In Memory of Greg O’Connell

Former president Audrey Anastasi presented Greg with an appreciation award from BWAC on May 20, 2000.

Greg O'Connell passed away August 2, 2025. He was tall in stature but even larger-than-life in character. From substitute teaching in his early working days to becoming a New York City Police detective, where he served for 17 years, Greg was just getting started. Driven by his sense of fairness rooted in his upbringing, responsibility to community and vision for a better tomorrow, he began acquiring properties in Brooklyn, while he was still a police detective, with the thought of revitalizing neighborhoods he felt had been overlooked.

Greg working on the Red Hook waterfront in 1998. Behind him is where Fairway Supermarket (now Food Bazaar) is located.

It's safe to say there would be no Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Red Hook if it weren't for Greg O'Connell. Greg turned his eye to the Red Hook waterfront in the 1970s. He had been friends of BWAC and BWAC members for years, and now that he had the space and the vision of what a vibrant waterfront could be, he invited the art group to exhibit there in the 1990s.

For two decades, BWAC was mounting annual outdoor sculpture shows in Empire Ferry State Park between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Their move to Red Hook would be a monumental change in more ways than one.

Greg in his pickup truck when the supermarket building was under construction.

As Greg envisioned the restoration of several buildings, BWAC was given space to exhibit in a variety of places. BWAC was mounting annual shows, and was thrilled to have the raw space on the waterfront. After moving around for a few years, at the end of the '90s he offered BWAC the space it now occupies, prompting the opportunity for quarterly exhibitions.

Greg was always interested in seeing what this group of artists brought to exhibit, attending openings and reveling in his association with artists. Former BWAC president Audrey Anastasi, in remembering Greg, said, "He was always excited to express how the artists helped him to pay attention to light and space. And so much of his generosity came from a deep-seated sense of fairness."

To say that BWAC will miss his presence is an understatement. Perhaps current BWAC president Alicia Degener summed it up best when she said, "I never actually met Greg Sr., but we spoke several times on the phone. One of the things we talked about was how BWAC was one of the few places people could come to see art and not feel stressed in a crowded gallery. Thank you Greg, for always having the best interests of BWAC in mind, working through any and all obstacles to allow the BWAC art community the space to exhibit their art. Your gift will be forever treasured by the artists and art lovers of Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition."

(Please read the family obituary of Greg O'Connell by clicking here)

Greg, Ray Hall and Earl.

Photos by Debra Hershkowitz

ELEMENTS OF MOVEMENT

This summer member artists explore how motion can be seen through art.  Whether it’s the sweep of a brushstroke, the suggestion of change, or the rhythm of repeated forms.

Movement can be expressed in many ways: a figure in motion, a shifting composition, a fluid gesture, or the passage of time.  This show invites our members express motion in paint, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and various other medium.

• Gallery Exhibition Dates:  Saturday, July 19– Sunday, August 24, 2025 weekends 1‐6 P.M.

Brooklyn X Pittsburgh: The Industry of Art

Pittsburgh, PA (July 11, 2025) — Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, in partnership with the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, is proud to present Brooklyn X Pittsburgh: The Industry of Art, a juried exhibition featuring over 140 works by Pittsburgh and Brooklyn-based artists with a Pittsburgh connection. 

“In the footsteps of Andy Warhol, it is important for Pittsburgh’s artists to have an opportunity to engage with New York, the epicenter of the contemporary art world,” notes exhibition juror Eric Shiner. “This exhibition will give a platform to our city’s artists in the heart of Brooklyn so that they can connect, commune and engage with their NYC peers, collectors and institutions and hopefully expand their practice and network in so doing.”

Eric Shiner is the President of Powerhouse Arts, a Brooklyn not-for-profit committed to creative expression that hosts a network of art and fabrication professionals and educators who work together to co-create and share artistic practices. Shiner was also the director of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh (2010-2016) and the Milton Fine Curator of Art at The Warhol (2008-2010).

“It’s great to have such a strong advocate for Pittsburgh artists working on this project,” says AAP Executive Director Madeline Gent. “After visiting the BWAC space in New York, Eric immediately identified the similarities between our organizations and suggested this partnership. We were thrilled that he also jumped on board as exhibition juror when we asked.” 

BWAC is open for regular viewing hours Saturdays–Sundays, 1:00pm–6:00pm and by appointment. To learn more about the exhibition, visit https://www.aapgh.org/brooklyn-x-pittsburgh or https://www.bwac.org/. You can also call BWAC at 718-596-2506 or email info@bwac.org

AMPED: The Art of Rock & Roll

This exhibition celebrates the cultural and historical impact of rock and roll, showcasing the exhilarating synergy between visual art and music while exploring the music’s transformative influence on art.

Amped is a visual expression of the energy you experience when this music moves through you and ignites a fire in your soul. We challenge you as an artist to capture and amplify that energy. The exhibition is open to all visual media.

●      Gallery Exhibition Dates:  Saturday, July 19– Sunday, August 24, 2025 weekends 1‐6 P.M.

2024 EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

HAPPY 2025 ALL!

2024 was a year filled with the art 21 different exhibitions and our Holiday Market. Below are highlights of the shows you may have missed. We are actively working on our 2025 calendar which will be posted in the coming weeks.

BWAC Member Spring Show

Spring 1 Juried Show

Spring 1 Juried Show

SUMMER RECAP

Here is a quick glimpse at what you missed or our Summer shows.

Summer Exhibitions at BWAC

FALL EXHIBITION SEASON

We would like to thank everyone that made our Fall Exhibition Open such a success last year. Our shows are for all and it’s especially gratifying to receive so much goodwill from fellow artists.

Cheers~

To all the art lovers that spent time at the gallery or on our site, thank you! We look forward to sharing more exciting shows and new talent with you in 2025!

Cheers~

BWAC Member Spotlight

Welcome to our Member Spotlight as we introduce the world to our wonderful members. We are proud to be a member-based organization providing exhibition and collaboration opportunities to artists working in various media.

We invite you to meet some of our featured artists as we “open the doors” to our artist community.

 Sebastian Slomkowski

I was born in New York City and spent parts of my childhood between Greenpoint and Forest Hills before moving to Long Island and graduating from high school in 2008. I was always painting and taking advanced Art classes in my youth, but it wasn't until much later, in my mid-20s when I realized I had it in me to make painting into a career.

1. Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you approach starting a new piece?

I definitely jump the gun a lot and try to get something onto the canvas as quickly as possible, a freedom that comes with abstract art. My work involves so many layers and combinations between line and shape. I often find being too precious in the early stages can slow me down. This requires a certain amount of flexibility in my final vision, understanding that "the mind cannot always see that which the hand will produce", a fundamental part of abstract art, I'm reminded of almost every piece.

2. Working large has advantages [bold, attention-getting] but creates difficulties [studio space, transporting, and hanging]. What led you to work that way?

Unfortunately, yes. As a young child, I saw Jackson Pollack’s 1998 retrospective at MoMA, and ever since that day, I associate my personal place as an artist in the art world with large colorful pieces that have the ability to consume the viewer in an encompassing way, very similar to seeing an inspiring landscape or monument. There is something very important for me about my art being more of an experience you remember than just an image you saw, and that is something I can very much pinpoint to that day at the MoMA all those years ago.

3. You have spent a lot of time in Europe, specifically Finland. How has that informed your work?

I have to be honest here and say it's only ever made me feel like my work is more American. Having gone to art school in London, the combination of having an American accent and large abstract paintings made me stick out like a sore thumb. But in more general terms, gaining exposure to the art world in Europe grew my appreciation for all the different types of art that make up the whole ecosystem. Commercialism is so ingrained in the way American art is presented nowadays. Europe offers a much more institutional approach and seems to support all corners of the art world, not just the market trends.

4. Has your work always been abstract, or did you go through phases with other styles?

This has always been a struggle of mine. The ability to convey a message through creative imagery is one of the pillars that make us human and has been one of the strongest forms of expression throughout our history. So, to be working with paint, color, and lines and never creating something figurative with these tools doesn't sit right with me. I will always prioritize my abstract work, but the urge to create more narrative-based images is always in the back of my mind.

5. You sold a large painting this fall in BWAC. How has that informed the way you think about your work going forward?

To just put my head down and keep producing. When I was a younger artist, I naively thought there was a certain level of expertise you could reach and that's it. So it feels great to be at this stage and still have the appetite to want to push boundaries and evolve my practice.

BWAC 2025 Membership Drive

Do you want to exhibit more of your art this year? Every artist wants to exhibit their artwork as often as they can, and that is what BWAC is all about. You now have the opportunity to become a BWAC member and get your work shown!

• Participate in all member exhibitions or as many as you wish in 2025

• Get discounts on submitting to BWAC juried exhibitions

• Join a community of artists dedicated to helping each other achieve their best

For details on how you can benefit from a BWAC membership, and additional info, click here.

Join now and get ready to exhibit new work in the spring!

Artists having fun!