Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour (A.G.A.S.T.) Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 2009 1-6 PM

Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour (A.G.A.S.T.) Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 2009 1-6 PM

NEW YORK, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Visual artists of Gowanus, Brooklyn will open their studios, free to the public on Saturday and Sunday October 17 & 18, 2009 from 1-6 PM. This self-guided walking tour features over 200 artists. Meet face-to-face with the creators of photography, drawing, printmaking, mixed-media, video, ceramics, glass, installation, paintings, sculpture and more in their own working studio environment. Artist studios are located in 28 different locations; large industrial buildings as well as garages, brownstones and warehouses all along the Gowanus Canal. The Gowanus area lies between the Park Slope and Carroll Gardens neighborhoods, bounded by Fifth Avenue and Court Street, and 10th Street and Baltic Street.

2009 marks the 13th year of this AGAST event. Each year the artists of Gowanus organize to provide the public a unique opportunity to visit and engage one-on-one with working artists for the purpose of gaining a broader appreciation of the various types of visual art media. The intimacy of the in-studio experience encourages an educational dialogue between the visitor and the artist. The visitor is able to see the process and methods of making art in the environment in which the art is created.

"We believe the artists and their work constitute a vital piece of the fabric of urban life by linking community together through the arts," says AGAST president David Lantow. He continues, "By opening his/ her studio free to the public, an artist affords a community member a chance to encounter a new stimulating artistic environment, ask questions, and expand his/ her appreciation of visual arts as they are being created in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn."

   New Additions for the 2009 Tour     --  Pedicabs: Due to the growth in popularity of this event, this year       AGAST is providing complimentary pedicabs as a service to the visitors       touring the various studios. Five (5) designated pick up and drop off       stops have been selected, all clearly marked on the tour map.     --  AGASTkids: A collaboration of AGAST artists with children at PS 58 to       create an exhibition of student work is an exciting community       addition. Student artists from the fourth grade will work       collaboratively to create paintings around the theme of the Gowanus       Canal. They will be informed by research, on-site visits, their own       perceptions of the canal and artist visits. The culmination of the       project will be the exhibition where student work will be displayed       and student docents will share their artistic process with gallery       visitors. The fourth graders will be involved in all aspects of the       exhibition process, from creating work, to documentation, to       installation of the show. The gallery exhibition will be a stop on the       AGAST tour; an opening reception will be held Saturday October 17 from       5 to 7pm.   

The Gowanus Canal is an historic industrial waterway where physical work necessary to the life of the City is still done. There are concrete plants where stone is pounded, petroleum transfer stations, and scrap heaps where the skeletal remains of cars are sorted by giant steel claw machines with surprising delicacy. Gravel and steel are ferried along the Canal on barges shepherded by tugboats stopping traffic as they pass through drawbridges. This is real work that cannot be done elsewhere, yet, it's also industry people do not want in their back yards. The industrial buildings and working atmosphere of Gowanus comprise a perfect incubator for contemporary art.

Visiting the Tour:

For more information please visit, www.agastbrooklyn.com .Complete visitor information and a virtual gallery with images of each artist's work are featured. AGAST provides visitors with a map of the neighborhood where participating artists are listed individually and all studio locations and nearby subway stops are pinpointed as well. Maps will be available at every participating studio and can also be downloaded from the website.

   Gowanus is easily accessible by public transportation; via subway:   F G to Carroll St, or F G to Smith & 9th Street, or F to 4th Avenue, or   R to Union St. or the R to 9th St.   

The Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour is a New York State nonprofit and 501(c)(3) organization.

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FCMN Contact:

Source: Gowanus Artists Studio Tour

CONTACT: Anica Archip, +1-917-862-8710, Anica.nyc@gmail.com

Web Site: http://www.agastbrooklyn.com/

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