Con Edison is announcing a new art gallery space in the corporate lobby of Con Edison, at 30 Flatbush Avenue Extension in Brooklyn. Brooklyn artists interested of being exhibited should contact the curator, Leon Nicholas Kalas, at (718) 797-3943.

This space was recently established with several inaugural art exhibitions, one in March of 2007, with works of Brooklyn artist-curator Leon Nicholas Kalas, and the second in April, with works by Brooklyn artist Audrey Frank Anastasi. Con Edison has generously given its lobby to the Brooklyn art community, so Brooklyn artists will have a place to exhibit free of charge their work.

Artists in Brooklyn command a unique place in the world, and our borough hosts one of the highest concentration of resident artists anywhere. Brooklyn used to be considered an “outer borough” and sometimes of a backwater when compared to Manhattan.

This “outer borough” edge provided a unique perspective on the art world and offers Brooklyn artists the ability to develop a body of work that is less dependent on the marketplace and more in keeping with the individual artist’s point of view. Brooklyn artists tend to be more individualistic, creating work “of the heart.”

Brooklyn curator-artist Leon Nicholas Kalas came up with the idea of using Con Edison’s corporate lobby as an art gallery, and it started on an experimental basis in late 2006. This experimental gallery was so successful for the few months that was in operation that it was made permanent this year.

The gallery will operate during business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with monthly art exhibitions.