A foot in the door: Midwood sculptor hopes contest will land her in Brookyn Museum

A foot in the door: Midwood sculptor hopes contest will land her in Brookyn Museum

By Eli Rosenberg
Brooklyn Kings Courier
September 1 2012

A borough-wide open studio for artists is giving one Midwood resident a chance to show off her shoes.

A Southern Brooklyn artist is aiming for the gallery walls of the Brooklyn Museum, and hopes to bring her macro-realist sculptures of real-life objects - brown work boots, for example - through the museum’s open-sourced “GO” contest.

Robin Antar creates large sculptures of popular American goods like sneakers and ketchup bottles and says she won’t let the geographic disadvantage she has in Midwood stop her from winning the contest.


“I’m at a disadvantage because there’s a few open galleries in Midwood, whereas if you went to DUMBO you’re going to find a lot more,” said Antar, who has had her work shown in galleries in Texas, California and SoHo. “But I think I have a good chance. Why should I be in the Denver Museum when I have no connection to Denver? I’ve lived here most of my life and I should be in there!”

The museum’s “GO” project aims to give local artists a shot to be represented on the museum’s hallowed walls by allowing artists to open up their workspaces to the community, and letting the visitors vote on their favorite artists.

Only six Midwood artists will showcase their studios for a chance to be displayed at the Brooklyn Museum, while neighborhoods like DUMBO will present upwards of 35.
Out of the top ten artists nominated by the community, the Brooklyn Museum will pick two to showcase.

Antar said moving her hefty works, which she will display from her home studio on Sept. 8 and 9 for the competition to a neighborhood more popular with art crowds would have been a Herculean feat.
“I’ve got 20,000 pounds of stone in my garage,” said Antar, who sculpts her objects primarily in marble.

So like so many instances, Mohammed must come to the mountain - even if it is deep off the Q train in Midwood.

Robin Antar’s sculptures at her studio (1485 E. Fifth St., at Avenue N in Midwood), www.gobrooklynart.org. Sept. 8-9, 11 am-7 pm.

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