sycamore
A shared living room dedicated to arts, culture & the humanities in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
New York doesn’t have enough spaces like this. So we’re making one.
Affordable, non-commercial places to simply be together are increasingly rare in Brooklyn. We believe these disappearing third spaces are part of the reason many of us feel more isolated these days. Yes, there are bars, venues, and nightclubs but those often center around alcohol and ticket sales. Sycamore wants to be the kind of place where culture feels more like a conversation rather than a transaction.
Unlike those venues, we want to be more like a shared living room — a place where people gather regularly through music, movement, workshops, and creative practice. Almost all of it powered by donations. Not only do we want it to be accessible, but we want a space where you — the community — decide the value, not us.
Our hope is that Sycamore will become a place where neighbors become collaborators. Where showing up regularly is the point. Where the space itself becomes part of the fabric of the neighborhood.
our experiences
Live music performances, listening sessions, jams, curated open mics for people to perform anything from music to playwriting to poetry
live music & artist salons
Rhythm-based classes, accessible dance practices, yoga, mindfulness practices, music therapy, as well as an NA bar and sober-friendly experiences
movement & wellness
Podcast producing and filmmaking, creative writing salons, attention labs, mosaic and collage, string art, found object art, and general arts education
workshops & creative practice
Regular lectures ranging from philosophy, history, anthropology, politics, etc, as well as interactive comedy shows, debates and film screenings
conversation & civic exchange
Sample Calender
This will give you an idea of the type of programming we plan to offer at Sycamore. A calendar like this one will be available on this website and updated frequently. Once we are up and running, you will be able to reserve spots for these events, free-of-charge.
Again, all our shows, classes, and workshops will be donation-based.
When we are not holding events, the space will be available for people to work out of during the day. We will have a podcast studio available in the basement, printer and copier, as well as a space to store art supplies.
A monthly membership fee or daily rate is required (TBD). The money raised from these members will help us keep all our arts and culture programming accessible to those who cannot afford the suggested donations.
Our space is also available for rental for events, film shoots, lectures, and more. If you’re interested in reserving the space, please contact us.
We will also be a co-working space because remote work is great, but sometimes you just don’t want to be alone in your house anymore.
meet the creator(s)
Julian Klepper is an award-winning artist, filmmaker, teacher, and former owner of Wild Birds — a beloved community music venue in Crown Heights, recognized by The New York Times, Brooklyn Magazine, ALL ARTS, and Eater. But what it revealed went deeper than press coverage: People were not simply attending performances, they were looking for connection, participation, familiarity, and creative community.
While Julian loved this aspect of Wild Birds, he hated owning a bar. It’s been his dream to open a new space that takes the soul of Wild Birds but attempts to remove the soul-sucking consumer aspect of it.
Sycamore is that dream — and he hopes you’ll help make it.
Julian Klepper
Nadia Hamdan
Nadia is a reporter and producer for Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting: the nation’s first investigative journalism nonprofit.
Most notably, she co-reported and produced the historical investigation Forty Acres and a Lie, exploring a reparation that wasn’t — and the wealth gap that remains. The project was a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, and the winner of an Edward R. Murrow Award, a duPont-Columbia Award, and a National Magazine Award. Nadia is also a 2026 Livingston Award finalist for her reporting on Gaza activism. She’s also conducted an entire interview while riding a mule.
While she loves her job, Nadia hopes to bring some of the concepts she explores in her journalism into the real world around her. But also, let’s be real, being a reporter (and a person) is hard right now so she hopes this attempt to foster the arts in her community can also act as a means of much-needed therapy for herself and others.