A recap of 2024, plus two BIG announcements! Please read on to learn how to support these important, community-building initiatives.

Arts Gowanus 2024 in review

Year in Review and BIG announcement!

We had an incredible year, and we couldn't have done it without you all--thanks for helping to #keepgowanuscreative

Subsidized Artist Studios: Apply January 1st

Ahead of the Gowanus Rezoning, Arts Gowanus negotiated a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that provides a community center and about 120 subsidized artist studios at over a dozen development sites, with a negotiated cost dramatically below existing median artist studio prices in the area.

We're thrilled to announce that the first subsidized studio spaces will open at at The Shop, a coworking space at 420 Carroll Street, in spring of 2025! 

All fine artists with an active studio practice are encouraged to apply to the subsidized studio lottery, which will open on January 1, 2025. The initial rent for an artist studio will be $20 per square foot per year ($1.66 per square foot per month). 

To read more about the process, eligibility, and how to apply, click the here!

Introducing The Arts Gowanus
Fellowship Program

Launching in conjunction with the first lottery for subsidized artist studios, Arts Gowanus is proud to welcome two Fellows in 2025 as part of our new Arts Gowanus Fellowship Program. 

Gowanus and Red Hook based artists who are low-income, working in any medium, and at all stages of their career are invited to apply for the Arts Gowanus Artist Fellowship Program in January 2025, which offers free studio space for one year.

But we won't just hand Fellows a set of keys...

The Arts Gowanus Community Artist Fellowship seeks to also provide material and production support to each participant. 

In addition to access to studio spaces, fellows will participate in individually tailored career development workshops and studio visits led by artists, curators, gallerists, and cultural workers.

Fellows will take part in Arts Gowanus’s year-round programming, and these year-long fellowships will culminate in solo exhibitions by each fellow, open to the public and supported and in a space provided by Arts Gowanus.

Why Arts Gowanus?

With a long history of mentoring young artists both independently and through our partner organization Exploring the Arts, as well our vast network of local artists and cultural workers, Arts Gowanus is uniquely positioned to foster a successful fellowship cohort. 

We know the difficulty of creating a meaningful career in the art world–especially in New York City–and our our mission has always focused on guiding artists through that process by providing economic and creative opportunities to members of our Gowanus community.

“Affordability and access to workspace remains one of the biggest challenges facing working artists today,” says Arts Gowanus Executive Director Johnny Thornton. “We know that even the cost of the subsidized studios we negotiated in the CBA may still be a barrier to some, and we want to keep fighting for a more equitable Gowanus in any way we can; the Arts Gowanus Fellowship will make a sustainable art career accessible to an even more members of our community.”

PLEASE CONSIDER A GIVING TUESDAY DONATION TO SUPPORT THESE EXCITING NEW INITIATIVES!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Please consider donating and helping us to continue our work!

Help us with our mission! Arts Gowanus works to support, promote, and advocate for artists and a sustainable local arts community. Please consider being part of the driving force that keeps artists in this community and helps them thrive. Whether you are an artist or art lover, your support makes possible professional development workshops for artists, exhibitions showcasing Gowanus artwork, the annual Gowanus Open Studios weekend, and ongoing advocacy for Gowanus and Gowanus artists.

$25      $50       $100      $250      $500      $1,000

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We need your help more than ever to keep working artists in Gowanus. Help us develop a vibrant and sustainable arts community! Arts Gowanus is an accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are 100% tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.