The Largest-Ever Brooklyn Artists Exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum
For the Brooklyn Museum, it’s nothing new to spotlight artists from the borough. But the museum’s new Brooklyn Artists Exhibition will be the largest showcase of Brooklyn artists in the museum’s two centuries of history.
The Exhibition
The newly opened exhibition, which coincides with the renowned museum’s 200th birthday, features more than 200 artists reflecting the range of creativity in the borough. From a documentary photograph of the Brooklyn waterfront by Tracie Dawn Williams to a stunning sculpture by Richard Haining made of reclaimed wood from the city’s water towers, the show is a celebration of the borough and the artists who make Brooklyn a place unlike any other.
The Artists and Their Work
Across seven galleries, plus a video room and two entrance spaces, the sprawling exhibit highlights artists at all stages of their careers working across the full range of disciplines – from drawing, painting, collage, and photography to sculpture, video, and performance. To be eligible for inclusion, artists had to have lived in or maintained a studio in Brooklyn during the last five years (2019–2024). While some works pay homage to the borough, that was certainly not a requirement.
The Curatorial Team
To curate the exhibit, the museum’s team first held an open call for artists, which garnered nearly 4,000 applications. Featured artists were selected by a committee led by esteemed artists Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli, who drew upon the open call as well as by inviting artists by invitation.
Exhibits
The works presented here examine collective care, healing, joy, solidarity, uncertainty, and turbulence, often incorporating experimentation with various materials. Together, these artists create a portrait of what makes Brooklyn uniquely ‘Brooklyn’: a vastly diverse community pulsing with energy, resilience, inventiveness, and innovation and connected by mutual love and respect as collaborators, neighbors, friends, and family.
Featured Works
The exhibit includes a textile sculpture of a cow carcass by Tamara Kostianovsky; a bronze sculpture of a hand by E.V. Day titled Digital Bondage; an oil painting of a typewriter by Sam Messer; and a mixed media piece titled The Brooklyn Follies made up of materials collected in Brooklyn by artist Damien Olsen Berdichevsky. See all the pieces here.
The Brooklyn Museum’s Support for Brooklyn Artists
The museum’s support for Brooklyn’s artists stretches back decades, from the Fence Art Show in 1966, which spotlighted 66 amateur and professional Brooklyn-based artists, to the Working in Brooklyn exhibition series that showcased the works of hundreds of Brooklyn artists from 1980 to 2004, and many more. But this exhibition is the largest of all.
More Upcoming Events
As part of the museum’s birthday celebrations, an exhibit called Solid Gold will open in November, which will explore the majesty of gold through 6,000 years of artwork, fashion, and design. In 2025, the ongoing bicentennial lineup includes Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200, a show with three chapters showcasing longtime favorites plus brand-new gifts. Here’s the full lineup of birthday events.
Conclusion
The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the dynamic and diverse range of artistic talent in Brooklyn. The show is on view through January 26, 2025, and is a must-see for anyone interested in the arts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is eligible to be part of the exhibition?
A: To be eligible for inclusion, artists had to have lived in or maintained a studio in Brooklyn during the last five years (2019–2024).
Q: How did the artists for the exhibition get selected?
A: The artists were selected by a committee led by esteemed artists Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli, who drew upon the open call as well as by inviting artists by invitation.
Q: What types of works are included in the exhibition?
A: The exhibition includes works of drawing, painting, collage, photography, sculpture, video, and performance.
