Patterns Gala

As always, all attendees are encouraged to wear the craziest patterns they can! Come and enjoy art, food, drinks, live music, raffles, and more.

Please purchase a ticket to the Gala or consider sponsoring the event. Your support will help raise much needed funds that will allow us to continue our important community-building work. Arts Gowanus is committed to utilizing art as a catalyst to build deeper community relationships and a more equitable neighborhood.

Arts Gowanus is a not-for-profit organization working to support, promote, and advocate for local artists and a sustainable arts community in Brooklyn. We nurture relationships among individual artists, arts organizations, local businesses, and the community. We produce open studio events, public art works, professional development workshops, artistic collaborations, and exhibitions in our mission to ensure artists remain a crucial part of the neighborhood's identity.  

Arts Gowanus will honor two fabulous friends and supporters at the 2024 Patterns Gala: Executive Director of The Affordable Art Fair, Erin Schuppert and community activist and rabble-rouser SJ Avery!

Each will receive a Tower Award as a thank you for all the hard work they do for the arts and the community. Learn about our two outstanding honorees below.

ERIN SCHUPPERT
After working for almost a decade in the auction and blue-chip gallery world, Erin Schuppert became the Director of Affordable Art Fair NYC in January 2022. The fair holds two editions annually, in March and September, each hosting over 75 galleries from around the world showcasing over 400 artists. With an aim to continue to offer audiences a diverse range of artworks, to extend the fair’s mission of accessibility to exhibitors, and to positively contribute to a vibrant New York arts ecosystem, Erin began the Fellowship Program. The Program invests in the long-term growth and success of local emerging galleries, inviting them to exhibit at the fair free of charge over three editions.

Erin is also proud to work with local organizations such as Arts Gowanus, Materials for the Arts, and The Art Therapy Project to create joyful, engaging, and welcoming arts experiences.

She holds a BA in Art History from Boston University and an MA in Museum Studies from NYU.

SJ AVERY
SJ is a local instigator who has lived for decades on a block east of 4th Avenue. She is a co-chair of Forth on Fourth Ave (FOFA), an organization that  promotes greening/resiliency, pedestrian and cyclist safety, and a welcoming environment that includes public art. She represented the Park Slope Civic Council and FOFA in the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice (GNCJ).

Currently, SJ is a campaigner to save the Pacific Branch Public Library, a member of the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, and a 4th Avenue yarn-bomber. She is committed to coalition organizing (despite the long hours).