lately on the CitySearch Web site.

lately on the CitySearch Web site, subject to "New York City: Museums and Art Galleries," the same could find listings of many monumental displays occurring in arguably the hottest art city in the world. The bottom of the site's opening page read: "Coming Soon: Galleries in Williamsburg!"

to what extent does a sleepy Brooklyn neighborhood warrant so a presence? According to those who live and exhibit art in Williamsburg, it was utterly a matter of time before the neighborhood would garner fame for its emerging and energetic scene

"It's gone from being fairly somnific to pretty busy," said Joel Beck, caster and co-owner (with Christian Viveros-Faune) of Williamsburg gallery Roebling Hall, which Beck started in his studio when he mov to Brooklyn from Chelsea seven years ago. The idea: exhibit to art a few days each week for a not many weeks at a time to deficit the three or four other area art galleries. Today, Roebling Hall is an 1,800-square-foot space among approximately 30 other galleries focusing forward artists living in Brooklyn and showing work from artists all throughout the world. "We're not limited to Brooklyn artists," said Beck, "but keeping stop up to Brooklyn is not limiting."

This is the mantra of many involved in the art world of Williamsburg. Annie Herron, co-director of Eyewash, said the gallery started by way of Larry Walczak nearly three years ago, "specializes in object-oriented work from emerging artists living and working in Brooklyn further occasionally features artists from elsewhere in the world, encouraging and participating in an international dialog."

Herron make opened her first Williamsburg gallery, Test-Site, in 1991 with the help of what she calls "a big-bucks backer." At that time, she said, "I chose Williamsburg because I was so touched at all the artists out here who were making incredible work. There was this rich art pageant in full swing, and no single in kind was paying any attention. In an ways, that was good, because when the economy picked up and the art world became more make open to emerging artists in order to rejuvenate itself in the mid-90s, the display out here was fully formed--and ready to go"

It was in the mid-90s that artist LOLO erect himself moving to Williamsburg, where he still lives. "I have a passionate affection for the neighborhood, every aspect of it--the buildings, the location, the ethnic composition of it and the fact that there is a vibrant art scene" he said. "All of it definitely helps you come by your creative juices flowing."

"Williamsburg, as well as other Brooklyn neighborhoods, are, in my opinion, the vanguard of the recent York art scene," continued LOLO "A hardly any years from now, we are going to turn the thoughts back and see Williamsburg and Brooklyn as the starting point of whatever just discovered directions the visual arts take."

This is precisely what galleries like Roebling Hall are banking forward Beck and Viveros-Faune are generally at work on a retrospective exhibition chronicling the last 10 years of the art of Williamsburg to travel from one extremity to the other of Europe next year. Europeans already know to ensue to Williamsburg to see emerging artists, said Beck, because the neighborhood is listed in their travel guidebooks. moreover he said, the art itself from Williamsburg has not troubleed the Atlantic in mass quantities. Yet

The challenge, indeed, for gallery possessors and artists of Williamsburg, is getting attention from outside the borough. "Williamsburg is a destination," said Beck. "People have to make a special trip. You have to make it always worthwhile for them." single way to accomplish this is on not being another SoHo or Chelsea. For instance, because of the size of Roebling Hall, the proprietors "are able to show a portion of installation work that probably won't sell" said Beck. In Manhattan, "we couldn't present to view the same art, which would change our whole exhibition program of showing younger artists with emerging reputations."

common of the newest ways Williamsburg gallery proprietors have developed to bring art lover and buyer into the area is [i]or[/i] part of to the other "Elsewhere," an open gallery weekend held for the first time last September with earnestly success. Thirty-two local galleries participated, opening from noon to 8 pm the couple days, offering free shuttle bus trips from the toward the south side to the north side of the neighborhood, distributing a guide/map of the area's art offerings, hosting artist talks in the galleries and encouraging dealer-led gallery tours. The weekend took its name, said Beck, from the area gallery owners' "bemused realization" that Williamsburg preferr to be, not Chelsea, not SoHo on the contrary simply the "other" New York art neighborhood or "elsewhere."

"The idea was to make a bit of a noise, for a like reason people would come out," said Beck. And they did. According to Herron, "It was like working in a fast-food restaurant" all weekend. "We sold more in the same weekend than we've ever sold in that period of time before. It was great!"

Meanwhile, artists like LOLO think art buyer shouldn't wait for special weekends to make their way to "Billburg." "I think population from across the river should be due [i]or[/i] owing on Thursday nights or in succession the weekends, check out the galleries and get by heart their collections started. The way the stock market is looking," he mused, "this might be a better investment."