After four years, Ad Hoc Art, the East Williamsburg street art destination, threw its last full show on August 7 at its gallery space (49 Bogart Street), the anchor tenant of the block.
Ad Hoc Art is not closing its gallery space, but scaling back its exhibits and looking for an additional operator to put on shows in the gallery’s main room.
Brooklyn artists Armsrock and Chris Stain collaborated on the front gallery room of the space with smudgy yet dramatic murals and stencil works about the working poor, social justice and class consciousness, while Bay Area-artist Ezra Li Eismont filled the project room with an array of work.
“The show of Chris Stain, Armsrock, and Ezra Li Eismont is an exempliary way to bring this current Ad Hoc Art era to a close as we transition into the new incarnation,” said Ad Hoc Art co-owner Garrison Buxton.“These artists exude the creativity, skill, and passion Ad Hoc Art strives to bring to the forefront of the world, not just the art world.These individuals transcend beyond just makers of objects.They are intelligent, compassionate, hard working, enlightened human beings whose vibrations and visions ripple far beyond the the art world.”
The show will be on display until September 7th, at which point Ad Hoc will hit the road to Oklahoma and Vermont for several art projects, before coming back in January 2010 for two exhibits, though their site is still being determined.The current exhibit is the last group show at Ad Hoc Art’s current space.
Last month another nearby gallery, Pocket Utopia, shut its doors for good, while other galleries continue to struggle financially through the economic recession.
In an email sent to Ad Hoc Art patrons and supporters,co-owners Alison and Garrison Buxton highlighted some of their favorite artists they have worked with over the years, while describing the financial conditions that led them to make the decision to scale back their operations.
“We at Ad Hoc Art have felt the effects significantly.To say the art market has taken a substantial hit puts it lightly.While we are a resilient and fiesty bunch, we are certainly not recession proof,” said Garrison Buxton.
For the future, Ad Hoc Art itself will change its mission to focus more on exhibits outside of gallery spaces, such as the popular Willoughby Windows (88 Willoughby Street), on display through November, and possibly loft spaces in the East Williamsburg neighborhood they have called home since 2005.
For now, Buxton and others are focusing on the present and promoting Armsrock, Stain, and some of their favorite artists.
“We could not be more proud than to have these three luminaries shining bright for our ultimate show,” said Buxton.
Ad Hoc Art is located at 49 Bogart Street in Williamsburg.Their current show featuring Armsrock and Chris Stain will be on display through September 7.For more information, call 718-366-2466 or visit www.adhocart.org.
