Brooklyn's Latest Brush With Art

Friends help friends display their art. That's one reason Ali Ha and Ad Deville opened Factory Fresh. "I own the gallery," said Deville, whose hair hovers like a mushroom cloud. "I'm in the gallery." Fortunately, the two innovators have interesting pals, such as Belgian Gaetane Michaux, who deconstructs her obsession with puzzles, and a coterie of photographers who snapped pictures of abandoned, decaying spaces in New York City. (The next exhibit is a collaboration featuring a seven-foot-tall maze and "street art shaman" Stikman, plus others.) The pair also encourages visitors to express themselves. In the rear courtyard, Deville had no objections when a guest started tagging his cop-car mural.

Info: 1053 Flushing Ave., http://www.factoryfresh.net.

· 3rd Ward

This sprawling structure caters to artists in need -- of radial arm saws, sand blasters, digital media lab stations, etc. But even if you don't have a work in progress, you can still take partake in the 3rd Ward community. The facility organizes a host of events that often incorporate homegrown talent, such as sample sales (one of the residents is a fashion designer); Moviehouse, a showing of local films; and Drink-n-Draw, which involves pencils, paper, a nude model and lots of Pabst Blue Ribbon. "After two beers, everyone gets really comfortable and lets everything hang out," says J. Perelmuter, education coordinator.

Info: 195 Morgan Ave., 718-715-4961, http://www.3rdward.com.

· Northeast Kingdom

At the Northeast Kingdom restaurant, the arts are divided by floors. Upstairs, find the craft of cooking: pork pâté with cornichons, pan-fried squab with crisp pumpkin, orecchiette pasta and French raclette. Downstairs in the DK Lounge, a fireplace-warmed den reminiscent of a Vermont cabin, visitors can attend a variety of cultural activities, such as acoustic performances by local musicians, film noir screenings and Anti-Oxidant Local Artists' Films, an assemblage of videos, films and shorts. And for homey comfort art, settle in with cartoons on the weekend.

Info: 18 Wyckoff Ave., 718-386-3864, http://www.north-eastkingdom.com.

· Goodbye Blue Monday

Hoarders and free-form music lovers will feel at ease at this bar and performance space that is like a flea market with garage acoustics. Steve Trimboli crams his space with objects that were orphaned or salvaged from dead people's homes. Nearly every item on display is for sale: a 5,000-record collection, old cross-country skis, a bionic Venus lamp. Every night, a parade of musicians well known (Vampire Weekend) or unheralded (Captain Ronzo) perform on a stage nearly smothered by stuff. Out back, an artist named Linus welds Dadaesque pieces that become part of the interior design (e.g., the bicycle seat chair at the bar). In addition, starting this month, indie, experimental and classic films will be screened in an annex featuring a wall hanging of plastic baby dolls.

Info: 1087 Broadway, 718-453-6343, http://www.goodbye-blue-monday.com.

· Lumenhouse

Depending on Aurora Robson's needs, Lumenhouse is either her workplace (she builds outsize sculptures made of recyclable bottles) or an exhibit hall for artists on the rise or in mid-career. Robson prefers to focus on one or two individuals at a time, though the current show, "A Grain of Rice," is a thank-you to 14 newbies who spent the summer volunteering for her. Impressively, a piece sold on opening night, but weeks later, Kevin Graham's Post-it note drawing of a red cottage still seeks a buyer. The price: best offer.

Info: 47 Beaver St., 718-942-5395, http://www.lumenhouse.com.