Gowanus Open Studios Marks Its 30th Edition in Brooklyn, NYC, With 100-Plus Sites

The 30th edition of Gowanus Open Studios took place on Saturday, October 17, with more than 100 participating sites spread across the Brooklyn neighborhood. Arts Gowanus, which has hosted the event for three decades, bills it as Brooklyn's biggest celebration of local art and artists.

The sites were mostly former factories, warehouses and studio buildings that are not normally open to the public. Artists were on hand to discuss their work, explain how they make it and show their latest projects, and visitors could buy work directly from them. The range ran from painting and sculpture to performance and street art, and entry to the studios was free.

The footprint ran from Pacific Street to 19th Street and from Smith Street to Fifth Avenue, in an area between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, near Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill, and adjacent to Red Hook. Printed maps were handed out around the neighborhood to help people find their way, and a digital map and artist directory was posted on the Arts Gowanus website.

A highlight this year was the first group of subsidized artist studios that Arts Gowanus negotiated as part of the Gowanus Rezoning. Located in new developments, they are meant to give artists long-term affordability. The artists who have moved in were ready to show visitors what they were working on. Two of those buildings, The Shop BK and Society Brooklyn, were open to the public, and The Shop BK also hosted several other exhibitions and artists over the weekend.

For visitors from Japan, the appeal of an event like this is walking into working studios rather than viewing finished work in a gallery. The weekend, scheduled for October 17 and 18, is the neighborhood's annual chance to show the creative community that has grown up among its industrial buildings.