Not Even Slightly Daffy

Dean Goelz had his opening on Friday, September 12th. Were you there? If you weren't, you missed a very pro-duck-tive evening.



Dean's Migrations is a challenge of how we act and interact with each other, our environment and our friends and family.



The sculptures are everywhere, from ankle to eye to high in the sky and a simple decision like "What do I look at first?" will suddenly become very difficult. These ducks are quiet, but still have plenty to say.




A few of Dean's drawings are also featured, and they're just as nice. We've made you a special photo tour, but trust us, everything looks much better in person. Dean's show runs until October 5th, so come visit!



If you'd like to meet Dean (he's the one on the right that isn't a duck) you'll have a chance on Friday, September 19th with our Monthly Dinner Series: Foul Play. Reservations are required, though, so sign up soon. Trust us, you'll be glad you did.

You Would Not Believe How Many Drumsticks

If you're any sort of friend to Like the Spice, you already know that Dean Goelz: Migrations opens on Friday, September 12th. Seriously, we can't seem to shut up about it. But that's just because we're really loving Dean's work and we know you will love it as well. Take a look at the online sneak preview to get an idea, and rest assured, there's a lot more we're saving as a surprise.



And speaking of surprises, we've just ironed out the details of this month's dinner. Foul Play will happen on Friday, September 19th at 8:00pm. Just $45 gets you dinner, drinks and entertainment (thank you to our sponsor Pernod). And what will the entertainment be, you ask?

First, artist Dean Goelz will explain the theory and practice behind his sculpture and drawing. Dean's a MICA graduate and works as a freelance artist so he'll surely have something interesting to say. You can read more about Dean on our main web site.

Second, we'll be welcoming filmmaker JL Aronson, director of Up on the Roof, a documentary about pigeons and those who care for them. Aronson has gotten some attention from places like Gothamist and his movie is a trip to the rooftops of a changing Brooklyn, which is a place that few of us will ever get to go. We're really looking forward to having him.

Reservations are required so contact us now to reserve your place! If you've missed out before, take a look at what's been happening without you. See how much fun you'd be having?

P.S. Dean Goelz: Migrations is a Williamsburg 2nd Friday Event.

On Your Way Back From Capistrano?

So much of the city goes away for the summer, but after a vacation, it's time to fly home. So on September 12th, 2008, Like the Spice is pleased to present Dean Goelz: Migrations featuring the artist's socially astute drawings and sculptures. The works depict the slightly odd ways we interact with each other and our environment and the tenuous grip society and culture have on our gentle animal natures. Using a kind of reverse anthropomorphism, the characters depicted in the show evoke to protective instincts usually reserved for cute animals and babies while being all too human.

Lifelike, the sculptures of humanoid and human-hybrid forms embody the awkward everyman, They form herds, do their best to get along and end up as slightly creepy, slightly funny, complex characters that evoke our sympathy and compassion. Cosmic underdogs and nerds, Goelz's human/duck hybrids in particular are both disturbing and familiar, reminding us of the razor's edge distinctions between instinct, personality, and society. Other sculptures in the exhibition include a self-portrait bust frosted like a birthday cake wearing a crown of unlit candles and cut away at the shoulders to reveal the layers inside and a large man in a monster costume with his face coming protruding from the monster's mouth.

Dean Goelz graduated from The Maryland Institute College of Art in 2001 where he earned his Bachelor in Fine Arts degree. He works as a freelance artist doing design work and commissioned sculptures while operating a successful mural and faux finishing business. His work has shown nationally and internationally and is included in private collections in the US, France, and the Czech Republic. He lives and works in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A veteran of several group shows, this will be Dean Goelz's first solo show at Like the Spice.

Plus! Join us on September 19th at 8:00pm for Foul Play, the latest in our Monthly Dinner series. Reservations are required, so act fact. Click here for more!