On Sunday afternoon, April 19, artist Cey Adams was seen completing his latest mixed-media collage at his Jay Street studio during this year’s DUMBO Open Studios event. As a graphic designer and the founding creative director of Def Jam Recordings, Adams didn’t anticipate making sales but participated for the spontaneous conversations and community fostered by Two Trees, the building’s owner. He appreciated the supportive environment, noting, “I like the idea that this exists.” During the pandemic, he was commissioned to create a Black Lives Matter mural, acknowledging the vital support for artists during challenging times.
While DUMBO’s landscape has shifted from its origins as an artists’ haven due to rising commercial rents, the neighborhood still hosts a vibrant creative scene. This year, over 175 artists across 21 buildings engaged in Art in DUMBO’s 10th annual open studios, managed by Team Dumbo and Two Trees, which provides subsidized studio space to 29 artists. Despite the rainy weather, spirits remained high, with cultural affairs director Ariel Willmott noting that many artists were optimistic about future exhibitions and studio visits as a result of the event’s exposure.
The Sharpe-Walentas Studio, a residency program at 20 Jay Street, buzzed with activity, showcasing works like Dakota Gearhart’s psychedelic backdrop, Celeste Diaz Falzone’s fabric clowns, and Natalie Collette Wood’s living sculptures. Wood’s creations, adorned with succulents and moss, are destined for Harlem’s Jackie Robinson Park. Elsewhere, paper works were a highlight, including Bianca Fields’s dynamic sketches and Jason Karolak’s kaleidoscopic pieces inspired by utopian communities and Senegalese termite mounds.
Some studios functioned as galleries, such as Elizabeth Hazan’s Platform Project Space, hosting curator Tracy McKenna’s exhibition Free Bird, featuring artists exploring themes of freedom. The Center for Cuban Studies displayed Gatos Cubanos, a collection of over 400 artworks of cats, brought from Cuba by co-founder Sandra Levinson. She recounted the logistical challenges of transporting the works, mentioning a $250 fee for an extra suitcase.
Other buildings in DUMBO also housed noteworthy art. At 68 Jay Street, Andrea Sanders’s blurry landscapes captivated visitors, while Lydia Nobles’s epoxy sculpture complemented Samantha Keely Smith’s dreamlike oil paintings. A visit to Smack Mellon’s studios on 92 Plymouth Street revealed artists like María-Elena Pombo and Matthew Li tackling themes of ecological change, with Li creating biodegradable model houses to plant around the city, symbolizing a city blooming from DUMBO’s artistic roots.
