For immediate release:

Artist Community Opening Doors to Public

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- For the fifth consecutive year, the Artists of 35 Claver Place are pleased to be participating in the SONYA Studio Stroll. On May 16^th and 17^th, the 14 artists living and working at 35 Claver Place will be opening their galleries and studios to the public for a free and unique glimpse into their art and their creative process.

SONYA, the South Of the Navy Yard Artists (www.sonyaonline.org), is a non-profit organization of visual artists living, creating, and exhibiting in the Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn. The Stroll, a free self-guided walking tour of studios and galleries showcasing the incredible variety of artwork created by Brooklyn-based artists, is in its tenth year.

And for the last five of those years, 35 Claver and the artists that live, work and create there, have been a part of this wonderful event. An artist live/work community created by Anthony Chamberlain and Gina Inverso in the former Inverso Warehousing building, 35 Claver Place has a long history of nurturing and supporting the art and artists of Brooklyn. Since 1985, it has been home to emerging and established artists working in a variety of mediums, both traditional and experimental. The artists of 35 Claver Place participating in the 2009 SONYA Stroll are:

Gary Bachman, an artist who produces work in a variety of media, has had his work exhibited in group and solo shows both in the U.S. and Europe over the past several decades.

Kennis Baptiste, working with printmaking, painting, and drawing, will be showing experimental abstract works focusing on capturing movement and energy using circles and curves (www.kennisbb.com)

John Bjerklie, an artist who works in variety of mediums, will be showing work that includes painting, sculpture, and transparent drawings executed directly onto television screens.(www.johnbjerklie.com).

Poogy Bjerklie, a painter working on a small-scale with oil wash on rag board, will be showing work exploring of the landscape surrounding her summertime home in rural Maine.

Melissa Gorman, an artist and graphic designer who normally works with drawing and printmaking, has recently been making objects. She will be showing felt sculptures that explore emotion using various abstract forms. (www.costd.com)

Sue Kessler, a performance and event photographer, will be showing work focusing on capturing live-action stills of theater, dance, and music.(www.suekessler.com)

Ju-Yeon Kim, whose work embraces traditions of painting, drawing, and decoration from Asian and Western sources, will be showing her new installation which consists of 12 panels, an enclosed room with a entrance utilizing 7000 pulsing LEDs controlled by microprocessor.

Jared Klein, a theatrical lighting and video designer, will be showcasing images of his theatrical designs through video presentation. 

Mernet Larsen, working with acrylic and mixed media, will be showing paintings of volumetric figures and a range of often contradictory spatial systems which both affectionately parody and critique Renaissance narrative painting. (www.mernetlarsen.com)

Joel Mellin, a composer, will be showcasing works from Compositions For Computer: Volume 1, and from recent performances and collaborations - including Steam / Fans which was recently performed at the Kitchen for Jodi Melnick and Burt Barr's Fanfare.  (www.joelmellin.com)

Roger Palmer, who works with brush and pigment on rag paper, will be showing his darkly humorous images addressing social, political and philosophical issues. (www.rogerclaypalmer.com)

Peter Schroth, a painter, will be showing his landscapes.(www.peterschroth.com)

Chris Sorensen, a photographer, will be showing his portraiture and abstract photography. (www.chris-sorensen.com)

For more information on the individual artists, please visit the artist's website or www.35claver.com.

The event is free and open to the public.

Dates:               May 16-17, Noon – 6:00pm each day, rain or shine

Location:           35 Claver Place (between Fulton and Jefferson), Brooklyn

Contact:            Gina Inverso: 347-404-7758

Email:               35claverplace@optonline.net

Website:           www.35claver.com