Ridgewood is home to a bustling arts and culture scene, from thriving music and performance venues to independent art studios allowing up-and-coming artists to find their groove.
The neighborhood’s diverse and varied arts and culture scene is, perhaps, best exemplified by the newly-established Ridgewood Off-Kilter Film Festival, which recently completed its third year with a jam-packed weekend last month.
The festival, which celebrates weird cinema, community filmmaking and uniquely crafted stories, featured 66 entries this year across a wide range of categories, including animated shorts, live action shorts, short documentaries, music videos and autobiographical microshorts.
Festival founder Jeremy Finch said the 2025 festival featured entries from more than 30 local filmmakers. Meanwhile, Cat Tassini, a filmmaker who took part in the 2024 festival, showered praise on the festival for bringing the community together.
“I wish every film festival could be this warm and lovely,” Tassini said ahead of the 2024 festival. “The vibes were supportive and communal.”
The Stone Circle Theater, which hosts the annual festival at 59-14 70th Ave., also showcases Ridgewood’s diverse and dynamic arts and culture scene.
The venue recently played host to Ridgewood-based Balinese dance and music group Dharma Swara, with the group debuting its new performance titled Nor’easter. The production, performed in the traditional Indonesian style of Gamelan, features a performance from an orchestra-like ensemble of percussion, wind and string instruments. It also tells the story of a traditional Hindu myth through a shadow-puppet to open the show.
The recent performance showcases the theater’s efforts to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for neighbors and artists alike.
In nearby Maspeth, meanwhile, the Knockdown Center continues to prove one of the most popular independent music venues in the city.
With a standing capacity of 3,200 and a seated capacity of 1,600, the Knockdown Center is the largest independent music venue in New York City
The 50,000 square-foot venue opened as a factory in 1903 before opening as an art center, concert and nightlife venue in 2014 and has since hosted noted artists such as LCD Soundsystem, Wu-Tang Clan and Fatboy Slim.
The Knockdown Center boasts eight indoor spaces and a backyard that hosts a multitude of concerts and parties every summer. The venue also boasts a gallery, which hosts a variety of public programs and exhibitions showcasing work from artists all over the world.
It also hosts Basement, a hugely popular underground techno dance club.
Ridgewood is also home to a number of spaces that support emerging artists, including Marvin Gardens, an artist-run space that has been platforming contemporary art from emerging and mid-career artists since 2016.
The gallery has helped launch the careers of numerous solo artists within New York City, often providing emerging artists with a platform to launch the first exhibition of their careers.
UnionDocs, on the other hand, provides an opportunity for emerging documentary filmmakers in the neighborhood and throughout New York City.
Located at 3-52 Onderdonk Ave., UnionDocs is centered on the premise that documentary filmmaking is an “invaluable tool” for understanding the complexities of contemporary life when it is paired with “thoughtful context and open debate.”
Every year, the non-profit supports 36 filmmakers with three labs supporting new works and encouraging long-lasting collaborations, while the center also hosts 24 yearly workshops catering to over 400 participants by providing education on traditions and experiments within the documentary filmmaking industry.
UnionDocs states that increasing access and opportunity for documentary filmmakers can help create a more equitable society.
In a similar fashion, Outpost Artist Resources, located at 1665 Norman St., has been providing artists with access to the latest in video-editing technology since opening at the location in 1990.
The space was one of the first digital, non-linear editing facilities focused on producing art video to open in New York City and strives to provide artists with access to technology at prices well below market rates.
Outpost aims to support new creative work and support artists in need of technical assistance with video, audio and physical computing-based art projects. The center additionally aims to foster a dialogue between visual art and experimental music and hosts a variety of gallery exhibitions, artist talks, screenings and events that pair visual art with video, experimental music and performance.
Ridgewood, therefore, is a neighborhood primed to hone artistic talent, whether it is an “off-kilter” filmmaker looking for a platform or a documentary filmmaker seeking to make a breakthrough in the medium.
The neighborhood is thus an ideal place for artist and art-lovers alike, with plenty of destinations to both hone and enjoy artistic talent.
