongst everyone here, and the spirit is one of problem solving and support. I'm glad to have found it."

- Aug 18, 2022

Suzanne Head

For Member of the Month

Tell us about yourself

"I studied drawing in school; and it’s at the root of everything I do. These days, I paint murals, sculpt, create fused glass art, and teach. I focus on narrative in my work and tell stories about whimsical yet dark environments. The animals and figures are often allegorical or symbolic of internal struggles within social and societal constructs."

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

"I have a BFA in drawing from the Cleveland Institute of Art. I studied illustration for a few years before changing majors: and realizing how important tactility is to my practice. I found glass shortly after graduating and was drawn to how challenging and scientific the process can be."

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

"Studio art can be pretty isolating; so I’ve been leaning into public projects and murals as a way to engage with the people around me. Teaching serves a similar function: it feels good to be a part of something bigger than myself."

DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS YOU CAN TELL US ABOUT?

"I’m currently working on a large mosaic for a community center in Newark, NJ. The young girls at the center have been helping me with it all summer. I also have a couple upcoming murals in Ohio, where I grew up; and one in the Caribbean. This winter, I have a few glass collaborations I’d like to dive into."