AN ECO FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE AND ARTS SPACE SHOUTS OUT ITS TENTH YEAR IN GOWANUS

BY ERIK SCHONING • PHOTOS BY DEB KLEIN

The issues with the Gowanus Canal are obvious to any Brooklynite with even a modest sense of smell. Yet only two blocks away from the blighted waterway sits littlefield (lower case “L” intentional), a mixed use performing arts space with an environmental focus. This inherent contradiction is very much a part of today’s Gowanus, and as littlefield reaches the ten year mark, its success sketches a blueprint for the nabe’s future.

Founded by Julie Kim, an environmental engineer, and Scott Koshnoodi, a former engineer turned chef, littlefield has been in the neighborhood since 2009, the same year the EPA designated the canal a Superfund Site. At first, Kim and Koshnoodi had trouble setting up a commercial space in the industrial neighborhood: “Many people were not doing that here,” said Kim. “Fortunately, the community board was supportive.”

Bookings are wonderfully varied. A glance at the schedule reveals a dedication to all sorts of arts: comedy, variety shows, podcasts, beat boxing championships, and, of course, music. In addition to the events themselves, the space features a full bar and food from Antojitos El Atoradero. According to Kim, the decision to make littlefield “weird” was a no brainer.

“A lot of things [in Gowanus] are eccentric,” she said. “We wanted to keep with the original arts scene that was here. We felt like its philosophy and our philosophy aligned.”

Still, recent years have not come without changes for what the company site calls “the quirky independent venue that could.” After the owner of their former building on Degraw Street decided not to renew the lease, Kim and Koshnoodi reopened littlefield only blocks away at 635 Sackett Street, renovating a printing facility that had been vacant for years. They installed new sound and lighting systems and redid the bar in order to offer better craft cocktails and beer. Though the original venue’s DIY stage (built from old bowling alley lanes) has been left behind, the new spot continues its focus on keeping the arts ecofriendly. Recycled truck tires line the walls, absorbing and attenuating sound. Said Kim: “We took a lot of elements from the old space that were not only environmentally sound but also served a purpose. We don’t ever put something up just because it looks nice. There has to be a reason.”

Kim and Koshnoodi also opened a second spot, Parklife, around the corner. Kim describes the two as having a symbiotic relationship.

“The hope is that people who come to shows at littlefield can go before or after and hang out at Parklife,” she said. “We wanted it to become a neighborhood bar.” The latter’s programming, nearly as eclectic as that of its sister spot, includes trivia, bingo, and movie nights.

Longtime followers of littlefield will likely remember its early days as comedy focused. Wyatt Cenac hosted his “Night Train” show there through last year; nowadays, recurrent performances include the ever popular Mortified, in which locals read and tell stories from adolescence, and Punderdome, a pun heavy variety show. Comedy continues to be a mainstay, too; 40 percent of bookings are of the funny variety.

The week of May 20th will mark the venue’s ten year anniversary. Asked about the milestone, Kim reflected on where the venue has been and where it’s going.

“We really are trying to elevate our programming,” she said. “Just trying to stay ahead of the trends.” More specifically, she sees littlefield as perfectly poised to increase its live music bookings and to become a signature spot for South Brooklynites tired of hiking to Williamsburg or Manhattan to see shows. And with a newly hired live music booker on board and a 2019 goal of five live music events a month, the partners are taking the necessary steps to get there.

Today, Gowanus is getting plenty of attention as a viable artistic community. Venues like this have done much of the groundwork, and Kim welcomes neighborhood newcomers (Threes Brewing, Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club) that have increased foot traffic and brought much needed publicity to the area. As for the canal, it may never become the local swimming hole, but will undoubtedly be the central feature of a neighborhood that continues to grow and change. Where those changes will take it are unclear, but as little field rounds out its first decade in business, this much is obvious it’s here to stay.

LITTLEFIELD
635 Sackett Street / littlefieldnyc.com