Arts Gowanus this week announced its 2026 lineup, which is shaping up to be the organization’s busiest art year yet, with more still-secret projects to be revealed in the coming months.
Johnny Thornton, executive director of Arts Gowanus, told the Brooklyn Paper the organization is excited about the upcoming programming, which continues to expand each year.
“Arts Gowanus is really excited for a jam-packed spring! Between several art fairs, the Tower Show, our annual Pride exhibition, Trans Art Fest programming, and our Annual Patterns Gala, there is something for everybody,” Thornton said.
One highlight is the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, “The Patterns Gala: Welcome to Venice,” set for Thursday, May 21, at Union Channel at Gowanus Wharf, 240 3rd Ave. The “Gowanetian” masquerade and art auction benefits Arts Gowanus and the local arts community. Tickets are $100 for Gowanus artists, while general admission starts at $200.
This year’s honorees are Council Member Shahana Hanif and the team at Gowanus by Design, recognized for their commitment to art, artists and the local community. Proceeds from the annual event help Arts Gowanus manage subsidized studio spaces negotiated ahead of the Gowanus rezoning and support a range of programs and exhibitions, including the Arts Gowanus Fellowship Program, Gowanus Open Studios, art fair participation, neighborhood murals and large-scale public art installations. The organization also advocates for a sustainable future for artists in the community.
In preparation for Brooklyn Pride, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, Arts Gowanus is again partnering with the organization and the Old Stone House to present an outdoor exhibition featuring work by more than 100 Brooklyn-based LGBTQIA+ artists.
Emerging and established LGBTQIA+ artists who live or work in Brooklyn, across any style or medium, are encouraged to apply by May 6. Submissions should explore the privileges and responsibilities of community membership — whether queer, artistic, cultural or otherwise — and what it means to exist at the intersection of multiple identities in service to those communities.
Accepted works for the “Pride in Community” exhibition will be printed on 36-by-36-inch vinyl banners and displayed along the fence surrounding the Old Stone House and J.J. Byrne Playground/Washington Park in Park Slope from June 1 through Aug. 1, 2026. The artwork will also appear on the Arts Gowanus website, with original pieces available for sale.
Artists can also still submit their take on a water tower for the fifth annual “The Tower Show,” which opens April 23 at Union Channel. The exhibition runs through May 17, on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m., in the venue’s commercial space at Union Street and Third Avenue.
The second edition of the Brooklyn Fine Arts Print Fair runs April 9–12 at Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus and will feature more than 45 galleries and print publishers. Among them are three Arts Gowanus community members — Bonnie Ralston, Chao Wang and Susan Albert, — whose work draws inspiration from Gowanus and uses a range of printmaking techniques. Their studios are all within five blocks of the fair. One-day tickets cost $15, while VIP passes for opening night and general admission hours are $75.
Arts Gowanus is also collaborating with Urban Folk Art, a South Brooklyn-based artist collective founded in 1991.
Urban Folk Art will join Arts Gowanus at “The Other Art Fair,” set for April 16–19 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Featured artists Adam Suerte and Jason Mitchell will staff the Arts Gowanus booth as part of the fair’s Brooklyn nostalgia theme. Tickets start at $18. With more than 125 independent artists, thousands of artworks, and interactive experiences — along with a fully stocked bar — organizers describe the fair as “like no other.”
Additional events include a pop-up exhibition of original work by youth artists on Friday, April 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Groundswell, 540 President St., and the inaugural Trans Art Fest, a series of events and exhibitions running through the end of May. As part of the festival, Arts Gowanus will host a storytelling event featuring an all-trans lineup on April 30 at the Mercury Store in Gowanus.
Arts Gowanus also hosts “GoWalkabout Gowanus,” a self-guided multimedia walking tour highlighting local businesses, historic sites, ecological features, and arts and culture destinations that define the neighborhood.
