Scenes from Gowanus Open Studios, one of Brooklyn’s best art parties 

By Scott Lynch

For art fans, it was a bonanza. This past weekend, at nearly 100 locations in Gowanus, approximately 500 artists invited the public into their private studios to check out their latest work, chat about their process (or anything else), grab a snack or a cup of wine, maybe purchase a print or a painting, and just generally create a roving art party throughout the neighborhood.

Roving art party: Some of the studios spilled out onto the streets (Scott Lynch)

The occasion was the 27th annual Gowanus Open Studios, organized by the venerable Arts Gowanus. Attendees would never know that the organization suffered “devastating” damages from the rains that flooded the area last month. And on Sunday especially, in the clear and breezy fall weather, there were lively crowds to be found from 13th Street all the way up to Pacific, and on both sides of the canal.

Gail Garcia in one of the studios at the Arts Gowanus President Street headquarters that flooded last month. Brooklyn Magazine sponsored Garcia’s outpost (Scott Lynch)

“I’ve had this studio [on Nevins Street] for 30 years, and been a part of Gowanus Open Studios since it started,” local artist Lesley Kushner told Brooklyn Magazine. “I love it. It’s a great way to get people to see your work and share the artistic atmosphere of the neighborhood.”

And while a good number of the studios I visited on Sunday were, like Kushner’s, squarely in the charmingly old-school, creaky-wooden-floors category, there were just as many relative newcomers to the scene participating as well.

Art by Lesley Kushner (Scott Lynch)

Photographer Rima Brindamour, for example, opened her studio on the corner of Union and Bond Streets just over a year ago. “I live in Carroll Gardens and I love the community,” she said. “There’s lots of artists already here, and this space was sitting vacant for 10 years before I leased it.”

Her studio looked quite spiffy for Open Studios weekend, and Brindamour had work by artist Shadia Sabagh on display. “It’s great to be able to show off the space today and talk about what we do,” she said. “I’m usually here alone all day, so it’s nice to have other people around.”

Rima Brindamour showing off the work of Shadia Sabagh at her photography studio (Scott Lynch)

Part of the fun of the weekend is the voyeuristic pleasure of poking around normally private spaces. Yes, many studios don’t reveal too much of the artists’ personality (beyond their art, of course), but some are decked out with all manner of decoration and/or inspiration. Michiyo Ihara’s space on Union Street featured a startling number of plants, for instance, and I never would’ve known that Hermann Meija spent decades working for Mad Magazine if I hadn’t nosed around his collection of ephemera on President Street.

Michiyo Ihara’s verdant studio on Union Street (Scott Lynch)

At least one artist, Axelle Destaing, showed her work in her private home, specifically in her lovely, impressively appointed kitchen looking out onto her backyard on Carroll Street.

Art by Axelle Destaing (in her own kitchen) (Scott Lynch)

There were also outdoor murals to gawk at, mostly outside of construction sites, of which there are many in Gowanus these days. Some larger institutions, like the Textile Arts Center on Carroll Street, get in on the action too.

The “Artists of Brooklyn” mural at 300 Nevins (Scott Lynch)

“This is our third Gowanus Open Studios,” said Kira Silver, TAC’s Director of Operations. “It’s wonderful to have so many people walking through so many different studios in the neighborhood. Our doors are always open to the public for tours, but sometimes it can be intimidating to stop into a space when you have to introduce yourself at the front desk, so events like this make it easy for people to walk in and say hi and see everyone here. So yeah, it’s really great for everyone.”

Hera Ford at Textile Arts Center (Scott Lynch)

Brooklyn Magazine was the official media sponsor of Gowanus Open Studios this year.