Powerhouse Arts New York
Art in a refurbished power plant
Nick from New York
Most Brooklynites know it as the Gowanus Batcave. The former plant, built circa 1904, once powered Brooklyn's streetcars. Abandoned in the '70s, it became a home for squatters and graffiti artists. Herzog & de Meuron gave the crumbling building new life as Powerhouse Arts. When it opened in 2023, the refurbished interior had a familiar look. Herzog & de Meuron turned London's Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000.
Studios and fabrication shops (ceramics, printmaking, metalwork) occupy half the building. But it's not for working artists only. Visitors can check out the latest exhibits from artists-in-residence. And get hands-on making upcycled dioramas. Or learn the 7,000-year-old tradition of Onggi ceramics.
David Binder, a Tony Award-winning producer, will curate a new festival this fall. PowerHouse:International will bring multidisciplinary programs from artists around the world to Gowanus.
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