BROOKLYN DESIGNS Reveals Exhibitor + Programming Highlights
Showcasing Brooklyn’s Finest Designers, Artists, and Makers May 10-12 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for 16th Edition
BROOKLYN DESIGNS, one of the anchor fairs of NYCxDESIGN and the only tradeshow dedicated to Brooklyn-based designers, artisans and brands, is pleased to announce highlights from its 2019 exhibition. Since 2003, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has presented BROOKLYN DESIGNS to engage local businesses and entrepreneurs to connect start-ups and established companies with opportunities to showcase their products, attract customers and grow distribution. BROOKLYN DESIGNS, co-produced with Novità Communications, has a new home inside Building 77, the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s newest manufacturing hub, which also serves as a public gateway to the Yard. From May 10-12, BROOKLYN DESIGNS will showcase the borough’s most dynamic creatives, from independent designers to established brands, running the gamut from ceramics and textiles to furniture, lighting and electric motorcycles, many of which call the Brooklyn Navy Yard home. Further enhancing the exhibition, the show will feature live demos, hands-on workshops, interactive installations, and talks by leading figures in the design industry including a keynote by architect and Brooklyn Navy Yard master planner, Claire Weisz, in conversation with BNYDC CEO and President David Ehrenberg.
“We are thrilled to see such a rich and diverse line-up of Brooklyn talent coming together,” notes Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Hector Batista. “BROOKLYN DESIGNS represents all of the innovative ways that design is driving our local economy forward. We thank our elected officials and partners for making this incredible show possible.”
BROOKLYN DESIGNS has been the starting point for many iconic brands that have gone on to define Brooklyn’s creative scene. Palo Samko, one of these beloved companies, will be returning as an exhibitor this year. A native of the Yard, Palo Samko uses traditional furniture-making techniques and integrates solid, sometimes salvaged, woods with metals to craft clean, contemporary furniture. The show is working with other past exhibitors like geometric furniture company MOR-HE, and Caiu Lighting, who creates lighting using stone veneer, a process achieved by pounding stone into one millimeter thin, flexible sheets. LightsUp, a woman-owned, sustainable lighting company, which is also based in the Yard, will return as well. They will be joined by fellow woman-owned business, Makers Market, known for its handcrafted goods and prints made right in Gowanus. Architectural furniture company, Ot/tra by Zimmerman Workshop, returns to the fold as well, to showcase new sculptural furniture pieces with an impressive array of new colors and configurations.
The show also features new brands like: ODO Lab, a collaboration between architect Paul Lee and seasoned furniture maker Tony Abbate; Friedlander Furniture, a woodworking company founded last year; Sterling and Six, a sustainable furniture firm; and BlackTable, a design studio founded by architect Carlos Meza, centered around digital design and fabrication technology. There will even be an electric motorcycle company, Tarform, who fabricates the bikes using natural materials, streamlined design, and state of the art technology right at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The BROOKLYN BUYS marketplace will return for its fifth year, showcasing designers and makers specializing in jewelry, ceramics, and other items for sale. Highlights include: Ought Collective, a small collective of independent designers made up of Brian P. Keyes, Audrey Kirk, Sam Falco, and Ryan Kahen; an experimental wearable company, High Five Hand Work; a handmade stationery and wood company based at the Yard, The Great Lakes Goods; and Ceramics and Theory, who offer cheeky, functional porcelain home goods. Previous exhibitors like Renee Frances Jewelry and Demetria Chappo will return, along with LeungDesign, who will offer the same caliber of beautiful, emotional unisex jewelry pieces. Head Hi, a coffee shop and bookstore located down the street from Building 77, will also set up a Book Kiosk, including a curated selection of vanguard and diverse publications on architecture, art, design, furniture, interiors, materials and objects for sale.
In addition to the juried exhibition of Brooklyn designers and marketplace, the 2019 show will feature inspiring collective exhibits like: In The Pursuit Studio, which will bring a carefully curated lineup of Brooklyn-made furniture and design goods from brands like Volk, Slash Objects and AphroChic; THE STOOP, a group show curated by Cooler Gallery that pays tribute to a critical piece of social furniture; mutlisensory experiences like a listening lounge by Qobuz and Devore Fidelity and a Magnetic Sound immersive meditation experience; the Textile Arts Center pop-up textile studio; and #madeattheyard, a showcase featuring over a dozen objects, goods and products that represent the diversity of design at the Yard today. The exhibition display will be crafted by one of the Yard’s newest tenants BEDNARK STUDIO.
BROOKLYN DESIGNS is thankful for the generous support of its host sponsor, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and media sponsors including Metropolis, Interior Design, The Architect’s Newspaper, Architectural Record, Design Milk, In The Pursuit, and Bklyner.
For more information and ticket sales, visit brooklyndesigns.nyc. BROOKLYN DESIGNS offers free admission to registered trade, students and media. For instant updates on the show, follow @BKLYNDESIGNS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About BROOKLYN DESIGNS
Founded in 2003 by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, BROOKLYN DESIGNS was one of the first design fairs to shine a spotlight on the creative economy in Brooklyn and helped put many Brooklyn makers and designers on the map. Attendees include designers, architects, builders, developers, store buyers, industry influencers, educators, urban planners and design-savvy consumers, who all come together to celebrate the borough’s rich design heritage, iconic style and bustling creative community. With thousands of visitors over the course of the show, BROOKLYN DESIGNS is one of the most vibrant shows in New York City and one of the anchor fairs of NYCxDESIGN – the official citywide celebration of design. For more information, visit brooklyndesigns.nyc.
About the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is the largest Chamber of Commerce in New York and celebrated its 100TH-anniversary last year. The Chamber promotes economic development across the borough of Brooklyn and serves as an advocate for its member businesses and a resource for thousands of small businesses across every community and neighborhood in the borough. It provides programs to support the enhancement of neighborhood retail strips, direct services for marketing of key Brooklyn business sectors, and job placement services for borough businesses and residents.
About the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) is the not-for-profit corporation that serves as the real estate developer and property manager of the Yard on behalf of its owner, the City of New York. BNYDC’s mission is to fuel New York City’s economic vitality by creating and preserving quality jobs, growing the City’s modern industrial sector and its businesses, and connecting the local community with the economic opportunity and resources of the Yard. BNYDC’s vision is a vibrant and dense, modern manufacturing community where businesses are provided the stability needed to invest, grow, and thrive and where diverse job-seekers can come to find a high-quality, middle-class job.
About NYCxDESIGN
NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s annual celebration of design, attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees and designers from across the globe. Taking place each May – next occurring May 10-22, 2019 – the event celebrates a world of design and showcases over a dozen design disciplines through exhibitions, installations, trade shows, panels, product launches, open studios, and more. And, like design itself, NYCxDESIGN is everywhere, with events taking place across the city’s five boroughs. Brought to life by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) in conjunction with a steering committee comprised of the city’s design leaders, NYCxDESIGN highlights the unique creative, cultural, educational, and economic opportunities in New York City.
Â
