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Antonio of Chou-chou Service, painting by Nina Talbot

Susan of Double Dragon Chinese Restaurant, painting by Nina Talbot

February 1, 2008 - June 1, 2008
Business Library, Auditorium Gallery (branch info)

Venders of Newkirk: Portraits of Brooklyn Workers

by Nina Talbot

"...sensitive and figurative narrations that tell the stories of immigrant families in Brooklyn, and which shows diversity of Brooklyn and America, and the many voices that make up the community..."
   - Citation honoring Nina Talbot, by Brooklyn Borough President

Ask Brooklyn residents how they would describe their community, and they would have to say "diverse." Diversity exists because of the large number of immigrants who populate Brooklyn. Mitch of Hot Bagels; Antonio of Chou-Chou Service; Ali of Plaza Grocery: Nina Talbot has painted local shopkeepers around her corner; workers in their stores. These painted stories of working people in their everyday lives highlight themes of immigration and gentrification against the backdrop of old-time New York. They are woven together in a colorful and upbeat tapestry-like format.

The inspiration for the "Vendors of Newkirk" series came when artist Nina Talbot reflected on her Flatbush neighborhood. What will this place and these people look like in ten years, or in fifty years? Will the storekeeper from Tajikistan and the one from Hong Kong hold on to their uniqueness, or will they mesh entirely into a homogenous American questions?

Nina Talbot is a noted painter whose work has been exhibited in one-person shows such as the Bread and Roses Gallery, the Ingber Gallery, the Williamsburg Historical Center, and Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza. Her work has also been featured in selected group shows at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Bronx Museum of Art, and on a tour, "Three Brooklyn Artists," organized by the Smithsonian Institute. Talbot is an active arts educator in the New York area. She lives and works in Flatbush, Brooklyn.