Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

'Bushwick Venue' in Ridgewood Aims to Be a Space for Artists

By Serena Dai | August 3, 2015 6:29pm
 Johnny Olivo, 35, is opening The Bushwick Venue in Ridgewood, Queens this summer to be a rental space for artists.
Johnny Olivo, 35, is opening The Bushwick Venue in Ridgewood, Queens this summer to be a rental space for artists.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Serena Dai

RIDGEWOOD — A new arts venue called The Bushwick Venue is located in Ridgewood, Queens — but the owner named it after the adjacent neighborhood hoping that the space will help push Bushwick forward as an arts destination.

The space at 883 Wyckoff Ave. is an extension of musician Johnny Olivo's photo and videography studio, BlueParallax.

Olivo, 35, has been renting out studio space in BlueParallax for fashion, advertising, art and music shoots for a little more than a year and he found that some of his clients also wanted a space to display their work, he said.

He decided to open The Bushwick Venue as an all-purpose space for launch parties and art exhibitions, he said.

And even though it's technically in Ridgewood, he hasn't heard pushback from his neighbors on the name of the venue yet, he said. He wanted it to be called "Bushwick" to contribute to the rise of the neighborhood, he said.

"When I came to live in this area, nobody wanted to come to Bushwick," said Olivo, who's been in the neighborhood for 12 years. "For me to be able to open my second business and present Bushwick as still rising — it's a good feeling."

The Bushwick Venue, which will open in the next few weeks, will be available for a variety of arts events, including visual art exhibitions, music video launches or fashion shows. Rental rates are not yet set but will start around $200, depending on the time needed and type of event.

For Olivo, the space is also an opportunity to contribute to the growing arts scene in the neighborhood.

When he first started out as an artist, he struggled to find affordable venues to premiere videos or play music, he said. He's hoping The Bushwick Venue will be a place for other creatives in the community, he said.

"My thing is to keep helping push Bushwick forward," Olivo said.