Gowanus artists open more than 100 spaces Oct. 17-18 as the studio tour hits 30
The neighborhood's open studio weekend returns for its 30th year with more than 100 locations, including new affordable studios won in the 2021 rezoning.
Gowanus Open Studios marks its 30th year on Oct. 17 and 18, when more than 500 artists will welcome the public into over 100 locations around the Brooklyn neighborhood. This year’s edition is expected to be the biggest so far.
How Gowanus Open Studios began
It started in 1996 with a handful of artists who opened their workspaces to visitors in what was then a heavily industrial, sparsely populated corner of Brooklyn. The original name was the Gowanus Annual Studio Tour, or GAST. The building where it all began, 543 Union St., is taking part again, with a dozen-plus studios inside ready for visitors.
Multimedia artist and poet JoAnne McFarland has joined in since the first year and got her studio at 543 Union St. in 1990. This time she is exhibiting elsewhere. A few blocks away, Union Channel is hosting “30 for 30,” an exhibition for the anniversary that brings together 30 local artists, and her work is part of it.
For Johnny Thornton, who runs Arts Gowanus, the anniversary shows the local art scene has held on. Seeing that, the head of the nonprofit said, is “such a happy moment.”
New affordable artist studios to visit
High-rise apartment buildings have risen across Gowanus since the 2021 rezoning, and higher rents have driven some artists away. During the rezoning, Arts Gowanus secured a deal under which several developers agreed to build affordable studios into their projects. Twenty-two of them are now open and in use, split between two buildings, 498 Sackett St. and 420 Carroll St. Visitors can drop into 15 of those studios during the weekend.
The painter Mayowa Nwadike, who took part in Open Studios for the first time last year, has his studio in the Carroll Street building. Painter and sculptor Liza Domingues, who had to give up a nearby studio and showed her work at the Arts Gowanus headquarters in 2021, now works in the Sackett Street building, as does graphic artist Miguel Ayuso.
Thornton hopes the tour has a long run ahead. “I’m hoping this goes another 30 years and beyond,” he said.
Quick answers
When is Gowanus Open Studios 2026?
It takes place Oct. 17 and 18, with more than 500 artists at over 100 locations around Gowanus.
Where did Gowanus Open Studios start?
It began in 1996 at 543 Union St., where a dozen-plus studios are open to visitors this year.
