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Williamsburg 1 | |
On the Waterfront
The Williamsburg scene has grown out of garages and bardware
stores into a kind of laboratory for contemporary art. Many well-known
artists live or
work in Williamsburg, attract by once-low rents and proximity to
Manhattan. And while the cost of living there has risen, there are many
compensations. Williamsburg is a place that seems to foment
collaboration among artists.In recent years, ARCO, Basel, and other international art fairs
have begun inviting Williamsburg galleries to participate. Collectors
began coming in droves. Artists support one another by opening their studio for
ad hoc art events and by curating group shows. They even open galleries to
showcase the work of lesser known colleagues.
Some galleries founded by artists began to behave more like SoHo
and Chelsea counterparts, courting reviewers, maintaining regular hours, and
offering gallery guides and maps. In September 2000, the galleries put on
the "Elsewhere Festival." Judging from the crowds it drew,
however, Williamsburg was no longer elsewhere.
----- to be continued
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