Madagascar Institute – Brooklyn, New York - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place
Madagascar Institute is permanently closed.

Madagascar Institute

Brooklyn, New York

Risk arrest while partying to fund art. 

View all photos
Madagascar Institute Scott Beale / Laughing Squid (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic)
Madagascar Institute Scott Beale / Laughing Squid (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic)
68
385
Top Places in Brooklyn
Red Hook Warehouse
Brooklyn, New York
Red Hook Community Farm
Brooklyn, New York
Fort Defiance
Brooklyn, New York
 See All

The Madagascar Institute has struck quite a balance of danger, art and partying, kind of a tri-fecta in Brooklyn.

Since a little before 2000, the Institute has been throwing parties to help fund their art collective, often focused on large-scale installations and mechanical devices. The rogue operation has had parties shut down by the police, created a jet-powered merry-go-round and accidentally exploded a confetti-gun into their director’s face. (The accident was quite serious.) Yet everything they do is tinged with a sense of wonderment and creation, and a backdrop of partying that makes them such a joyous and unique Brooklyn establishment.

They regularly hold events as well as classes for those hoping to hone their own skills as an mad scientist-artist-pirate.

Know Before You Go

Accessible from F,G Trains at Bergen Street

outsider art
Community Contributors
Oliver Hong
Added by
Oliver Hong
nicanderson921
Edited by
nicanderson921
Published
February 21, 2012
Edit this listing
Make an Edit Add Photos
Nearby
Wyckoff Street Mosaic
0.27 miles
The Leaning Brownstone
0.32 miles
Gowanus Batcave
0.41 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
(Flickr/andreakw)
Brooklyn, New York

Wyckoff Street Mosaic

Detailed facade of a brownstone in Boerum Hill.
The Leaning Brownstone
Brooklyn, New York

The Leaning Brownstone

This unusual apartment building may be Brooklyn's own version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Brooklyn, New York

Gowanus Batcave

Abandoned power station once home to a squatter community, now being developed into an arts center.
Washington Park Wall.
Brooklyn, New York

Washington Park Wall

The unassuming structure was part of a Major League Baseball stadium.
Related Places
New York, New York

'Dreams of Hyperion'

A unique collection of figures perform down the facade of the Gene Frankel Theatre.
Kyoto, Japan

Chaos Room

A nondescript building is home to a one-room museum filled with an overwhelming array of art and objects.
Mound House, Nevada

VW Beetle Spider

On the side of Highway 50 East, between Carson City and Dayton, Nevada, sits a giant metal spider made from a vintage Volkswagen Beetle.
Tres Piedras, New Mexico

$CRAP$ Shrine

It is intended to take one back to a stripped-down simplicity, to spend extended time both inside and out, and absorb the natural drama of the Upper Rio Grande Valley.
Appears in 1 List
Urge to Stand, Tabla Drummer
List

Brooklyn's 20 Most Unusual Music Venues

Catch a set at these strange spaces - only in New York!
Larissa Hayden February 9, 2018
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web