The diversity of South Brooklyn, memorialized in 200 portraits

To celebrate his ambitious 'We Are South Brooklyn' exhibit artist Rusty Zimmerman threw a parade in Sunset Park

What do a pirate, a red-suited King of Coney Island, a woman with a peacock feather hat and the digital strategist for the New York City Council all have in common? They were among the 100 or so people gathered at the top of Sunset Park on a gloriously crisp and sunny Saturday to celebrate The Free Portrait Project.

Over the course of the past year, artist Rusty Zimmerman has painted 200 portraits of various South Brooklynites — mostly just your average locals, aged 12 to 102 — for free. And on Saturday they had gathered to celebrate the completion of his project and the opening of the “We Are South Brooklyn” exhibit, where every last one of their portraits are on display in Industry City’s Building 2.

Zimmerman leads his (literal) subjects through Sunset Park (Photo by Stephanie Keith)

“I feel like I’m walking down the aisle of my own wedding in slow motion, looking at all the guests you know, when time slows down and you just see everybody that you’re so glad is there,” said Zimmerman. “I’m just really happy that folks came out and I’m really excited to share the day with everybody.”

In addition to painting the 200 volunteers for free, Zimmerman recorded interviews with them as they sat to preserve an oral record of the community in the moment. Each sitting lasted about four hours.

Arrrrrgh! Basil Saylor and his portrait (Photo by Stephanie Keith)

“Rusty put together this project to memorialize the residents of southern Brooklyn last year,” said Basil Saylor, 35, a baker from the Kensington neighborhood who was painted (and arrived for the celebration) dressed as a pirate. “We wanted to celebrate the accomplishment that he achieved by painting 200 people and gathering their life stories and just kind of creating a record of what it meant to be a resident here. We’re all here to meet each other.”

The lady with the peacock feather hat, Karenka Sieminski, is a 55-year-old consultant and media marketer, who also came out to meet the other portrait sitters.

Sieminski was all smiles (Photo by Stephanie Keith)

“This has been such an incredible opportunity to pull people together that you normally wouldn’t always be with and to get to hear all our stories,” she said. “To hear the stories in person and marching in a parade and and to be part of this big 200 person exhibition? What a beautiful gift back to Brooklyn for the community.”

Decked out in his signature red suit, Guy Zoda, better known as Brooklyn Cyclones hype-man King Henry, was one of the more public-facing community members on hand.

Zoda, left, and Sieminski with their portraits (Photo by Stephanie Keith)

“I’m responsible for their community outreach” for the team, he said. “I’m the on-field emcee for all the fun stuff in between innings.”

He used his ring-leading experience to lead a procession of portrait subjects down the long expanse of Sunset Park, along Fourth Avenue as a marching band playing tunes like “Superstition,” and into Industry City to big cheers.

The portraits are all on display at Industry City through March 25 (Photo by Stephanie Keith)

Once inside the gallery, visitors encountered five large rooms covered with their portraits. People darted about looking to find their own. Many took selfies next to them.

“It’s such a unique feeling. It’s definitely something I’ve never experienced before. But even through the parade over here, I’m now connected with all these people I never would’ve known otherwise,” said Ember Ollom, 28, digital strategist for the New York City Council.

Ollom’s portrait beams with civic pride (Photo by Stephanie Keith)

“It’s so interesting in a way that a photograph isn’t the same, like you had to sit there for five hours for this to happen,” Ollom continues. “We had to reflect on our life to a man most of us had never met, and explained not only who we are as people, but how we’re connected to this fabric of other people in Southern Brooklyn are all part of this project and I think that’s really special.”

‘King Henry’ marches his fellow portrait-sitters through Sunset Park (Photo by Stephanie Keith)

The exhibit, which is free to the public, will run until March 25, after which the volunteers can take their portraits home and the oral histories will be donated to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Center for Brooklyn History.