An artist who was setting up an illuminated "I Love New York"-themed public art display in Brooklyn was arrested after the wired contraption was mistaken for an explosive device.

The Brooklyn art scene is getting another retro infusion — this time from Crown Heights. The throwback references here depict a simpler time, when families were large and lived in the Old World shtetls of Eastern Europe. It’s not quite Soho, but on Empire Blvd. and Kingston Ave., situated next to a laundromat, The Betzalel Gallery is expected to officially open on Thursday.

Barbra Streisand is going back to her roots. The Oscar- and Grammy-winning diva was born and raised in Brooklyn, but has never performed publicly there. That will change on October 11 when she will give a concert at the new Barclays Center arena, which is still under construction.

The 47-year-old rapper born in Brooklyn, who fans knew as MCA, died on Friday after a battle with cancer. Watch vintage Beasties' music videos here.

In three months, it feels like Speedy Romeo, on the border of Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, has galloped from start up to neighborhood fixture. I've been there two times, and it's been packed.

A 100-year-old brick sawdust factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is being reborn as a 13,000-square-foot music venue and studio. The new rehearsal, recording and performance space, located at North 6th St. and Wythe Ave, will open in late 2013 and will be run by a non-profit group called Original Music Workshop.

Soon Brooklyn residents will be able to look up to see the source of their locally-grown organic vegetables. The Manhattan-based Bright Farms is building a 100,000-square foot greenhouse on the roof of a massive warehouse in Sunset Park.

Studio executives in Hollywood just turned a shade greener. Or so Mayor Michael Bloomberg hopes. He and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined Steiner Studios chief Douglas Steiner and cast members from the HBO series Boardwalk Empire to cut the ribbon on five new soundstages at Steiner Studios.

When some Bay Ridge residents heard about a new reality show being shot on their turf, they were excited that their oft-forgotten corner of Brooklyn might steal the spotlight from Brooklyn's trendier neighborhoods. That is, until they saw the trailer for "Brooklyn 11223," which debuts on the Oxygen network on Monday night. Watch it here.

Escort is a Brooklyn band with as many as 17 members who make 21st-century disco. Watch Escort play "A Bright New Life," an original tune on the group's new self-titled album, in WNYC's Soundcheck studios.

Scenesters, make room for the strollers. One of Brooklyn's best known music venues, Southpaw, is shutting down at the end of February. A branch of NY Kids Club, which offers classes and an after-school program for children, will take over the 7,500 square foot-bar and club in Park Slope. Would you rather have a music venue or a children's recreation center? Cast your vote here.

Out with the old, in with the new! There's no shortage of places to celebrate the early hours of 2012 in New York City. Here are some of them that caught our eye.

For two weekends in November, the Brooklyn Academy of Music will screen 54 new and old films starring live puppets. The festival's 19 features and 35 shorts will be shown from Nov. 12 through 14 and from Nov. 18 through 20 as part of "Puppets on Film."

The Jazz Age is on display in a new exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, but it's not the sort of decadent world depicted in many novels of the era, according to the museum’s curator of American Art.

Ken Taylor, Vice President of Operations for Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, remembers when kids used to push over tombstones for fun. He still puts on extra patrols during Halloween although there are rarely these days any problems. Watch a video of Green-Wood at night here.

Small to mid-sized Brooklyn performing arts dance companies can now apply for 14 free months of professional development through the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the DeVos Institute of Arts Management.

Sea scallop ceviche, Penang beef curry, and shredded chicken over mole sauce: these are just a few of the dishes being served at "A Taste of Sunnyside,” a food festival and tasting event taking place on Tuesday evening at a community center in Western Queens.

From Tuesday through Sunday, more than 1,350 bands, DJs and comedians will perform at the annual CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival. Check out WNYC's trippy color-coded map to see our CMJ picks — from En Vogue to Mike Birbiglia to Dum Dum Girls — for each night of the festival.

The "Bring to Light" festival, a free contemporary art festival that started in Paris 10 years ago under the name "Nuit Blanche," comes to Greenpoint on Saturday.

Even with over 300 galleries in Chelsea, many younger artists struggle to have their work seen and promoted. To that end, we've highlighted eight alternative arts destinations to explore in the city.