Gowanus Dredgers serves up stellar art tours

Art tours around the Gowanus 

What better way to learn about the local arts scene than to take a tour with a local artist?  

On the second Saturday of every month, collage artist Rich Garr leads in-depth art walks as part of the volunteer-run Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club. 

Since the late 90s, Garr has been leading art walks, starting with the Cleveland Museum of Art before joining the Brooklyn Museum. Things got serious in Gowanus when he rented his own studio in 2004. In an email exchange, Garr wrote, “I found the neighborhood fascinating, and reminiscent of The Flats in Cleveland (also a former industrial powerhouse along a polluted waterway [Cuyahoga River] which would infamously catch on fire during its bad old days.” 

Garr has found the best spots around Gowanus through years of biking and daily updates with gallery openings and local news. If you join him from a walk, you’ll likely pass the canal front spot between the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse and the Carroll Street Bridge. Work by street artist “Wolf Tits” is a must see, as is the “Welkome to Gowanus (heart / love) Jerko” message sprayed across from a new luxury condo. Jerko was an artist-in-residence at Gowanus Dredgers.

“There’s so much to discuss with just that building alone. And there’s wildlife in the water now, too. That’s a whole thing!” 

The walk’s great if you want a boots-on-the-ground understanding of the stakes between long-term residents and new-comers. On each tour, Garr talks about the art community and local residents working together to avoid the “blanket gentrification” that overtook Williamsburg.  

“Everyone likes a good fight,” he said. “Folks like to see who’s fighting, and what they’re fighting for. And the world-class art around the streets just spices it all up.” 

-Matt Caprioli  

 

 

Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club 
165 2nd St 
Reservations through GowanusCanal.org 

Author

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

READ OUR FULL PRINT EDITION

click here to see our previous issues.

Our Sister Publication

a word from our sponsors!

Latest Media Guide!

Where to find the Star-Revue

Instagram

How many have visited our site?

wordpress hit counter

Social Media

Most Popular

On Key

Related Posts

Special birthday issue – information for advertisers

Author George Fiala George Fiala has worked in radio, newspapers and direct marketing his whole life, except for when he was a vendor at Shea Stadium, pizza and cheesesteak maker in Lancaster, PA, and an occasional comic book dealer. He studied English and drinking in college, international relations at the New School, and in his spare time plays drums and

PS 15’s ACES program a boon for students with special needs, by Laryn Kuchta

At P.S. 15 Patrick F. Daly in Red Hook, staff are reshaping the way elementary schoolers learn educationally and socially. They’ve put special emphasis on programs for students with intellectual disabilities and students who are learning or want to learn a second language, making sure those students have the same advantages and interactions any other child would. P.S. 15’s ACES

Big donors taking an interest in our City Council races

The New York City Council primary is less than three months away, and as campaigns are picking up steam, so are donations. In districts 38 and 39 in South Brooklyn, Incumbents Alexa Avilés (District 38) and Shahana Hanif (District 39) are being challenged by two moderate Democrats, and as we reported last month, big money is making its way into

Wraptor celebrates the start of spring

Red Hook’s Wraptor Restaurant, located at 358 Columbia St., marked the start of spring on March 30. Despite cool weather in the low 50s, more than 50 people showed up to enjoy the festivities. “We wanted to do something nice for everyone and celebrate the start of the spring so we got the permits to have everyone out in front,”