The Inaugural Arts Gowanus Benefit Exhibition to Showcase Works by Contemporary Gowanus Artists
Arts Gowanus (www.artsgowanus.org) is pleased to announce the first annual CURRENT: Gowanus, an art exhibition and fundraiser curated by Benjamin Sutton which will take place from May 14-18, 2014, at the Gowanus Loft (www.gowanusloft.com) in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Nearly two years after Hurricane Sandy, come see what’s grown from the overflow of the canal. With every moment of destruction there is a counterbalancing moment of creation. The nature of the canal reflects and inspires the very processes that are at work in the creative talent of the artists who are inspired by or otherwise connected to the great industrial waterway that defines the neighborhood.
This exhibition is designed to showcase the breadth and depth of art that is currently being made in the area. Proceeds will benefit Arts Gowanus, a non-profit organization advocating for local artists and supporting artists’ professional development and the sustainability of the neighborhood as a center for creative innovation.
“We are so excited to bring this incredible group of artists together to show their work and to represent the Gowanus arts community. This exhibit showcases some of the amazing work coming out of Gowanus today. Arts Gowanus is an artist-run organization and we are committed to supporting the local artists both creatively and professionally. To that end, participating artists will keep 70% of the sale price of their work from this exhibition.” –Abby Subak, Director of Arts Gowanus
Over 40 works will be presented, including pieces by: Kat Chamberlin, James Ewart, Tony Geiger, Erik Hougen, Sarah Hummel Jones, Shura Skaya, Andrew Smenos, Caroline Wells Chandler and others.
Schedule of Events
May 14 – Wednesday
Opening Night Benefit Celebration for Arts Gowanus, 6-9pm
Be the first in the door to view and buy work by the amazing contemporary artists working in or inspired by the Gowanus. Proceeds to benefit Arts Gowanus (all ticket sales and 30% art sales will benefit Arts Gowanus).
Tickets: $60 (two for $100) includes drinks, hors d’oeuvres, music, and the company of fellow art-lovers.
May 15 – Thursday
Curators’ Reception and Press Preview, 12:00-4:00pm
Open to art professionals and the press to preview the artwork.
Tickets: Free to art professionals and the press. RSVP to tjvolonis@artsgowanus.org, (347) 249-0283
Open House, 12:00-8pm
The gallery will be open to spend some leisurely time with the work on offer.
Tickets: Pay as you wish, proceeds support Arts Gowanus
May 16 – Friday
Gowanus Symposium – details to be announced
Open House, 12:00-8pm
The gallery will be open to spend some leisurely time with the work on offer.
Tickets: Pay as you wish, proceeds support Arts Gowanus
May 17 – Saturday
Open House, 12:00 and onward
The gallery will be open to spend some leisurely time with the work on offer.
Tickets: Pay as you wish, proceeds support Arts Gowanus
Collectors Panel, 2:00-3:30pm
Hear art collectors and curators talk about creating a meaningful art collection from the bottom up. Panelists will include: Lucien Zayan, owner/director of the Invisible Dog and Henry Chung, co-owner and director of Robert Henry Contemporary. Appropriate for new or experienced collectors and all art appreciators.
Tickets: Pay as you wish, proceeds support Arts Gowanus
Curator’s Talk with Benjamin Sutton, 4:00-5:00pm
Get a personal tour of the work in the show by the curator himself, why he selected it and how it fits into his view of the contemporary art scene. Learn more about the art and the vibrancy of the Gowanus art neighborhood.
Tickets: Pay as you wish, proceeds support Arts Gowanus
Collectors Reception, 5:00-7:00pm
After all the lectures, kick back and talk to other like-minded art enthusiasts and spend time with the art for sale.
Tickets: Pay as you wish, proceeds support Arts Gowanus
Closing Party, 7:00pm and onward
Come party with the artists and art enthusiasts from across Brooklyn and NYC. There will be drinks and DJMR. will play music to get the mood just right.
Tickets: $10
May 18 – Sunday
Open House, 12:00-5:00pm
The gallery will be open to spend some leisurely time with the work on offer.
Tickets: Pay as you wish, proceeds support Arts Gowanus
About the Curator
Benjamin Sutton is an art critic, journalist, and curator based in Red Hook. He is the news editor at artnet News and he recently curated exhibitions at Field Projects gallery in Chelsea and the SPRING/BREAK art fair in Soho. His writing has also appeared in The L Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, Modern Painters, Art+Auction, BKLYNR, Flavorwire, the New York Press, and elsewhere.
About Arts Gowanus
Arts Gowanus is a non-profit organization of artists and arts organizations working together to support each other, to connect to the community, and to ensure the Gowanus Canal neighborhood continues to be a thriving and creative community of art-makers and art-appreciators. Arts Gowanus organizes the annual Gowanus Open Studios as well as a host of other programs for the community-at-large and the artists who work and live in the neighborhood.
About the Gowanus Neighborhood
The Gowanus Canal was the cradle of the industrial revolution in North America and the site of mills as early as the Revolutionary War. Now hundreds of years later, the Gowanus Neighborhood continues to incubate industry and creativity. Gowanus is in the news: A superfund site; A new Whole Foods; A planned huge residential development; Massive flooding post-Sandy; Bridging Gowanus, a community-driven process to envision the future of Gowanus.