WHITMAN READING AT DAWN

Wednesday, Sept 18, 7-9 am

Don't miss your chance to read from Walt Whitman's poetry in canoes on the canal, or listen from Carroll Street Bridge. As part of the Brooklyn Book Festival this magical event is presented by the Gowanus Dredgers and the Walt Whitman Initiative as part of the Walt Whitman Bicentennial.  

To sign up and rsvp click here.

SUNSET GOWANUS WALKING TOUR WITH JOSEPH ALEXIOU 

Thursday, Sept. 26, 5:30 - 7:15 pm

Learn about the Canal's natural origins, iconic architecture, its key role in the Revolutionary War, and the cleanup of its present-day pollution directly from Joseph Alexiou, the author of Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal!

For details and to register click here

ST. MARY'S PLAYGROUND BLOCK PARTY

Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 am–2 pm

Please join us for a block party celebrating the expanded St. Mary’s Playground hosted by Councilmember Brad Lander and the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. There will be crafts, games, skateboard-making and lots of neighbors. All are welcome!

WEEKEND GOWANUS WALKING TOUR WITH JOSEPH ALEXIOU 

Sunday, Oct. 13, 11 am - 12:45 PM

!! Starts at the Third Street Bridge (Whole Foods side) and ends at the Gowanus Souvenir Shop. 

Learn about the Canal's natural origins, iconic architecture, its key role in the Revolutionary War, and the cleanup of its present-day pollution directly from Joseph Alexiou, the author of Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal!

For details and to register click here

GOWANUS 2020 CALENDAR LAUNCH PARTY

Saturday, Oct. 19, 4-7 pm

Please join us during Gowanus Open Studios on Saturday, Oct. 19, 4 to 7 pm for the launch of our newest Gowanus Souvenir Edition, the 2020 Gowanus Calendar!!

The  calendar showcases the vibrancy of manufacturing  in Gowanus and was shot by Gowanus Wild photographer Miska Draskoczy.  The 12 Gowanus businesses featured represent the breadth of industries active in Gowanus
and the people that run them. 

Preorder the calendar here.

Exhibition Series, May-June
Opening Weekend Saturday, May 11-12, 1-5 pm

Exhibition Series: Sediment

Five exhibition spaces will offer exhibitions exploring the theme SEDIMENT in Spring 2019. SEDIMENT exhibitions coincide with and respond to the dredging of century-old sediment from the bottom of the Gowanus Canal, one of the most toxic waterways in the United States. Each exhibition space will offer a unique interpretation of SEDIMENT, probing the theme both literally and metaphorically through art.

SEDIMENT exhibitions will be offered by P.S. 122 in Manhattan, followed by four community-based Brooklyn exhibition spaces within walking distance of the Gowanus Canal: Artpoetica, South Slope Local Café, Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse, and Gowanus Souvenir Shop. A grass roots project that engages directly with the community, SEDIMENT was conceptualized and implemented by artist/curators JoAnne McFarland and Sasha Chavchavadze.

The Gowanus Souvenir Shop offers souvenirs that riff on the many layers of the canal’s mystifying and troubling yet often humorous and darkly fascinating history. To accompany this exhibition series, the shop will produce three sludge inspired limited edition souvenirs: a Black Mayo key chain by George Horner and Miguel Ayuso, a Sludgie the Whale lapel pin designed by Chloë Beck and a Jigsaw puzzle depicting the canal’s toxic beauty. The shop will also curate a special selection of books on the topic, as well as postcards, toys, and candies.

Thursday, May 16, 6:30–8:45 pm

GOWANUS SUNSET WALKING TOUR WITH JOSEPH ALEXIOU

Experience Gowanus at Magic Hour and learn about the Canal's natural origins, iconic architecture, its key role in the Revolutionary War, and the cleanup of its present-day pollution. This tour begins at the Gowanus Souvenir Shop.
Register here. 

Plant Sale, Sunday, May 5, 10-6

PLANT SALE WITH the Gowanus Canal Conservancy

We are partnering again with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy this spring for a plant sale in our front yard, in time for planting season, aka Mother's Day. We will have a wide range of native plants well-adapted to our urban conditions for sale, most of which are grown by GCC volunteers and students at their Gowanus Salt Lot. 

Walking Tour, April 20, 11 am-12:45 pm

 GOWANUS WEEKEND WALKING TOUR WITH JOSEPH ALEXIOU

Led by the author of Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal, you will learn about the Canal's natural origins, iconic architecture, its key role in the Revolutionary War, and the cleanup of its present-day pollution. This tour starts at the Third Street Bridge and ends with a glass of prosecco at the shop! Register here. 

Market at City Point April 13-14, 11 am- 7 pm

 We are popping up at FAD Market at City Point 

We are looking forward to popping up at City Point for the wonderful FAD Makers Market in April. Be sure to stop by!

Walking Tour, Saturday, April 13  

CANAL-SIDE STREET ART WALK

Embark on an art-centric walking tour along the Gowanus shoreline. Dig into the canal's deep creative legacy through street art, music, and traditional civic art and architecture. In a neighborhood once notorious for industrial pollution and the death of waterfront marine life, a renaissance is underway. Explore the neighborhood’s quirky art and athletic scene while hearing stories of its past. Envision it's future by learning how you can get involved to ensure that its growth preserves an exciting dynamic of business, art and recreation.

Walks are led by Rich Garr, a local collage artist and licensed NYC guide. Each month features a different artist, organization, or theme relating to current events (including many hosted in art studios & galleries) and hidden street treasures. 

In partnership with the Gowanus Dredgers. Tickets are $25, and can be ordered here:

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/189912

Tour meets at 11am at the Gowanus Souvenir Shop and run for about 2 hrs.

Party, Saturday, April 6, 3 pm  

House Warming Welcoming Even Keel

Please join us to celebrate the expansion of our little family of shops! You can now find us, From Here to Sunday, and Even Keel—a natural skin care line that infuses Eastern Roots with Western Herbs with a principal focus on our earth’s natural clays, oils, and botanicals—at 567 Union Street! 

Launch Party, Wednesday, March 20, 6:30 pm  

Gowanus Landmarks Map Launch Party

We cordially invite you to join us for the launch of our newest Gowanus Souvenir Edition: The Gowanus Landmarks Map. The map details the significant historic buildings and structures of Gowanus that should be preserved, from Butler Street all the way down to 16th Street. The map features beautiful drawings by Vivian Baumann and was developed in partnership with the Gowanus Landmarking Coalition. It is available both as a map to take on for you next walk through the neighborhood and also as a print ready to be displayed on the wall. All profits benefit the Gowanus Landmarking Coalition. 

Learn more about the Gowanus Landmarking Coalition here. 

Reserve your map here. 

Saturday, Dec. 8, 10 am to 5 pm

Sunday, Dec. 9, 10-4

We are excited to be at the PS 58 Market this year for the first time. Can wait to meet all of the francophile parents. :)

Saturday - Sunday, Dec. 15-16, 11 - 7

The farthest we ever venture away from our beloved Canal, we love this crowd in Downtown Brooklyn. Come by the market before or after you hit City Point's great food court, Trader Joe's or Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Thursday, August 16, 6:30 pm

Walking Tour with Joseph Alexiou followed by a reception at the shop

Have you ever wondered where the Gowanus is, or for that matter, what's in it (raw sewage)? Intrigued by Brooklyn's unique industrial neighborhood, but afraid of stumbling into toxic waste? Fear not!

Joseph Alexiou, licensed NYC tour guide and author of Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal, will lead a walking tour of one of the most important post-industrial waterways in America. Highlights will include: the natural origins of the Gowanus, particularly the tidal estuary and salt marshes; discussion of iconic Gowanus architecture still-extant and sadly removed; the key role the waterway played during the Revolutionary War, the industrial revolution and cleanup of its present-day pollution! Also you'll learn about the renewed hip neighborhood including its funky businesses and new real estate development.

Tour meets at the Carroll Street Bridge and ends at the Gowanus Souvenir Shop with a glass of prosecco! 

In partnership with Brooklyn Brainery. Tickets are $20 

Order tickets here. Don't hesitate, this tour always sells out quickly.

Saturday, August 18, 6 pm

Movie Night with screening of "Point Break"

SUPERFUN MOAT 'N' PICTURES PRESENTS "POINT BREAK" Hang on to that endless summer! Join us for a screening of Kathryn Bigelow's surf crime epic, Point Break (1991), part of our new film series: SUPERFUN Moat 'n' Pictures. We'll be grillin' up hot dogs, throwin' back brew dogs, and giving out prizes for the best Keanu impression! RSVP HERE. Suggested donation $5 - 10.

July - August

Gowanus Souvenir Surf Shop

We are turning into a Surf Shop for the summer! Come and shop all your surf and beach essentials.  Check out the surf collection here. 

Thursday, July 12, 6:30 pm

Walking Tour with Joseph Alexiou

Have you ever wondered where the Gowanus is, or for that matter, what's in it (raw sewage)? Intrigued by Brooklyn's unique industrial neighborhood, but afraid of stumbling into toxic waste? Fear not!

Joseph Alexiou, licensed NYC tour guide and author of Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal, will lead a walking tour of one of the most important post-industrial waterways in America. Highlights will include: the natural origins of the Gowanus, particularly the tidal estuary and salt marshes; discussion of iconic Gowanus architecture still-extant and sadly removed; the key role the waterway played during the Revolutionary War, the industrial revolution and cleanup of its present-day pollution! Also you'll learn about the renewed hip neighborhood including its funky businesses and new real estate development.

In partnership with Brooklyn Brainery. Tickets are $20 

SOLD OUT

Friday-Sunday May 11-13

Plant Pop Up Shop in our Front Yard

From Here to Sunday is organizing a plant sale in our front yard. They will be selling their unique cast planters alongside perennials from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and starter plants for Sackett Farms. Come on by to ring in planting season!

May 19

EXPO GOWANUS

We will be participating at the Gowanus Canal Conservancy's EXPO Gowanus as part of the Carnival of Connectivity. We will be launching our picture board made by the one and only Planet Zoot and we will also be spinning the Wheel of Fortune with some storytellers who will be freely explaining Gowanus Artifacts. 

Through end of May

FHTS Presents GOWANUS BLOOM

Stop by the shop to see From Here to Sunday's newest installation by Maya Edelman. Imagine Spring in Gowanus with this gorgeous, delicately composed cut-paper landscape on the Selfie Wall!  Come take a look and take a selfie! (And more good news: the From Here to Sunday Pop Up will remain in residency through May.)

Maya Edelman is an animator in her daytime life. She's created animation and design for feature films and documentaries, as well as the much loved TV comedy Broad City. At night she creates careful drawn and cut paper studies of life around and under the waters of her favorite waterway, the mighty Gowanus Canal.

Extended through May !!! 

Spring Residency: 
From Here to Sunday

From Here to Sunday is setting up at the shop from February through April, expanding their Kiosk to bring you a fully-stocked storefront! Along with the usual small batch, curated art goods, they will also be inviting different artists each month to create a selfie wall installation, starting off with Jaz Harold in February. They are also joining forces with Even Keel again to bring you meticulously crafted soaps and beauty products.

Preview the FHTS Valentine's Day Collection here.

Saturday-Sunday, April 28-29

FAD Market @ Brooklyn Historical Society

 We will be at the FAD Market at the Brooklyn Historical Society for their first Pop Up Market of the season Saturday and Sunday April 28-29. Come on by and check out all our NEW STUFF!!!!!!

Saturday, April 21, 10-6

3rd OPEN ARCHIVING HOURS FOR THE  Wunderkammer People's Archive Program

Have you found odd objects on your walks in Gowanus or dug something up in your backyard? Bring it to us Saturday, April 21 during shop hours and we will properly catalogue it, add it to our online archive, and display it for a month* in our Wunderkammer.

And don't miss your chance to see the amazing objects people brought us during the first two rounds. 

*After a month the objects are returned to you. 

Check out the online archive here.

Saturday, March 24, 10-6

2ND OPEN ARCHIVING HOURS FOR THE  Wunderkammer People's Archive Program

Have you found odd objects on your walks in Gowanus or dug something up in your backyard? Bring it to us March 24 during shop hours and we will properly catalogue it, add it to our online archive, and display it for a month* in our Wunderkammer.

And don't miss your chance to see the amazing objects people brought us during the first round through March 25. 

*After a month the objects are returned to you. 

The Gowanus Wunderkammer People's Archive Program is an extension of the Hall of Gowanus started by Proteus Gowanus, which is now supervised by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. We have been displaying items for that collection since we opened Gowanus Souvenir Shop over two years ago. The shop has been a place for people to come and share their Gowanus stories and Gowanus finds and the archive program gives everybody a chance to share those finds with the public. 

Learn more

Opening, Saturday, March 9, 4-6

FHTS Presents SUNKEN TREASURES

Join us this Saturday to celebrate the launch of the new From Here to Sunday installation by Jen Tong and Joel Alter: "Sunken Treasures" will invite viewers (and aspiring selfie artists) to step inside an underwater scene of their creation.  (And more good news: the From Here to Sunday Pop Up will remain in residency through May.)

Jen Tong is an illustrator and printmaker who builds whimsical worlds with her artwork, rife with colorful characters and foliage. She incorporates her stories into self-published comics and silkscreen prints/paintings.

Saturday, February 17, 10-6

Launch of the Gowanus Wunderkammer People's Archive Program

Starting in February we will have monthly open archiving hours where you can bring in your Gowanus artifacts and we will catalogue them and put them on display for the month and add them to our public online archive. 

Everybody is invited to bring their finds from the Gowanus area to the shop. The objects will be properly documented and displayed in the shop's Wunderkammer for the month and added to our online archive. 

Our inaugural Archiving Gowanus Day is Saturday, February 17, 10 am to 6 pm during regular shop hours. No reservations needed. 

The Gowanus Wunderkammer People's Archive Program is an extension of the Hall of Gowanus started by Proteus Gowanus, which is now supervised by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. We have been displaying items for that collection since we opened Gowanus Souvenir Shop over two years ago. The shop has been a place for people to come and share their Gowanus stories and Gowanus finds and the archive program gives everybody a chance to share those finds with the public. 

Learn more

Saturday, February 10, 12:30 pm

lunar new year celebration

Join us in celebrating the opening of the residency as we enter the Year of the Dog!

Featuring a Chinese Lion Dance Performance by The Chinatown Community Young Lions

Jan 9-31

In Residence: Handmade in Brooklyn

The Collective Handmade in Brooklyn is inauguration our new residency program that will feature new makers, designers and artists every month. 

The artists included are 

Thursday, Jan. 25 

Exhibition Closing Part & HMB Pre V-Day Close out Sale

Join us to celebrate the residency and exhibition. Enjoy some wine and shop some great sales from all of the makers. 

It Came From the Gowanus Canal, Again
Comic Release Party Friday Nov. 3, 7 pm

It's not the water you should fear. It's him.

The Gowanus Golem is back in Tales of the Night Watchman Issue Seven, a direct sequel to 2014's "It Came from the Gowanus Canal" one-shot! Join the ENTIRE CREATIVE TEAM at the shop as we celebrate the release of this new comic book published by So What? Press.

Writer Dave Kelly, artist Brett Hobson, colorist Clare DeZutti, and cover artist Tim Hamilton will all be present to chat about its creation and sign a copy, if you're so inclined. Tales of the Night Watchman series co-creator Lara Antal will be onhand to make some special cocktails!

Cartophilia Gowanus Exhibition
On view Oct. 19-Nov. 19

What do the inner workings of the brain have to do with the underground ghost streams that lead to the Gowanus Canal? A fair amount – if you visualize them as maps.

The exhibition “Cartophilia Gowanus” celebrates the love of maps and mapmaking. It features maps of the Gowanus dating back to 1849, maps made in Gowanus by local artists, and map-like circuit boards that have recently been pulled out of the muck of the Gowanus. The show features artist maps, historic and scientific maps, and everything in between.

Artists include Peter Fend, Nene Humphrey, Katarina Jerinic, Nina Katchadourian, David Scher as well as limited edition prints by Archie's Press and Roxy Tea Parlour. 

Read the full press release here. 

Gowanus Open Studios Pop-Up
Coal Comforts Bakery by Spencer Merolla
Oct. 21-22, 12-7

Debuting for Gowanus Open Studios, Coal Comforts  is a pop-up art "bakery" in which the familiar-looking treats on offer are not what they appear to be— they are made of ash from burned coal. The piece critiques the continued support for coal power which causes irreparable harm to frontline communities and accelerates climate change. Read more. 

Read about it on Hyperallergic 

Handmade in Brooklyn Collective Pop-Up
Runs Oct. 27-29
Reception: Friday, Oct. 27, 7:30 pm

We are so happy to be featuring the handmade goods by this diverse group of creative women in Brooklyn, whose goal it is to "Empower and Represent Boss Babes around Brooklyn." Learn more about the group here.  The artists include: 

Saturday, October 28, 11 am-12:30 pm
Walking Tour with Joseph Alexiou

Have you ever wondered where the Gowanus is, or for that matter, what's in it (raw sewage)? Intrigued by Brooklyn's unique industrial neighborhood, but afraid of stumbling into toxic waste? Fear not!

Joseph Alexiou, licensed NYC tour guide and author of Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal, will lead a walking tour of one of the most important post-industrial waterways in America. Highlights will include: the natural origins of the Gowanus, particularly the tidal estuary and salt marshes; discussion of iconic Gowanus architecture still-extant and sadly removed; the key role the waterway played during the Revolutionary War, the industrial revolution and cleanup of its present-day pollution! Also you'll learn about the renewed hip neighborhood including its funky businesses and new real estate development.

In partnership with Brooklyn Brainery. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here. 

Don't wait, this tour sells out. 

Artist-led Tour of Cloud Drift -- by canoe! 
And Closing Party Sept. 16

Tour Katarina Jerinic’s art installation Cloud Drift by canoe on the Gowanus Canal with the artist and the Gowanus Dredgers and join us for a closing party at the boat house afterwards.

Canoe Tour: 4:30-6 pm SOLD OUT 

Closing Party at the Boathouse: 6-8 pm no rsvp required. Please come!

Get up close and personal with the canal's murky surface and the "clouds" of Cloud Drift from the safety of a canoe. Cloud Drift is a series of cyanotype image flags flown from light posts on the Gowanus Canal's bridges on Union, Carroll, Third and Ninth Streets. As each flag blows in the wind, images of the canal's surface just below unfurl, transforming its dingy waters into sublimely cloudy skies. On this tour, participants will paddle to Third, Carroll and Union Streets and have the opportunity to see the project and the canal itself from this unusual perspective.

The Gowanus Dredgers is a volunteer organization dedicated to providing waterfront access and education to the public.

Inaugural Public Art Installation
Final days!!! Ends Sept. 21

Cloud Drift by Katarina Jerinic

We are excited to be presenting our first public art project this summer with the artist Katarina Jerinic. Cloud Drift will bring her monumental cyanotype flags to all the bridges along the Gowanus Canal. Read more about the project here. 

Gowanus Designer Focus: Brooke Wade

This fall we are launching a new monthly series where we will highlight local designers at the shop. First off is BROOKE WADE, a line of handmade wooden homewares and slingshots by Gowanus based woodworker and artist, Brooke Wade Murphy. All of BROOKE WADE pieces are handmade from salvaged or reclaimed wood, ensuring that each piece is made ethically, sustainably, and with little to zero waste. As such, all goods are vested with a traceable history, e.g. from tree, to East Coast textile factory beam, to Brooklyn workshop, to table. Brooke loves experimenting with form and balance, and draws inspiration from wabi-sabi aesthetics and metaphysics, maps and cartography, interiors and spaces, and the sense of place.

https://brookewade.com/

Frontyard PopUp: RadVintage | Sunday, September 17: 11-4 pm

Don't miss your opportunity to stock up on cute vintage fall clothes for your little ones at our Rad Vintage Kids Clothes pop up. Rad Vintage shop caters to hip kids who don't want to follow trends. We offer unique, one-of -a kind vintage pieces that tend to be colorful, embroidered & handmade.

Frontyard PopUP: Ellen Grace Quilts
Saturday, September 23, all day

Ellen will be presenting her beautiful textiles in our "front yard." Don't miss her heirloom quality baby quilts that are all made from vintage fabrics, as well as her gorgeous African napkins that are a result of her continuing volunteer work at M-Lisada in Uganda. All proceeds go directly back to this amazing organization!

More about Ellen Grace Quilts: vintage/modern baby quilts handcrafted in Brooklyn:

i love to combine modern design & quilting with vintage & upcycled fabrics.  a lot of love goes into my quilts-  from choosing the fabrics to the final stitch of the binding-  & it is so fun watching them come together!  my heirloom quality quilts make great gifts for a new baby & work perfectly in the crib or stroller or on the floor for tummy time.  i'm a big fan of re-using & upcycling things that still have plenty of life in them- that's probably the iowa girl in me...  I'm always up for thrift shopping to find fun & colorful men's button down shirts to incorporate.  i also love to use vintage bed sheets in my quilts- they are just so sweet & soft & well loved... i really like mixing that sense of the past with contemporary design & modern straight line quilting...  i think it makes for a lovely combination of "now & then" with a classic & timeless appeal.

More about the napkins project: "I volunteer at M-Lisada in Uganda & last summer I taught them to make dinner napkins for our sewing project. They keep sewing them & volunteers keep bringing them back to the US for me, so I keep selling them! 100% of sales goes directly back to M-Lisada. Get a little piece of Africa for yourself or someone you love & help support an amazing organization!"

Sunday, Sept. 24, 11 am-12:30 pm
Walking Tour with Joseph Alexiou

Have you ever wondered where the Gowanus is, or for that matter, what's in it (raw sewage)? Intrigued by Brooklyn's unique industrial neighborhood, but afraid of stumbling into toxic waste? Fear not!

Joseph Alexiou, licensed NYC tour guide and author of Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal, will lead a walking tour of one of the most important post-industrial waterways in America. Highlights will include: the natural origins of the Gowanus, particularly the tidal estuary and salt marshes; discussion of iconic Gowanus architecture still-extant and sadly removed; the key role the waterway played during the Revolutionary War, the industrial revolution and cleanup of its present-day pollution! Also you'll learn about the renewed hip neighborhood including its funky businesses and new real estate development.

In partnership with Brooklyn Brainery. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here. 

Don't wait, this tour sells out. 

Oct 7, 2 pm: 
Annual "GOWANUS CHALLENGE" Fundraiser Race
The Dredgers officially issue a challenge to you to test your mettle on the mighty Gowanus Canal. You can help fund an existing team or build one yourself, all to support the Dredgers and their programs. You can win prizes and enjoy a Post Race Banquet. We are busting out our wet(eh, hazmat)suits and participating as "Swell Racer." 

Learn more here. 

Class in partnership with Brooklyn Brainery July 8

Introduction to Cyanotypes with Katarina Jerinic

In this 3-hour class, students will learn to make cyanotypes, a 19th century photographic process that prints in the sun and produces a beautiful blue image. Students will learn about a variety of materials and techniques for making cyanotypes as they make their own prints.

We will experiment with both abstract compositions made from found objects as well as print from negatives of images made by students. All materials are included, and you'll make two 8"x10" prints.  

SOLD OUT -- you can add your name to the wait list here. 

Workshop in partnership with Gowanus Canal Conservancy August 5, 12-2 pm

Gowanus Cyanotypes with Katarina Jerinic

Katarina Jerinic will teach participants in this workshop to make their own cyanotype prints related to the canal and surrounding neighborhood. Cyanotypes are a simple early photographic process, the reaction of chemistry to sunlight and water. Objects or film negatives are placed on chemically treated paper or fabric, exposed to sunlight, and then rinsed for a few minutes in ordinary water to develop the image. During the class, participants will explore the blocks and the park surrounding the ArtLab to gather ideas and objects for their cyanotype images, using the idea of a map or flag as a model. Back at the ArtLab, each participant will assemble collected objects and negatives provided by Jerinic into their own cyanotype image. Artists and non-artists of all skill levels can easily make a successful print using this process. Jerinic will also supply a list of materials and resources so that after the class, participants can continue to experiment with this inexpensive and simple process.

A few spots remaining. Sign up here. 

Upcoming

Canoe Trips with the Gowanus Dredgers

Launch party for the sequel to the comic "It Came from the Gowanus Canal" by Tales of the Nightwatchman

Please email us if you would like more information about any of these programs.

Past Events

Solstice Opening Party June 21

Please join us for the opening celebration for our inaugurual public art installation by Katarina Jerinic entitled Cloud Drift. 6-9. Learn more about the project here. 

Lecture: Wednesday, May 31, 7 pm

Joseph Alexiou: The Past and Future of Brooklyn's Curious Canal

Lying at the epicenter of one of Brooklyn's most rapidly gentrifying (and expensive) neighborhoods is a toxic waste site and open sewer: That's right, it's the Gowanus Canal. This waterway is mostly famous for its stench and as a repository for dead bodies, but did you know that the Gowanus's story begins before Brooklyn was its own city, or colonization itself?

While raw sewage still flows into it today (thank the limited foresight of 19th-century urban planning!), did you know that Gowanus hosted beds of delicious and locally-sourced foot-long oysters? Or even though toxic coal tar now lines its floor, much of the building materials that made brownstone Brooklyn passed through its waters?

This highly entertaining lecture and slideshow is for anyone who’s read about the Gowanus but wants to know more about how it got there, how it got so polluted, and what is next for this post-industrial neighborhood poised at the brink of yet another evolution.

In partnership with Brooklyn Brainery. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.
Your ticket includes a glass of wine. 

EXPO GOWANUS: Saturday, May 20, 11am–5 pm

Launch of the Sludgie the Whale Scavenger Hunt 

Walking Tour: Saturday, April 8, 11am–12:30 pm

Walk the Gowanus with a Local Author Joseph Alexiou

Exhibition: March 9 through April 9, 2017

JOEL BECK PAINTINGS

Joel Beck is interested in landscape painting verging between abstraction and classicism and expression of the essence of a moment. His career dates back to the eighties with a long interruption while being a gallerist 1996-2008. Since then he has returned to his painting and has enjoyed thinking about the Gowanus Canal and environs as a departure point for his work. Joel is co-founder of the Gowanus Souvenir Shop.

Preview

We have a lot of things in the pipeline for you this spring! This includes and is not limited to: the launch of our Sludgie the Whale Scavenger Hunt, the launch of our Official Gowanus Tourist Map, and the public art project by Katarina Jerinic: Cloud Drift. We will also be doing shows of maps, pressed flowers, and bathroom art. And we are taking part in the Gowanus Canal Conservancy's EXPO Gowanus. 

SNOW DATE!!
Pampering Party: Friday, Feb. 17, 6:00–8 pm

CityWell ♥ Soapwalla ♥ Gowanus Souvenir
PAMPERING PARTY

EXHIBITION: December 8 through 24

ELIZABETH O'REILLY: 
Capturing a Moment, on the Canal
and in the Night Sky 

For this exhibition Elizabeth O’Reilly presents recent small paintings on aluminum featuring scenes along the Gowanus Canal. Having a studio on the Gowanus for twenty-four years O’Reilly continues to paint along the industrial ruins of the canal, re-visiting sites she previously painted but which have changed in the intervening years. At home in the abandoned precincts of the canal with its solidly geometric shapes, the artist welcomes the immediacy of the smooth surface of aluminum which lends itself to capturing a moment in time. The work captures those moments where we look at the sky or the murky water of the canal and stop for an instance, in awe of the light and the wonder of nature. Sites along the canal have been O’Reilly’s muse for more than two decades, from the sun-lit green hut on the Union St Bridge to the latticed overpass at the Smith & 9th St subway. These paintings, small in size, provide an intimate look at the area, combining the dominance of the man-made with the energy of the natural world, surging forth in wild bunches of weeds softening the vivid color of industry.

The show also features other works from O’Reilly's travels to Main, Cape Cod and Ireland. Elizabeth O’Reilly has shown extensively both in the USA and in Ireland.

TALK: Wednesday, November 30, 7 pm

Pop-up Show and Book launch Dec. 1-4
Reception and Talk: Sunday, Dec. 4, 4-6 pm

Book launch of Gowanus Wild by Miska Draskoczy

EXHIBITION: NOVEMBER 10 - 27

KATARINA JERINIC: 
Cloud shadows and drifting vapors 

Cloud shadows and drifting vapors is an exhibition about the surface of the Gowanus Canal, replete with its floating debris, mucky formations and reflections of Brooklyn skies, signs and structures. As rendered in Katarina Jerinic’s upside down cyanotype photographs, a dingy urban landscape is transformed into images of sublimely cloudy skies. The show’s title is taken from one of Asher B. Durand’s Letters on Landscape Painting, a sort of art and nature manifesto for the Hudson River School artists who lamented growing industrialization around the same time that the Gowanus Canal was taking shape.

Cyanotype is an early photographic process dating from the 1840s, which results in a blue monochromatic image—the reaction of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate to sunlight and water. This process is conceptually linked to Jerinic’s project, made on her regular walks over the canal. It connects the canal’s polluted present to its 19^th Century chemical and industrial past. It produces a stripped down image in shades of blue and white, the essential colors of idealized skies and waterways. Its use of this nostalgic image technology alludes to a historically romantic view of untouched landscapes as separate from built ones—a distinction that is no longer possible, if it ever was.

Katarina Jerinicʼs photography, mixed-media projects and public space-based installations respond to and intervene in built environments, drawing attention to interactions with surrounding spaces. Her work has been included in exhibitions at Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY; Queens Museum, Queens, NY; BRIC, Brooklyn, NY; Center for Book Arts, New York, NY; Proteus Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY; NurtureArt, Brooklyn, NY; Temple Gallery at Tyler School of Art, Philadephia, PA; among others. Her projects have been supported with grants of space and funding by Times Square Alliance, New York, NY; Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, NY; Brooklyn Arts Council, Brooklyn, NY; chashama, New York, NY: and the Black Rock Arts Foundation, San Francisco, CA. Residencies include MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH; Center for Book Arts, New York, NY; and Outpost Artist Resources, Ridgewood, NY. Jerinic received her MFA in Photography and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts and BA in History from American University. She lives and works in Brooklyn.

See the work here. 

Kentile Sign Appreciation Party
Saturday, Oct. 29, 5-7pm

Join us Saturday, October 29, 5-7 pm to celebrate the iconic sign on the occasion of Boundless Brooklyn's limited relaunch of their Kentile Sign Model Kit.

The evening will also feature Kentile artworks, including prints, a video and photographs, as well as t-shirts, jewelry and much much more.

Exhibition: October 13-30

Sasha Chavchavadze and Eva Melas: Excavations

Eva Melas and Sasha Chavchavadze sift through layers of sediment and time as they explore the disappearance of culture through images of artifacts and the natural world. Melas’ mixed media installations and ceramics focus on water as a fragile natural element, suggesting environmental degradation and the natural underground streams that still flow below the Gowanus.  Chavchavadze’s mixed media paintings and drawings document found objects and artifacts, touching on forgotten history and urban decay in an area that is experiencing the trauma of rapid change.

Eva Melas is primarily a ceramic artist that uses other unconventional mediums such as paper coffee cups, found cigarette packs, and buttons to comment on themes recently involving environmentalism and feminism. She has exhibited at a number of venues including the John Michael Kohler arts center, the Westchester Arts Exchange, and the Armory SOFA show. An installation was shown in The New York Times arts section in June 2015. Her work appears in Art/Industry collaboration and Revelation (Ruth De Young Kohler) Confrontational Ceramics (Judith Schwartz), TedXGowanus Talk 2013, and the New York Times Westchester review 2008.

Sasha Chavchavadze has exhibited her mixed media drawings, paintings and installations in the U.S. and abroad for twenty-five years, including at the Luise Ross Gallery and the Cooper Union Gallery in New York; the Rotunda Gallery, Kentler International Drawing Space, and the Old Stone House Museum in Brooklyn; the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock; and the Museum of Literature in Tblisi, Georgia. Her work has been published in the art and culture magazines Cabinet, Bomb, Marginalia and NYFA Current; and as a book (Museum of Matches, Proteotypes 2011). Her public art installation “Battle Pass Revolution II”, located at the corner of Smith and Bergen Streets in Brooklyn, was created in partnership with the NYC DOT Urban Art Program. Chavchavadze is the founder of Proteus Gowanus, a community-based exhibition space in Gowanus, and was a speaker at the 2014 TEDxGowanus.

The exhibition is part of the Art Gowanus Open Studios. 

Extended! Through Oct. 23
Pop Up Coffee Shop

Common Grounds Pop Up Coffee Shop

We are hosting a pop up coffee shop during the Arts Gowanus Open Studios featuring Coffee Cups by Eva Melas and Cookies by From Here to Sunday.

Exhibition: Sept. 15 — Oct. 2

Debra Pearlman: RIDE

A photo is like a souvenir—a memory, a memento of a brief moment in time. There’s an opportunity to present many responses to this initial photograph: an informal setting and selection of work offers the viewer the chance to experience and reflect on this process.

Titled RIDE, this installation evokes movement or the implied motion of play, and the objects that support these many activities, all presented here together. Painting, photographs, works on paper, some with text, swings, and a bungee jump caught mid-air in all of these media, invite one to think about play, joy, fear, and anxiety of momentarily casting gravity aside.

Debra Pearlman is a multimedia artist who lives and works in Brooklyn and has shown in New York and internationally, including major installations in Leipzig, Germany, and Lodz and Krakow, Poland. Her work is included in collections of MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, The Walker Art Center, New York Public Library, the Museum Sztuki, Krakow, and others, and in private collections including that of Francis Greenberger and the Hiram Moody and Sarah Giraud collection. Her awards include a named residency at the Corporation at Yaddo, The Peter Reed Foundation, Dieu Donne, The Foundation for Contemporary Art and the government of Saxony. www.debrapearlman.net.

The exhibition is part of the Artslope Festival. 

Walking Tour: Saturday, September 17, 11am–12:30 pm

Walk the Gowanus with a Local Author Joseph Alexiou

Party: Saturday, September 10, 5 pm onwards

Official New Location Opening Party

Join us to celebrate the official opening of our new location, the end of this crazy hot summer, Fall, back to school---life! Featuring a specialty cocktail created just for us by the one and only mixologist Carlos Victoria using his small batch bitters. See you there!

Acoustic Night, Thursday July 21, 7-9 pm

ACOUSTIC NIGHT WITH RUBY RAE AND FRIENDS

Walking Tour: Saturday, July 23, 11am–12:30 pm

Walk the Gowanus with a Local Author Joseph Alexiou

Currently Exhibition

One Canal View
Paintings by Joel Beck

Puppet Show: Saturday & Sunday, June 18 & 19
10:30 am–12 pm

Twice upon A Time

Lecture: Wednesday, April 13, 7–8:30 pm

Gowanus: The Past and Future of Brooklyn's Curious Canal

Through April 10

Steven Hirsch: Gowanus Waters
Exhibition

Thursday, March 17, 7–8:30 pm

Gowanus: The Past and Future of Brooklyn's Curious Canal

March 1–13, 2016

Erasing is Leaving a Mark

Saturday, March 12, 10:30 am–12 pm

Twice upon A Time

ACOUSTIC NIGHT

January 23–February 14

THIS USED TO BE MY STUDIO
PAINTINGS BY LANCE RUTLEDGE

The show features a small selection of Lance's paintings from the past 25 years, some created in the shop space itself. The newest piece is Canal No. 5, a painting made specifically for the Gowanus Souvenir Shop, which can also be purchase as a limited edition postcard and tote. 

Lance writes of his paintings: "They reflect my interest in the oddities of our verbal, and visual landscape. The tipping points between what we say and what we mean. Our world as the as the tragicomic play that we find ourselves floating through, and attempting to navigate, with varying degrees of success."

Read a review of the show here.  

Thursday, December 10, 7–10 pm 

Horror Movie Poster Launch Party

We commissioned Dave Kelly and Lara Antal to create an exclusive faux movie poster for their Tales of the Night Watchman story, "It Came from the Gowanus Canal". Come celebrate as we unleash it from the murky depths this holiday season! "Tales of the Night Watchman" is published by So What? Press. The event is FREE. Outrageous deep sea monster movies will be screened.

Exhibition

December 6–13, 2015
Mikael Levin Some Signs Book Launch and Exhibition

Please come see the accompanying exhibition to our first limited edition book project:

Mikael Levin: Some Signs 
An artist photography book of metaphorically sequenced Gowanus business signs.

For this book, the internationally acclaimed and Gowanus-based photographer Mikael Levin turns his lens on the long-time small businesses in Gowanus and the beauty of their business signs. A quiet and powerful celebration of the local industry which is quickly fading away.

The book launch is accompanied by an exhibition of Mikael Levin's photography. The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 13.

Published by Gowanus Souvenir; 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, 40 pages with 34 images; Edition of 100; Price: $24