About the Art Galleries of Williamsburg Walk in New York
As Manhattan rents skyrocketed in the 1980s and 1990s artists began fleeing to Brooklyn, in particular to the industrial district of Williamsburg along the East River, just one subway stop away. Today, a network of smart and experimental galleries has sprouted up here, offering an alternative to the more mainstream, expensive, and well-trod galleries of Soho, Chelsea, and uptown.
In the company of a practicing artist or art critic, we will explore the galleries of Williamsburg. Our conversation will focus on the artistic, social, and economic contexts that have shaped this part of the New York art world. We'll look at the diversity of the neighborhood, home to a mixed group of Germans, Hasidic Jews, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans, as well as the hipsters and alternative musicians. As we encounter a number of relatively obscure and experimental artists in the galleries, we'll pay particular attention to what constitutes mainstream versus fringe and look to uncover a number of surprises.
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As Manhattan rents skyrocketed in the 1980s and 1990s artists began fleeing to Brooklyn, in particular to the industrial district of Williamsburg along the East River, just one subway stop away. Today, a network of smart and experimental galleries has sprouted up here, offering an alternative to the more mainstream, expensive, and well-trod galleries of Soho, Chelsea, and uptown.
In the company of a practicing artist or art critic, we will explore the galleries of Williamsburg. Our conversation will focus on the artistic, social, and economic contexts that have shaped this part of the New York art world. We'll look at the diversity of the neighborhood, home to a mixed group of Germans, Hasidic Jews, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans, as well as the hipsters and alternative musicians. As we encounter a number of relatively obscure and experimental artists in the galleries, we'll pay particular attention to what constitutes mainstream versus fringe and look to uncover a number of surprises.
Our walk begins at Spoonbill and Sugartown Booksellers, a quirky arts bookstore co-owned by Miles Bellamy, the son of dealer Richard Bellamy. With its unique collection of books on the visual and graphic arts, as well as photography, the store has served as a grist for the mill for a neighborhood full of artists. We'll then make a circuit of some of the galleries, depending in part on current exhibitions and the role of the gallery in the current scene. Selections can include Pierogi, Artbreak, Front Room, Hogar Collection, and Cinders. Along the way, we'll recount some of the now famous figures who once made Williamsburg home, including Jack Goldstein, Art:21, and the gorilla art actions that once used the waterfront and piers as their canvases.
By the time we wrap up we'll have gotten a good sense of what's happening in the art scene in Williamsburg today.
