From Ashes to Light, Brooklyn Arts Group Rebounds After a Fire

The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition is presenting its first in-person art exhibition since a fire on the Red Hook waterfront in September of 2025 left them without a home base. Unmoored / Unbound, a collaboration with Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus, speaks to the perseverance and resiliency of artists in the face of adversity.

Unmoored / Unbound is a juried group exhibition featuring 40 artists working across a wide range of mediums who explore themes of loss, transition, liberation, freedom and deliverance in their work. This exhibition presents how art can be a vessel for transition, a source of strength and wisdom, and a conduit for community in times of disruption. The show will provide viewers with inspiring and expansive accounts of how artists survive and thrive in dark and challenging times, organizers said.

“The loss of our space in Red Hook has been completely overwhelming, but the outpouring of support from the community, and especially the artists who have shown with us, has been what has kept us going," said Alicia Degener, BWAC president and exhibition co-curator. "Now we’re getting our heads around starting over and what new opportunities BWAC can pursue — like this exhibition. It’s gone from mind-numbing to exciting!” 

“A lot of us right now are feeling very unmoored, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for artists to address all of the ills that are going on in the world right now," said Eric Shiner, president of Powerhouse Arts. "Not to delve in it, but to make us all heal, to really take it full throttle and take back our ability to be creative and expressive. We hope that this exhibition shines a light on the great work of this great artists community.”

The exhibition is free to view from May 22 to August 9, at Powerhouse Arts, 322 3rd Ave., Brooklyn. An opening reception is planned for Thursday, May 21 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Hours are weekdays 10:00am to 7:00pm, weekends 10:00am to 5:00pm. Note that Powerhouse Arts will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, and Fourth of July, Saturday, July 4.