Pioneer Works facts for kids
The main hall at Pioneer Works, which hosts art exhibitions and large scale concerts and events.
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| Formation | 2012 |
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| Founder | Dustin Yellin |
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Pioneer Works is a special place in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It's a nonprofit center for art, music, and science. Artist Dustin Yellin started it in 2012.
Pioneer Works has a big space for art shows, a lovely garden, and programs for artists to live and work there. They also offer classes, lectures, and even publish books and magazines. Their main goal is to help new and exciting ideas grow in art, music, and science.
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History of Pioneer Works
The building where Pioneer Works is located has a long and interesting history. It was first built in 1866. Back then, it was a factory called Pioneer Iron Works. This factory made very large machines, including parts for railroad tracks.
In 1881, a big fire completely destroyed the building. But it was rebuilt very quickly after that.
Artist Dustin Yellin bought the huge brick building in 2011. His cousin, Gabriel Florenz, became the first artistic director. Sam Trimble was the main architect for the renovations in 2011. They added 100 new windows to the building.
The space first opened to the public in 2012.
Just a few months after much of the building was fixed up, Hurricane Sandy hit. This powerful storm caused a lot of flooding and damage in the neighborhood. About five feet of water flooded the ground floor of Pioneer Works. Many people living and working nearby lost a lot because of the storm. The building's reconstruction had to start all over again.
After a lot of cleaning and more renovations, the center reopened in 2013. It was then officially named Pioneer Works.
What Happens at Pioneer Works
Pioneer Works offers many different programs and activities. They want to bring together people from all kinds of backgrounds.
Art Shows and Events
The main hall at Pioneer Works is a huge space. It's used for large art exhibitions and big events. People from different fields share their work in many ways. This includes traditional talks, film screenings, art installations, and live performances. Music concerts are very common, from single shows to big festivals.
Artist Residency Programs
Pioneer Works has special studios inside its building. These studios are part of their residency program. Artists, writers, musicians, designers, and scientists can live and work there for a period. They have cool tools like a 3-D printer and a powerful microscope. There are also shops for metalworking and woodworking. Plus, they have a photography studio and a music studio. People in the program often share their new ideas and projects with the public.
Fun and Educational Classes
Pioneer Works offers many different classes. While many focus on art and science, you can find unique courses too. For example, they've had classes on how to design circuits.
A scientist named Matthew Putman helped create the science program at Pioneer Works. This program tries to connect art and science. It brings together technology, imagination, and careful experiments. The Science Studios invite scientists to explore big questions that don't have easy answers. They also encourage public discussions. Famous scientists like George Church and Nobel Prize winner Rainer Weiss have been part of their "Scientific Controversies" program. The program also gives equipment to researchers like physicists and biologists for their experiments.
Publications
Pioneer Works also acts as a publisher. They have their own publishing group called Pioneer Works Press. They also publish an online magazine called Broadcast.
