It’s that time again: the Gowanus Artists Open Studio Tour is coming this October 22 and 23. I wrote about the tour last year (1, 2), when I managed to make it to every single studio on the tour.
I was reminded of this year’s event by artist Elyse Taylor, who has been sending me the occasional email ever since she found my blog, where I had written that she was “my absolute favorite artist on the tour by far.” She also let me know that she intends to set aside a bunch of works for $5 and for $20. Considering what I walked away with last year for $20 $15 — a groovy little original painting, maybe 10 inches square, of an old-style TV — I expect this will be more than just tiny sketches and dinky nothings. This may be your one chance to get a really good original artwork in NYC for $20 or less, so show up.
And go to the other studios, too. It’s a schlep to get to all of them, and not every single one is all that rewarding, but a startling number of them are full of really surprising, interesting work. And not just paintings either, but sculpture, installations, pottery, even stained glass.
This year’s tour also features a kind of tour-lite, in the form of a group show at 94 9th Street, less than a block from the Smith and 9th Street subway station. But I encourage everyone to go see the whole thing if you can. Not only is it a way of giving support to local artists, it’s also a fascinating peek into the strange netherworld of the Gowanus zone. With art and hors d’oeuvres!