Park Slope and its surrounding neighborhoods have a long history of fostering art and housing a diverse list of artists that includes ‘80s art world wunderkind Jean-Michel Basquiat, renowned abstract painter and printmaker Joan Snyder, and A Series of Unfortunate Events cover illustrator Brett Helquist. In 2019, this tradition is alive and well. Park Slope retains a close-knit, diverse, and grassroots art community, held up by a wealth of supportive and adventurous gallery spaces.
Here’s a look at nine essential art galleries in and around Park Slope:
Leroy’s Place
A unique space on 7th Ave in Park Slope, Leroy’s Place is a whimsical interactive gallery and shop, managed by a small art company of the same name. The space is less a traditional gallery than an exhibition space for the Leroy’s Place collective, a collaboration between illustrator Serene Bacigalupi, puppet artist Jacques Dufforc and fabric artist Whitney Raynor. The collective’s fantastical sculptures, paintings, puppetry and films conjure a magical, Burtonesque world in the heart of Park Slope.
Open Source Gallery
(https://open-source-gallery.org)
The Open Source Gallery takes its name from the open source software movement and its philosophy of open collaboration. “In this spirit of free exchange of knowledge, we provide a forum where art intersects with the community and the world at large,” states the gallery’s mission. These principles are reflected in the gallery’s program, which features a diversity of international artists, who often come in contact with the gallery typically via the internet or outside referrals rather than local connections. In addition to their regular program, Open Source also runs a children’s art program called KOKO, as well as a free-of charge, town-hall-style event series called the Church of Monika, inspired in part by the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas.
Winter Exhibitions: Void & Co. / February 26 – March 28
Ortega y Gasset Project
This artist-run space in Gowanus is named for Spanish writer and philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset and dedicated to his maxim, “yo soy yo y mi circunstancia,” or, “I am myself and my circumstance.” In the spirit of the pragmatist’s famed observation of the struggle between the individual and its environment, the gallery prioritizes exploratory practice. The not-for-profit gallery is run entirely by working artists, who manage the gallery collectively and democratically, without a specific curatorial objective. In this communal environment, artists are encouraged to experiment, and given the freedom to pursue ideas without regard for profit.
Winter Exhibitions: Far x Wide, Young Space, and Art Start / January 3 – 5
Pioneer Works
One of the most unique spaces in all of New York City, Pioneer Works is more than just a gallery. Founded in 2012 by LA-born and Brooklyn-based sculptor Dustin Yellin, Pioneer Works is an artist-run, not-for-profit cultural center and events space located in a three-story converted iron factory. The 27,000 square foot space once produced railroad tracks and large-scale machinery; now it houses an ambitious and eclectic arts program inspired by intellectual unicorn Buckminster Fuller and Black Mountain College, the experimental college at which Fuller taught. Over the years, Pioneer Works has presented stunning exhibitions and performances, held lectures and workshops on science and technology, built a 3-D printing lab, and so much more.
Winter Exhibitions: Check website for Winter exhibitions.
Trestle
(https://www.trestlegallery.org)
Located on 3rd Ave in Gowanus, Trestle is a non-profit contemporary art gallery and art space that provides studio space for over 130 Brooklyn artists. It was founded in 2012 by a team of Gowanus artists including Rhia Hurt, Mary Negro, and Ajit Kumar, who wanted to produce a space that would foster a supportive environment for local artists. Trestle hosts a variety of programs such as workshops and educational programs in addition to its exhibition slate. The gallery holds 8-10 exhibitions per year and has showcased thousands of local and international artists from across the world in its seven-year history.
Winter Exhibitions: Check website for Winter exhibitions.
Ground Floor Gallery
Founded in 2013, Ground Floor Gallery is a commercial art space run by independent curators Krista Scenna and Jill Benson. The gallery, which focuses on showcasing under-the-radar local artists and fostering connections between them and new buyers in the Park Slope community, has a convenient location in central Park Slope on 5th St. and 5th Ave, about a block away from the Old Stone House.
Winter Exhibitions: 7th Annual Holiday Show: Gifts by Artists
440 Gallery
A small gallery and events space located on 6th Ave in the heart of Park Slope, 440 Gallery is run by 16 local artists, who exhibit work in a variety of mediums and styles. The gallery has a cooperative model, in which the artists represented by the gallery work together to manage the daily mundanities of the space’s operation (sweeping floors, writing press releases, etc.). In return, each artist is guaranteed a solo show once every two years and free reign over their exhibitions. It will be celebrating its 15th year in operation in 2020.
Winter Exhibitions: Check website for Winter exhibitions.
321 Gallery
Located in Clinton Hill just a couple blocks away from the Pratt Institute, 321 Gallery is a small, artist-run contemporary art gallery situated in the basement of a brownstone painted in the fashion of a white cube. Since its founding in 2012, it has regularly hosted exhibitions as well as performances, screenings, readings, and talks. Since 2013, it has also served as the site of SEMINAR, a monthly discussion of texts selected by a variety of philosophers, writers, scientists, and artists.
Winter Exhibitions: Check website for Winter exhibitions.
Thomas Nickles Project
(https://www.thomasnickles.com)
The Thomas Nickles Project is a Washington Heights gallery space focused on showcasing Cuban contemporary artists. The gallery was founded in 2016 by gallerists Kristen Thomas and John Nickels after a trip to Havana. Today, it represents 15 Cuban artists and regularly holds exhibitions in Park Slope and other locations around the city.
Winter Exhibitions: Check website for Winter exhibitions.