StudioSkate Returns to Brooklyn with a Christopher Myers Designed Rink and Holiday Market

Following the popularity of last year’s edition, StudioSkate returns to New York, presented by SAA Brooklyn at 99 Scott Avenue in Bushwick. Open now and running until 15 January 2024, the latest iteration sees a 2500 square foot skating rink designed by artist Christopher Myers at its centre, with Myers’ mural, Feathers on the Waves, 2023, encapsulated in ice. The ambitious and immersive installation is curated by Zoe Lukov in collaboration with Water Street Projects.

Feathers on the Waves is a site-specific work — a spectacle that functions as a communal space for play, leisure, and exploration. Rendered similarly to Myers illuminated stained glass works, the rink invites the public to engage, offering a surface for movement. Myers delves into the past to build narratives that speak to the slippages between history and mythology — in this case weaving Black histories with the story of Icarus.

“The history of Black bodies, artists, and athletes, on ice is long and complicated,” tells Myers. The artist’s installation captures the inherent grace of the Black figure, suspended in space, radiating a sense of weightlessness and freedom rarely afforded to Black collective and individual histories. Lukov adds, “Feathers on the Waves is an extension of his [Myers’] recent work exploring the idea of the ‘heroes journey’ through the lens of contemporary migrant and refugee stories.”

With community at its heart, bringing together food, music, art and fashion, StudioSkate 2023 is an imaginatively conceived alternative to traditional holiday skating rinks, replete with an Alpine inspired restaurant called Chalet, a cosy speakeasy, and a stylishly curated holiday market designed by multidisciplinary agency (ab)Normal. This festive retreat is already attracting the city’s art and fashion crowds.

After your time on the StudioSkate rink, indulge in the comforting delights of Chalet’s menu, featuring options like fondue, schnitzel, and caviar. Discover the thoughtfully chosen offerings at Studio Skate Market, including pieces from Dolores, BODE, Luar, Christopher John Rogers, Gohar World, Wales Bonner, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin, as well as treats and healthy options from Happier Grocery.

Take a leisurely browse through the diverse collection of books and printed materials from LIBRARY FETISH. And for a more intimate experience, unwind in privacy at Under’s speakeasy, an underground bar and smoking lounge.

It’s interesting to note, the ice skating legacy of New York City predates the establishment of purpose-built rinks in the 20th century. Enthusiastic skaters utilised ponds and lakes in parks long before. A prominent example of this practice is the Lake in Central Park, designated as a “skating pond” in Olmsted and Vaux’s initial Greensward plan. Prior to the completion of Central Park in the 1870s, the Lake welcomed ice skaters and swiftly gained popularity as a winter favourite — a tradition that StudioSkate continues to build on.  

Book here: www.studioskate.nyc | 99 Scott Avenue, Unit G, Brooklyn, NY 11237



Feature image by Cobey Arner