For 250 years, the Brooklyn waterfront has played a vital role in the culture and history of the area and the nation. From the moment colonists at Fort Defiance in Red Hook fired on the British Navy fleet in New York Harbor in 1776 through today, the waterfront has been an intermingling of cultures. The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) shares in that history, first bringing art to the Brooklyn waterfront in DUMBO back in 1978, then taking up a 35-year residence on the Red Hook waterfront, before losing their gallery to a raging fire that devastated their warehouse space — itself built in 1869.
It seems only fitting, then, that as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, BWAC, in a temporary location in the Whale Building on the Sunset Park waterfront, presents new art exhibitions that span the diversity and depth of the American experience. This co-mingling of past and present, of history and culture, of freedom and restriction, is a reminder that Art, like Democracy, is a Big Idea that belongs to all of us.
Between Two Waterfronts: A Brooklyn Landscape
The waterfront reflects the broader Brooklyn landscape. It is shaped by industry, development, climate pressure, and displacement, but also by resilience, adaptation, and everyday life. It is a place of contrast — industrial and residential, built and changing, visible and overlooked. In the Between Two Waterfronts: A Brooklyn Landscape exhibition, artists explore the Brooklyn waterfront as both a lived environment and a symbolic space, where land meets water, industry meets community, and histories of labor, migration, and culture are shaped by ongoing urban change.
Summer of Soccer: the World’s Game
As New York welcomes the world’s premier international soccer tournament in 2026, BWAC, in collaboration with Socceroof in Sunset Park, and Favela Project Inc, presents Summer of Soccer: The World’s Game, a juried exhibition celebrating the global passion and cultural impact of the world’s most popular sport. Reflecting personal experiences, local soccer culture, legendary moments, or the sport’s influence around the world, these artists have captured the excitement, emotion, diversity, and universal appeal of what has been called “the beautiful game.”
Crazy Joy Time for You
We live our daily lives amidst a wide range of emotions — anxiety, worry, anticipation, joy, delight, sorrow, and anger. At first glance, this solo selection of art by BWAC member Kumi Hirose appears vivid and pop-inspired; yet, beneath the surface lie joy and madness, beauty and chaos, and a deep desire to offer powerful encouragement. Commenting on her exhibition, Ms. Hirose said, “I hope that those who view the works in this exhibition will reconnect with the free emotions that reside within themselves.”
Exhibition Location and Dates
The exhibitions will be on view on the third floor of the Whale Building at 14 53rd Street in Sunset Park (at 1st Avenue) on weekends from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Please note the space will be closed on Saturday, July 4, in observance of the holiday. There is an opening reception on Thursday, July 2, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There is no required admission fee.