Down by the River

On the not so bucolic shores of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York has emerged something beautiful: a gallery, meeting space, concert hall, and library called Proteus Gowanus. This multi-disciplinary space is utilized by multiple local non-profit organizations who collectively organize and create a variety of experiences based on a single theme. This year's theme, kicked-off this month, is 'Play.' Exhibitions, one-act operas, film screenings, and canal-side canoeing are only a few of the events and workshops planned for the upcoming season. The reading room and library provides access to publications by Ugly Duckling Press and Cabinet Magazine, and the 'Artist Book Library and Store' curated by Maddy Rosenberg also offers a quiet space for independent research. It is collaborative and interdisciplinary in the truest senses. Like its mythological namesake, Proteus Gowanus assumes different shapes and iterations, providing broad offerings to an equally broad audience.