Gowanus Art Studio Moving Major Operations to Sunset Park

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Trestle Art Space will be closing up its main Gowanus location at the end of January, executive director Rhia Hurt confirmed Friday, shifting nearly six dozen artists and a variety of programming to a new space it opened this November in Sunset Park. The news was first reported by DNAinfo.

About 70 artists currently rent studio space at the Gowanus location, situated at 168 7th St., Hurt said, adding that 80 percent of them have already agreed to continue renting in Sunset Park, where Trestle's studio is at 850 3rd Ave.

Hurt said the move is the result of a rent increase she couldn't afford. Though she wouldn't provide specifics, she said, "it was more than we had planned by a lot."

According to DNAinfo, Trestle's Gowanus building is owned by longtime neighborhood presence Mitchell Schwartz, who told the site he was sad to see Trestle leave.

"This is not the big bad landlord throws out the arts community," Schwartz said to DNAinfo. "We've never had a tenant leave because their rent was too high." (Hurt disputed that on Friday, saying she knew artists who had left because of rent hikes.)

Hurt said the move will impact "a really large community" that has grown up around her Gowanus space, explaining that its also the home of classes, public art critiques, and other communal activities.

That said, she praised her Sunset Park location, saying it's situated in "a beautiful building" in excellent condition.

"It's an upgrade in a lot of ways," she said of the move.

Hurt said she has 36 private studios in Sunset Park that can be rented privately or shared by multiple artists, of which 6 are currently available. (Rents start at $400 per month.) There's also a large communal space that artists can pay to have access to, and a gallery area that will be used for showings and programming.

She said that while she may see a drop-off in artists from the Gowanus area, she thinks people will get used to the added commute, adding that the space is easily accessible via public transit.

On Friday, Dec. 9, Trestle is hosting its last holiday benefit party at its Gowanus location. The event will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Pictured at top: A 2013 photo of 850 3rd Ave. in Sunset Park. Image via Google Maps.