Today is my last day of the residency, and Pocket Utopia’s last day at 1037 Flushing Avenue, too. When Austin Thomas opened the space in 2007 as part of her social-space-creating art practice, her commitment to the project was for a two-year period, and now the time is up. As the final artist-in-residence, I feel a little bit like the last guest stumbling out of a really good party at dawn. This morning Jen Dalton, Andy Piedilato, Matt Miller, and Beth Gilfilen all stopped by. Then I packed up my bags, folded the chairs, swept up my scraps, and lowered the window gates for the last time. Instead of Pocket Utopia, look for a cool new bar from Matt Webber, who also owns Soft Spot in Williamsburg, and Keith Cochran at the beginning of the new year. Austin–thanks for everything. Look for Pocket Utopia projects around town and at Rouse Point next year.
Click here to see work in progress, as well as images from the residency period.
