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January 13, 2009

Will Sunset Park Be the Next Artist Community?

The artists are coming, the artists are coming! That's the headline on the Sunset Park waterfront these days, as the massive 16-building complex known as Industry City slowly remakes itself in the image of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and, once upon a time, Williamsburg or Dumbo (though there are no plans for a residential component). So far, according to New York Magazine, less than sixty loft spaces have been set aside for artists to use as studios, but already a "scene" is beginning to coalesce, with film makers, painters and the like throwing weekly "experimental" parties. “It’s really affirming about why we’re in New York and what it means to be an artist in New York,” says Travis Boyer, who shares one of the $422-a-month, light-filled studios. For more information on renting studio space at Industry City check out Industry City Art Project and for creative workspace see ICCWS.com.
In Brooklyn, an Industrial Artists’ Colony [NY Magazine]
Photo by Thomas Rupolo

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Comments

oh cheeze itz why does there always have to be the next "it" neighborhood? i guess having those spaces is a good thing though for the neighborhood, but im always chary about these kinds of articles. so is the art scene in bushwick completely over?

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at January 13, 2009 9:57 AM

"so is the art scene in bushwick completely over?"

Its all relative to your perspective.

Many in the real estate community still tout the "art scene" in Williamsburg.

Many in the "art scene" would claim the art scene in all of NYC is completely over.

To me, art thrives in struggle and poverty.

As long as "artists" wear $30 tee shirts, I don't see much struggle.

Posted by: Prodigal_Son at January 13, 2009 10:08 AM

I love these buildings and find the alleys between them very dramatic photo scapes. I would love to have a studio here.

Posted by: wasder at January 13, 2009 10:10 AM

I like the old railway down at the dock end and the row of water towers.

What did these places store back in the day?

Posted by: dittoburg at January 13, 2009 10:15 AM

It could happen. As a trade reporter, I interviewed several light manufacturers (of lighting products, mainly) based there in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The spaces were perfect for artists. It's still a largely underutilzed resource.

Posted by: East New York at January 13, 2009 10:52 AM

Bushwick is full of artists and artist studios everywhere.

Posted by: werner at January 13, 2009 10:55 AM

prodigal, what are you talking about? yes, there are still tons of artists of all kinds in williamsburg and bushwick. williamsburg/greenpoint has more music rehearsal spaces (70+?) than probably any other neighborhood in the world. Have you been to the guitar shop on wythe? it's gigantic! soo many wonderful bands are coming out of williamsburg - ambulance, nada surf, chairlift (one of my fav albums for 2008). check out brooklyn vegan for the lo down.

And, art only thrives in "struggle and poverty"?
That statement is so ridiculous that you cannot possible mean it. it means that there are no talented people born in to comfortable or wealthy families??

anyway, there are successful artists! artists that sell their pieces and their music, and so can by new clothes. are you suggesting if you produce work that is desirable and people buy it, that you cannot then produce anything else?

there are also tons and tons of commercial artists living in the area.

meanwhile, this sunset park studio space is cool and good for artists.

Posted by: wine lover at January 13, 2009 11:06 AM

I know a few artists who rent studios in Sunset Park and love it.

One or two live in Williamsburg and go down there where the studio space is cheaper. All of them have said they'd like to move to be closer to their studio space and get out of the high-priced burg.

They do not describe the arts/music scene in the burg anything like you do wine lover. And as someone who work in the music industry and holds 3 degrees in music, I can tell you for a fact that the music "scene" in williamsburg is about 70% hype and 30% reality.

And no...it has nothing to do with my dislike for the neighborhood.

Posted by: 11217 at January 13, 2009 11:12 AM

I see from up above that the Chinese triads now have a toehold here.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 13, 2009 11:42 AM

Work space is also available for creative professionals.

Posted by: KHuebbe at January 13, 2009 11:50 AM

11217 - i listed facts. yes, there are more musicians in williamsburg than anywhere else maybe anywhere. and, where are there more venues? where is better for a music scene in terms of number of musicians and venues?? there are also now a lot of record company/pr/record industry businesses in the area. and, damn the fans are in williamsburg.

and nada surf isn't successful? and they don't live in williamsburg?

crap if you are in the music biz why in god's name are you in park slope? park slope is what happens to you if you lose a bet. it's not for vibrant artistic people. it just isn't. it's soul sucking.

what, do you work in classical music?

in any case, the galleries in williamsburg are real. the artists are real. and certainly their successes are real.

i watched a photographer (williamsburg based) go from showing work at pierogi in williamsburg to yancey richardson (considered one of the top photography galleries in the worl). remarkable! the galleries are still relevant.

oh whatever, either you care about living in a community full of creative and entrepreneurial people or you don't.

Posted by: wine lover at January 13, 2009 11:50 AM

winelover--who was the photographer who went from Pierogi to Yancey Richardson?

Posted by: wasder at January 13, 2009 11:55 AM

where is better for a music scene in terms of number of musicians and venues??

1. Nashville
2. Los Angeles
3. Portland, Oregon

Posted by: 11217 at January 13, 2009 11:58 AM

The more you tout Williamsburg as the best of everything, wine lover, the more you turn me off.

You are ridiculous in your assertions about the neighborhood. Totally biased and over the top.

Keep telling everyone how cool and hip it is. It's exactly whey people have soured on it.

But you know more about music than someone with a PhD in music, someone who teaches courses regularly on the Music Business at major universities around the country, a performer for almost 30 years and someone who has dated many a "band" member from Williamsburg.

Posted by: 11217 at January 13, 2009 12:05 PM

Methinks winelover needs to escape his Billyburg bubble a little more often.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at January 13, 2009 12:10 PM

Winelover--you know Lisa Kereszi?

Posted by: wasder at January 13, 2009 12:15 PM

theres way too many people in Williamsburg and Brooklyn for that matter for any place to be a 100% artist area.

70% / 30% seems like a pretty good ratio. If it wasnt for the hype who would know about it?

also I have to completely disagree with Park Slope's soul sucking. Just as with Williamsburg no one "creative" without a fucking awesome high paying job lives anywhere in the "prime" areas. I have a friend who has known the Nada Surf guys for years and those guys wouldn't be living in williamsburg where they live now if it wasn't for they're successful music career. People who you've never heard of live no where near bedford unless they work during the day at a bank (also know someone who does this in a semi - successful band).

Park Slope is huge and I am friends with a number of people who are teachers, film makers, painters, photographers, writers, musicians and enjoy living in park slope and the surrounding areas. Remember living on 3rd street and PPW is not the same as living on 14th and 4th ave. If anything the area around bedford ave is just as soul sucking as 7th ave is. Just in completely different ways.

Gowanus is loaded with practice spaces (which my band uses) and huge areas for artists to do their art. Just check out AGAST next year.

more galleries in the area would be nice tho.

Posted by: Santa at January 13, 2009 12:22 PM

Wine lover is clearly blinded by naive enthusiasm. Of course there are rehearsal spaces in Wmsbrg. Of course there are artist studios in Wmsbrg. But the wine-man seems to be taking it a bit over the top. I think most of what used to be in Wmsbrg has now moved along down the L train or to cheaper areas of city. Any creative people still working in Wmsbrg proper either have lucky leases or don't have to worry about saving money much.

Posted by: werner at January 13, 2009 12:22 PM

You might find Park Slope "soul sucking" wine lover, but I do not. I agree with Santa. I find Bedford Avenue and the people I've met in Williamsburg to be infinitely more soul-sucking, in fact. We can each have our own opinions about our neighborhood, but I can assure you that your statements about Williamsburg are based more on your own perception than they do about facts. Especially when it comes to the Music Scene, which is diminishing literally by the day as people look to Bushwick, Sunset Park and Gowanus.

***
March 5, 2008
Park Slope ranks the No. 1 most creative neighborhood in the borough with 3,500 independently employed designers and independent artists in residence. Williamsburg comes in No. 2 with a little less than 3,000 “self-employed creatives,” followed by Brooklyn Heights (around 2,600), and BoCoCa (around 1,700). Red Hook and Prospect Heights tied for fifth place with 1,600 each.

Posted by: 11217 at January 13, 2009 12:32 PM

I love these buildings, and the whole complex really is a very photogenic array of light, shadow and mass.

Thank goodness for the lovely and quiet BQE, lack of public transportation, and remote location, or this would have already been condo-ized into expensive lofts. I hope most of these buildings remain manufacturing, and now, arts spaces.

Let's not fight over where the arts and music is, I'm glad creativity has not left NYC, and arts and music venues are springing up all over, in spite of financial woes. People, especially in hard times, need to create, or we become soulless drones.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at January 13, 2009 12:36 PM

Artists like Nada Surf are great and they are indicative of the types of people in the area now. Friends of mine went to the Lycee Francais de New York with them. Not criticizing, but the types of kids who went to the Lycee in Manhattan growing up are generally rich kids. Artists or not, this is the new Williamsburg. Seems the slumming tranaplants are now mostly out in E. Williamsburg and Bushwick.

Posted by: EnglishKills at January 13, 2009 12:41 PM

So right, Montrose.

I'm hearing a lot about Obama making this the Presidency of the Arts (among many other things, of course) and as a musician and someone who works in many facets of the arts community, I think it's terrific news.

As you may know...Japan during its "lost decade" of the 90's did in fact see its arts and culture thrive quite profoundly.

I hope we see the same thing happen here.

The arts have a way of bringing people together in difficult times to uplift the soul.

Posted by: 11217 at January 13, 2009 12:42 PM

There isn't really a lack of public transportation - the 36th st N, D, R, M is a block and a half away (although I admit the BQE doesn't entice people across to the waterfront) - and yes, these buildings are going to stay manufacturing/commercial for a long time.

Posted by: KHuebbe at January 13, 2009 12:53 PM

www.iccws.com The building owners are committed to all types of workspaces: heavy industrial; light manufacturing, craft, artisan, artist, creative office. Residential, live/work, condo all strictly prohibited.

Subway: 36th Street ( 1 1/2 to 5 blocks to the main buildings, NOT 20 min. walk) 2nd stop on
N & D is Manhattan, first connects you to Atlantic/Pacific, 10 lines plus LIRR, biggest concentration in all of NYC. R, M local....

There are hundreds of creative folks in Sunset area already. More to come....

Space available, see iccws.com

Posted by: chrishavens at January 13, 2009 4:37 PM

where are the ''422 a month, light-filled studios" on the ICCWS website?

Posted by: buttermilk channel at January 13, 2009 8:23 PM

How did the topic of Park Slope come up? This brief article was about SUNSET PARK, not Park Slope. Two very different places. Lifestyles in Sunset Park vs. the Slope are really on opposite ends of the spectrum (for a reason- i.e. lack of gentrified bars, restaurants, etc.).

I agree w/ Khuebbe and Chrishavens, there is GREAT transportation in the area (36th street Stop w/ express trains to Manhattan). In fact, I can get into Manhattan faster than my Slopian counterparts from 36th street because of the express trains.

I admit I am partial to Sunset Park. I am frankly surprised more people haven't picked up on the Sunset Park Industrial area as a go to artist's space. To me, the landscape being right on the water is a little more artistically inspiring than say-- Bushwick. Also, the actual park (hence, Sunset Park) has great views of the skyline of Manhattan, Statue of Liberty, and beyond.

But, I'm not complaining. My rent will stay low :)!

Posted by: lala at January 14, 2009 12:32 PM

Buttermilk, ICCWS website about creative office space.
See http://industrycityartproject.org for studios.

Posted by: BK realestate veteran at January 14, 2009 1:11 PM

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January 13, 2009

Will Sunset Park Be the Next Artist Community?

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