Brooklyn, NY (March 25, 2006) - BRIC/Brooklyn Information and Culture announces the appointment of Isolde Brielmaier as Director and Chief Curator of the Rotunda Gallery, BRIC's visual arts exhibition and education program.

Brielmaier comes to the Gallery with significant curatorial and arts programming experience. She holds a Ph.D. in Art History from Columbia University and has served on the faculty at Vassar College and Bard College. Recent curatorial and programmatic projects include Cityscapes-New Territories at ARCO (Madrid, Spain, 2006), Eyebeam's 2005 Panorama Program (NYC) and Maximum Flavor (Atlanta, 2005). Brielmaier has also written and lectured on contemporary art for numerous publications and institutions including Aperture Magazine, PARKETT, Harvard University, and The Brooklyn Museum.

"Isolde is the ideal candidate to lead the Gallery at this remarkable point in Brooklyn's history," said Leslie Schultz, BRIC's Executive Director. "Over the past two decades, Rotunda has served as a vital incubator for Brooklyn-affiliated artists and curators. During that same time, Brooklyn has emerged as a highly dynamic international arts hub. Rotunda's service to the Brooklyn arts community is evolving in kind.

"Isolde's vision for Rotunda entails bridging the gap between the art world and urban culture, while also introducing global ideas and trends to a broad audience. Implementing this vision will help Rotunda better meet the needs of the international community of artists who live and/or work in Brooklyn, and better serve the audiences for those artists."

As co-Founder of the Brooklyn Institute of Contemporary Art, Brielmaier has long had her eye on the world's contemporary art scenes, cities, cultures and trends.

"Brooklyn is the world. Its residents and cultural offerings reflect so many places. And artists have always taken note of this. From Brooklyn and Santiago to Johannesburg and Sao Paolo, contemporary work in sound, video, design, photography, painting, performance, and installation has shown that there are no boundaries…the possibilities for unique programming flavored by these international aspects are endless."

"Innovative public programs will help deepen understanding and appreciation of contemporary art and culture; create a sense of excitement and solidify Rotunda's reputation as a premier venue for contemporary art, artists and culture." Brielmaier noted. "I am excited to look beyond the conventional boundaries of the art world in an effort to present new ideas that are relevant and current and that connect Brooklyn to what is happening locally, nationally and internationally. I am also looking forward to the possibility of developing programs in conjunction with BRIC's other arts and media programs."

Brielmaier will hit the ground running in April with show & tell, a program of curator-led studio visits designed to get patrons out of the white box and into conversations with artists in their studios. show & tell was organized by BICA and with Brielmaier's new position, will be presented by the Rotunda Gallery.

"show & tell will officially kick-off in fall 2006, but we're presenting a sneak peak sampling on April 22 and again on June 17 ," explained Brielmaier. "We're thrilled that Cay Sophie Rabinowitz, senior editor of Parkett Magazine, will lead a tour of the studios of Brooklyn-based artists Glenn Ligon, Nathan Carter, Nina Katchadourian and Oona Ratcliffe."

The Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn's own state of the art contemporary art exhibition space, is a program of BRIC/Brooklyn Information and Culture, a leader in the development of arts and communications programs in Brooklyn that benefit nearly one million people each year through its four major program units: BCAT; Celebrate Brooklyn; the Rotunda Gallery; and BRICstudio.

The Rotunda Gallery presents exhibitions in all media and emphasizes work by Brooklyn artists. It showcases contemporary art often within international contexts and aims to reach new artists and audiences through dynamic public and educational programming.

Gallery exhibitions and programs are presented in an award-winning exhibition space designed by architects Smith-Miller + Hawkinson. Cited by the NYC Chapter of the AIA for its outstanding design, the 1,600 square foot space has moveable walls, a catwalk, and a special projects room.