It’s a small borough after all…
That is if you had a chance to visit the Center for Brooklyn History’s pop-up exhibition, which showcased three of Brooklyn’s premier miniature artists and their to-scale models of beloved local businesses and landmarks in an ever-changing borough.
Each artist displayed work at the recently renovated Pierrepont Street space that represents Brooklyn — including brownstones, firehouses, businesses, and graffiti-covered street objects like mailboxes, iceboxes and streetlamps.
Miniature artist Jack Giambanco, who started making models regularly during the pandemic, said he only realized the historical value of his work when he began to get feedback from the public.
“Seeing how other people reacted to the models opened my eyes to the bigger picture and the historical meaning behind these models,” Giambanco told Brooklyn Paper of his artistic journey into the world of miniatures.
As businesses began to shutter and struggle as a result of the pandemics, Giambanco decided to put his 3D modeling skills from a past business venture to good use, recreating businesses like the A&S Italian Pork Store on Avenue X and Brennan & Carr, a sandwich shop on Nostrand Avenue in Sheepshead Bay.
“What I’ve noticed is that these places touch people really deep down inside,” said Giambanco. “I didn’t know how much people would be affected by seeing miniature models of a place that no longer exists, that they used to go to and love. You kind of forget it’s a miniature and actually feel like you’re there again. So it brings out a lot of emotion in people.”
One of Giambanco’s popular miniatures of Sheepshead Bay’s Roll N Roaster, a southern Brooklyn staple since 1970, was the catalyst for the pop-up exhibition. The Gravesend artist reached out to the Center for Brooklyn History to offer his model for display after hearing the iconic eatery is featured in the center’s ‘Brooklyn Is’ exhibition which explores the…
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