Melanie L.
Yelp
This is, by far, hands down, no contest, one of the coolest, best, non-commercial things about Brooklyn. When the rest of the 'hood is quickly on its way to becoming a hipster playground, BRIC keeps it real. From weird art to prestigious but not terribly commercial names (like Les Nubians), to practically-free classes that you would literally pay $3,000+ somewhere else for, to being a beautiful space, it is the result of a odd little bit of luck. Since it really is community access TV, but with a tv studio as nice as anything at 30 Rock and several different performance spaces. Plus when they have a concert you can sit in their gallery and watch it for free. And take a class. And get a free camera that you would pay $200/day to rent elsewhere. Did I say free or practically so? It is by far the most inclusive, inspiring but not gentrified spaces still existing in Brooklyn, and they have an array of really cool programming in their theater. Plus if you really want inclusive, it doesn't get more inclusive than community access TV. Make it and they put it on the air.
As someone who remembers the previous venue for BRIC, and has seen the arts and art resources in Brooklyn change over the last decade, this space is so deserved and beautiful. Nice to know that when the rest of the BK is gentrifying at alarming speeds that there will always be something for the people, from the old days.