Brooklyn artists join forces to form band.

Jonathan Checler and Mark Korns were chatting in a local pub, “We were talking about how lonely it is to be an artist in New York City, how isolating it can be, and how the idea of the individual artist seemed totally sterile today”. Five local artists have decided to join together in a collaborative effort of an unusual kind. A joint exhibition entitled “My Last Show” is the first of a series of shows they’ve been planning over several months. The exhibition, slated to open June 8th at the BAG Gallery, 168 7th St. in (Park Slope) Brooklyn, will be an introduction to the individual history of each member.

“My Last Show means this is the last time The Band will show work as individuals” says Michelle Temple, a founding member. After this, “we will work toward and for an audience. Unlike most artists focusing only on their own work, The Band wishes to create a more dynamic exhibition by connecting the artists to the viewers, making the gallery experience less individual and more social. It’s our responsibility to manifest quality and meaning to a given topic. We cover all mediums, including alternative/mixed media, drawing, sculpture, and painting. More importantly, what makes us unique, as a group, is our ability to stretch and work with nearly any medium and concept.

Comprised of five members, The Band consists of Jonathan Checler, Gilbert Giles, Mark Korns, Ryan Mulkey and Michelle Temple, all of or from Brooklyn at one time or another. We work together with a common objective, much like a music group might approach an album concept. “Each artist approaches the subject with characteristic élan, bringing individual skills in harmony with each other in pursuit of an overall shared goal”.