Andy Barrett’s Studio during GOS 2016 (photo by Ben Shirai, courtesy Greenpoint Open Studios)
Greenpoint Open Studios (GOS) is one of the city’s biggest open studios events, with hundreds of artists, designers, and other creators opening their spaces to the public. This year, the weekend-long event has shifted to a late-spring time slot, unfolding across the North Brooklyn nabe from June 3 to 4. From the old industrial buildings on the East River waterfront, to the vast warehouses along the neighborhood’s eastern edge, and points in between, more than 400 artists will be showing off their works, spaces, and processes. Print guides with maps of all the studios will be available from hub spaces, including the Lot Radio and the Brooklyn Art Library.
There’s truly something for every aesthetic appetite at this year’s GOS, of which Hyperallergic is a media sponsor, from ceramic sculptures and airbrush paintings to textile installations and activist conceptualism. The online directories offer glimpses of each participating artist’s oeuvre. The number of participants can be overwhelming, so come equipped with a plan of specific studios to seek out or particular buildings to explore. Use the aforementioned directories to create your own itinerary, or follow one of the self-guided walks proposed by Greenpointers.
Ryan Metke’s Studio during GOS 2016 (photo by Ben Shirai, courtesy Greenpoint Open Studios)
For my part, I’ll be heading to 67 West Street to check out the popping floral paintings of Brian Willmont, the kaleidoscopic and intensely tactile sculptures of Mary Schwab, and the essential art activist work of Not an Alternative. I’ll also be setting aside some time to visit 276 Greenpoint Avenue, which is home to the playful, almost-figurative paintings and sculptures of Emily Noelle Lambert, the colorfully geometric compositions of Kristen Schiele, the enigmatic and autobiographic sculptural assemblages of Stephen Eakin, and the beguiling, alchemical sculptures of Mariana Garibay Raeke. On the other side of the neighborhood, I’ll be visiting 649 Morgan Avenue to see the quasi-architectural ceramic sculptures of Robert Raphael and the eerie photography of Keith Marlowe. In that neck of the neighborhood I’m also intrigued by Anne Spurgeon’s sculptural assemblages at 777 Meeker Avenue and Hilary Doyle’s endearing paintings and dioramas nearby at 667 Meeker Avenue. And, of course, part of the pleasure of open studio events is making discoveries along the way.
GOS is also a great opportunity to check in on the neighborhood’s blossoming gallery scene, so as you stroll between studios, be sure to check out local stalwarts like 106 Green, Calico, and Greenpoint Terminal Gallery. This year’s edition of GOS also coincides with the ecology-themed Go Green! Brooklyn Festival (June 3) in McCarren Park and the first New York edition of Saatchi Art’s Other Art Fair (June 1–4), which will bring works by some 130 artists to the Brooklyn Expo Center. In other words, all told, GOS weekend will both test and reward your art endurance.
Greenpoint Open Studios 2017 takes place at locations throughout the neighborhood on June 3 and 4 (noon–6pm), with a launch party on Friday, June 2, 7:30–11:30pm at Java Studios (252 Java Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn) and a wrap-up party on Sunday, June 4, 7:30pm–midnight at Magick City (37 Box Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn).
