by Greg Cznadel

     (Plain Press October 2025) On September 7^th, Old Brooklyn residents Dot Martin, programmer for 91.1 FM, Lynette Filips, Old Brooklyn historian, and myself, experienced a Rooms to Let exhibit on the grounds of the Broadway School of the Music and the Arts, funder of our Old Brooklyn Citizens Resource Center’s art programs.

     Rooms to Let is a community art project that has been transforming demolition-worthy houses and vacant storefronts into temporary art exhibits in Slavic Village since 2014. This year they focused on outdoor spaces, including vacant lots and gardens, in the heart of the Broadway Historic District.

INSTALLATIONS

     Artist Shaun Doyle returned to Rooms for Let with a concept unlike anything previous. “Play Field” described as a “whimsical play area for kids and adults” in a vacant lot, allowed kids to kick balls, create tee shirts with sayings of your choice, or grab a piece of chalk and scribble your favorite sayings on the sidewalk.

     “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing,” said one quote by George Bernard Shaw written in chalk on the sidewalk.

     On the far side of the field Ava Tapajna, a high school senior at the Mastery School of Hawken, who has experimented with many different forms of art, primarily abstract and installation art, created an immersive installation exploring “the simplicity of silence”.

     It was a circling spiral of posts with cloth strips running between them, leading to a chair in the center. One would explore one’s presence and experience yourself and environment as you slowly walked toward the center of the creation. Mark Tapajna, her uncle, a member of the Music/Arts group at the Benjamin Franklin Community Garden helped with the installation of the poles.

     On the opposite side of the street was an opportunity for one to bring out the kid in yourself. A walkway outlined with Crayola Crayons (paper cups on tubes for the tips of the crayons) led to a sketching where one could take crayons and color in pieces of the pictures. Yours truly got on his knees with crayon in hand.

BROADWAY SCHOOL OF THE MUSIC AND THE ARTS

     Broadway School of the Music and the Arts showed off their home location in a landmark building that originally housed the Hruby Conservatory of Music (1918-1968). They gave tours including the quaint music rooms down a narrow hallway. An exhibit of their teaching artist’s work was displayed in the recital room.

     To this author’s surprise there was a piece of art created by him at one of her classes at the Senior Center with the following sign:

     Bernadette Gloriosa likes to choose a theme for classes based on the interest of the students. These pieces by Greg Cznadel are examples. One from the Birds of a feather watercolor and gouache class and one from the Elements watercolor class.

     Outside the rustic old building Bernadett Gloriosa, one of their artists and well known instructor at the Old Brooklyn Senior Citizens Resource Center and creator of many outdoor murals (Plain Press January 2025) was cheering on people who were doodling on pieces of 5 x 7 cards and then passing them on to others to continue.

     Down the street were booths allowing residents to learn about Slavic Village and share their thoughts for its future.