Brooklyn Resilience
Member Artists respond to the call of interpreting resilience. What excites and pushes us to make that first pencil mark or brushstroke?
COMING SOON
What is "resilience," and how does that relate to Brooklyn in particular? The dictionary defines it as: "the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties," or "the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape."
That meaning is appropriate for any artists, for our path is never an easy one. Bouncing back from being misunderstood, or baring our soul on canvas or other various media to be judged is not a practice for the faint of heart.
We invite you see the different ways our Member Artists express being resilient in Brooklyn.
Gallery Exhibition Dates: Saturday, September 13 – Sunday, October 12, 2025, weekends 1‐6 P.M.
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 1‐6 P.M.
COMING SOON
Aerosol Euphoria:Urban Street Art
Inspired by the legendary graffiti covered walls and alleys of NYC and beyond, this exhibition seeks to spotlight the full spectrum of street-influenced expression.
COMING SOON
Think of rooftop burners, freight train tags, alley murals, and the raw visual poetry found in every corner of the urban jungle.
From street veteran to studio rebel, this exhibition displays how the euphoria of street art lives loudly in every form and is a part of our culture.
Gallery Exhibition Dates: Saturday, September 13 – Sunday, October 12, 2025, weekends 1‐6 P.M.
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 1‐6 P.M.
COMING SOON
NuYoRICAN Soul
We invite to see works that speak to the themes of migration, cultural memory, resilience, joy, and the dynamic relationship between the diaspora and the island.
COMING SOON
This exhibition is a rich and layered visual narrative that serves both as a celebration and a conversation --- rooted in history, rhythm, and the voices of those who carry the island in their hearts, wherever they are.
In this space, we seek to honor the soul of Puerto Rican identity as it manifests in New York ---through vibrant color, texture, form and imagery that tells a story.
Gallery Exhibition Dates: Saturday, September 13 – Sunday, October 12, 2025, weekends 1‐6 P.M.
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 1‐6 P.M.
COMING SOON
Illuminations 2025
Twenty artists of the Park Slope Windsor Terrace artists collective invite you to view their paintings, prints, photographs, ceramics, collages, textiles, sculptures and mixed media over five consecutive weekends from September 13-October 12, 2025.
COMING SOON
Art Exhibit by Park Slope Windsor Terrace Artists
Twenty artists of the Park Slope Windsor Terrace artists collective invite you to view their paintings, prints, photographs, ceramics, collages, textiles, sculptures and mixed media over five consecutive weekends from September 13-October 12, 2025.
Illuminations 2025 will be on the SECOND FLOOR of the BWAC Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition exhibition space at 481 Van Brunt Street in the lively Red Hook neighborhood, filled with restaurants (BBQ and seafood), microbreweries and a great view of New York Bay and the Statue of Liberty.
Illuminations is a great opportunity to see and buy original art, meet artists, and explore this wonderful neighborhood.
Join the artists for the Opening Reception on September 13th, 3-6 PM, and for Art Talks on September 28, 1-4 PM.
By Transit: F or G train to Smith-9th Streets, then the B61 bus to Van Brunt Street, after which is a short talk towards the water and the gallery. A, C, F train to Jay St / Metro-Tech, then B61 to Van Brunt. Take Van Brunt Street toward the water.
For more information visit ArtsPSWT website.
COMING SOON.
In Memory of Greg O’Connell
April 8, 1942 - August 2, 2025
Decades-long friend and benefactor of BWAC, Greg O’Connell has passed away at the age of 83. Without him, there would never have been a Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Red Hook.
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
2024 EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
See some of the wonderful work exhibited across 21 shows last year.
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.
SUMMER RECAP
Here is a quick glimpse at what you missed or our Summer shows.
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 a new feature called Member Spotlight, where you can get to know a little about our artist members in their own words.
We are a community of artists, exhibiting, collaborating, and working together to share our passion with the world.
Meet our artists.
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.
Andrea Biggs
1. Please tell us something about yourself. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school? Did you have a different career in mind before deciding on being a full-time artist?
I grew up in Michigan. I attended Michigan State University. In my junior year I studied for a semester at Mexico City College where I met my husband Timothy G. Biggs from California. I received my MFA from Bard College while Timothy taught Anthropology at Simon’s Rock Early College. We moved to New York in 1985 and I was represented by a gallery while Timothy studied at Parsons. In 1990, Tim and I launched Biggs Art Studio, a highly successful fine art decorative painting business. For 20 years, we created many mural and other decorative projects for noted clients in New York City and throughout the U.S. and Europe, such as Joan Rivers, Donna Karan and Ellen Tracy. We were members of The Mural Society of NYC and participated in many trade shows including the Architectural Digest Show. Timothy passed in 2015. I was certified as a personal trainer and currently work at a fitness studio in Manhattan. I continue to paint and exhibit. I am a member of the Salmagundi Club, the National Association of Women Artists and BWAC.
2. Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you approach starting a new piece?
I usually start with a subject that interests me, using one of my photographs for inspiration, then build upon that image.
3. Your work is juicy and voluptuous. Have you always worked that way?
No matter the subject--portrait, landscape, flower or still life--I concentrate on creating drama through light.
4. Has your work always been realistic still life, or did you go through phases with other subjects?
Generally, my treatment of the subject has been realistic, but I eventually end up with a more stylized approach.
5. You crop your scenes tightly, which creates an interesting tension, not to mention the sense of ripe fruit bursting off the wall. How did you evolve into doing that?
The only time I cropped the image was for the “Big Fruit” series. Currently, I’m back to painting my true passion, still life influenced by the flower and big fruit series.
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!
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!