In 2023, Powerhouse Arts completed its renovation of the Gowanus warehouse, quickly becoming recognized as a premier center for creators including fabricators, printmakers, and ceramicists who wish to produce large-scale art within the city limits. This transformation has set the groundwork for something even greater.
Now, the nonprofit organization has grander aspirations to convert the expansive 170,000-square-foot (~15,794 m) former transit power station into a venue for exhibitions and performances, aiming to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with iconic institutions like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Park Avenue Armory.
This fall, Powerhouse debuted a new performing arts festival on its impressive third floor, featuring the contemporary opera Sybil (2019) by artist William Kentridge. The festival, which continues through December, showcases works by esteemed choreographers Hofesh Shechter and Christos Papadopoulos, along with a performance by Carolina Bianchi Y Cara de Cavalo. Additionally, an interactive visual art installation by Kate McIntosh invites audience members to engage hands-on with artmaking through provided tools and safety goggles.
Eric Shiner, president of Powerhouse Arts, expressed hope that this festival would showcase the organization as a supportive environment for artists, helping to uplift the community amidst challenging times.
“Our endeavors are entirely centered around empowering artists, providing them not just the space, but the time and resources necessary to realize their artistic visions,” he remarked during the festival’s gala.
This initiative has garnered attention in the art community, with numerous notable artists such as Amy Sherald, Shamel Pitts, and Miles Greenberg among its supporters. Both the Goodman Gallery and Hauser & Wirth have collaborated with Powerhouse’s printmaking studio to produce more affordable artist editions available for exhibitions.
There is potential for other events to become annual highlights as well. In March, Powerhouse’s master printmaker Luther Davis initiated a printmaking fair, and in May, the organization held Conductor, an art fair featuring artworks by Brazilian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Palestinian, and Indonesian-Thai artists. Both of these exciting events are set for a return next year.
This year, the nonprofit has strongly emphasized performance, dance, and printmaking. With the recent additions of curator Diya Vij, who will assume the role of vice president of curatorial and arts programs, and Brittni Collins, the new director of public art, Powerhouse intends to enhance its visual art exhibitions and public engagement programs significantly. The organization is also set to welcome three New York-based artists—Grace Lynne Haynes, Nazanin Noroozi, and Ngozi Olojede—as its inaugural resident artists next week.
Hannah Gottlieb-Graham, the founder of Alma Communications, became acquainted with Powerhouse through her commission of Greenberg, a client, to create a durational performance for the grand opening in May 2023. The performance unfolded over seven hours, with Greenberg and performers oscillating between pedestals and a manmade orange pond, brandishing swords akin to video game avatars.
“The inaugural performance sets a precedent for what follows in any new performance venue,” she stated, noting that Powerhouse has since continued to feature performance art and theater in its programming.
Gottlieb-Graham, who has become a benefactor of PHA, expressed eagerness to observe how the team integrates experiential exhibitions with traditional visual arts within the expansive third floor, which showcases preserved graffiti from the 1970s and 1980s.
“Aesthetically, I believe there’s nothing like it in the city,” she remarked. “It possesses a distinct personality.”
