Brooklyn art showcased at a Brooklyn hospital

A local art group displayed Brooklyn-focused works as part of its gallery opening ceremony at Coney Island Hospital on Thursday, July 9.

The Brooklyn Streetcar Artists’ Group (BSAG), which displays mostly local artists’ work at various venues, hosted a gallery for its member artists, with a theme of “Summer in Brooklyn.” At the gallery in the hospital’s main building, the group presented such works as photos of Brooklyn buildings and paintings of borough gardens.

“This is basically our home base where we show off our art to business people, locals, political people,” Arthur Melnick, BSAG’s executive director, said. “The gallery here at the hospital—in terms of art—is one of the finest in Brooklyn.”

“Very good cross section of people with different art,” Richard Resnick said about the show. A Marine Park resident and BSAG member, his work for “Summer in Brooklyn” was a photo of broken masonry.

“I see the world as an art museum without walls,” Resnick said. “I wanted to show people there’s art all around us.”

Clarence Moore had six paintings of Brooklyn nature on display that focused on the psychological effects of art. “Art involves a lot of mixed media skills,” he said. “Hopefully my ways become well known through my art for generations to come.”

BSAG thought of the theme a few months before the show and notified its members. The artists then either created new works just for the gallery, or submitted old work that would fit the subject. BSAG selected the best ones to display, but most got through.

The group—which usually has two to three shows per year overall—has hosted galleries at Coney Island Hospital since the hospital invited it in 2009.

Brooklyn City Streetcar Company Inc., whose mission is to bring electric trolleys back to the borough, is BSAG’s parent company. Melnick said BSAG originally created art to raise awareness for this goal but now operates independently to display art for creative purposes.

The group is a non-profit; according to Melnick the artists sell the art independently.

“Summer in Brooklyn,” will run until August.