Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club

Arts Gowanus presents: Gowanus Art Parade – Creatures of the Canal!
2024-06-01 14:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
Come one! Come all! March with Arts Gowanus and creatively show everybody your Gowanus love ❤️!
All are invited to join us on Saturday, June 1 in the inaugural Gowanus Art Parade!
The theme is Creatures of the Canal – Real or Imaginary. Come rain or shine, join us and show us your creature creations!
Wear your art! Don your wackiest, most inventive, most Gowanus-y outfit! Transform yourself into an edgy egret, a harried heron, a crabby crab, a jaunty jellyfish, a yummy mummichog, a poised porpoise, a radioactive rat, the legendary Sludgie the Whale, or any fantastical canal creature you fancy!
Carry your artwork! Posters, sculptures, puppets… bring them all! We want to see your most wondrous and bizarre creations come to life! Just make sure they are mobile and easy to carry throughout a procession.
We’ll meet in the alleyway between 543 Union and 280 Nevins at 2:30pm and kick off the march at 3pm. The procession will traverse an iconic Gowanus bridge, traipse along the waterfront, and end at a community street festival at 2nd Street in front of the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse.
The outdoor fest will feature Mookntaka‘s spectacular interactive sculpture Hedgehog, live music, and fun activities led by local organizations. Inside the Boathouse will be an art exhibition by Manju Shandler, and after the sun sets – in usual Arts Gowanus fashion – an afterparty!
More details to come, but start preparing now for what’s sure to be an unforgettable event – a Gowanus Carnival in the “Venice of Brooklyn!”

Free Walk-Up Paddling
2024-06-02 13:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-22 13:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-07 13:00 - 16:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Bunker (19th St.), 2 19th St., Brooklyn, NY
Stop down and launch a canoe for a self-guided paddle from our floating docks at the Gowanus Dredgers Bunker Launch Site! Limited to the mouth of the Gowanus Canal to 9th Street and Free (donations encouraged). Please note, this activity is NOT at our 2nd St Boathouse.
Bring a friend and we’ll outfit you with equipment and give quick navigation instructions at the dock. Self-guided voyages can be limited to 15-20 min. if there’s a crowd but otherwise, we expect you to return to the dock 15 min. prior to closing. Upon request, we will provide gloves and bags so you may remove trash found along our estuary. We launch from the end of 19th St / off 3rd avenue and it is first come, first served.
Weather (wind, waves or evidence of storm) may cancel programming with one hour advance notice. Meet at the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club 19th St. Launch, 2 19 St, Brooklyn, (off of 3rd Ave.), wear sunscreen and bring a bottle filled with water. Close-toed shoes are recommended, and wear clothing you don’t mind potentially being splashed. Use a restroom before arrival, as we have limited facilities on-site. All paddlers must sign a waiver, minors require guardian signature on site to authorize canoeing.

A Persistence of Cormorants Poetry Reading
2024-06-02 13:30 - 15:30, 2024-06-09 13:30 - 15:30, 2024-06-23 13:30 - 15:30, 2024-06-30 13:30 - 15:30, 2024-07-07 13:30 - 15:30 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
A Persistence of Cormorants is a summer-long poetry reading series on our shoreline featuring accomplished and exceptional poets from the New York area, many of who live in Brooklyn. On each of the scheduled Sundays, from 1:30 to 3:30, up to four featured poets will read for 10 to 15 minutes each.
Gerry reads poetry at the canal
The readings will be followed by open mic time limited to ten readers (one poem no longer than 3 minutes) who have signed up the day of the reading on a first come basis.
Reading will be outdoors at the Gowanus open shoreline and we invite you to engage with the emerging Gowanus Canal habitat as we witness the EPA conduct their SuperFUN/d cleanup program. Event may move to inside the boathouse if it begins to rain or we want to escape the summer heat. If other activity is occurring on the street or esplanade, event may move inside.
Participation is free but we encourage donations to sustain the efforts of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, an advocacy stewardship organization who has been representing neighborhood interests for over two decades.
May5th: Safia Jama, Ruh Danon, Elaine Sexton, JoAnne McFarland 19th: Willa Schneberg, Kristine Esser Slentz, Silvia Thomas, John Leo
June2nd: Cheryl Fish, Anton Anton Yakovlev, Leah Umansky, KC Trommer 9th: Sarah Arvio, Dennis Nurkse, Mervyn Taylor, Estha Weiner23rd: JoAnna Solifren, Sara Marron, Arden Levin, Jason Koo30th: Scott Hightower, Sara Sarai, Bruce Whitacre, Dan Kaplan
July14th: Broadstone Books: Myra Malkin, Meredith Trede, Stephanie Laterza, Marcia LeBeau21st: Dan Nester, Carley Moore, David Francis, Linda Russo28th: Gerry LaFamina, Maddy Barnes, Sara Wallace, Sarah Gutowski
August4th: John Deming, Miranda Beeson, Amy Holman, Jason Schneiderman11th: Jordan Franklin Matthew Thornburn, Alex Long, David Geoff18th: Myra Shapiro, Richard Levine, Carl Rosenstock, Barbara Elovic25th: Linda Lerner, Linda Kleinbub, Ron Kolm, Bill Considine
September8th: Abigail Welhouse Jiwon Choi, Austin Alexsis, Karen Neuberg15th: Michael Broder, Indran Amirthanayagam, Erin Lynn, Amy Lemmon22th: Tina Cane, Zoe Ryder White, Caitlin McDonnell, Denver Butson, Terence Degnan29th: Neil Shepard, Hilary Sideris, Kristina Anderson, Anthony Cappo
October6th: Lisa Andrews, Lisa Badner, Karen Heldebrand, Grace G13th: Broadstone Books: Susana H Case, Lynn Mcgee, Amy Barone, Margo Stever, Mary Maloney

The Boathouse Jam
2024-06-05 18:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-12 18:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-19 18:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-26 18:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-03 18:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-10 18:00 - 20:30 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
Wednesdays April 3 through October 30th, 2024 6:00 – 8:30 PM
The Boathouse Jam is hosted by the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club to activate our shoreline while fostering the continued resurgence of acoustical collaborations in Brooklyn. We are inclusive of all – young & old, new & seasoned musicians. Just bring a smile and your musical instrument and/or your voice to join our one night makeshift band.
Christian Apuzzo leads most sessions. He is a Brooklyn-based vocalist, guitarist, and music educator. Long Island-raised, this musician started his journey as a certified public school music teacher but has since found the wide-open pastures of the freelance music world in NYC. Playing mostly folk, bluegrass, and country music, Christian plays with numerous groups all over our five boroughs including bluegrass group Cole Quest and the City Pickers and local supergroup the Grass Messengers. He also teaches music lessons and classes for all ages at Jalopy Theatre in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Free but a $5 suggested donation is encouraged, limited beverages are provided.
The Boathouse is located at 165 2nd Street, Brooklyn NY between Bond Street and the Gowanus Canal. Sessions are rain or shine, we gather outside the Boathouse unless it’s cold or raining then we move inside.

Emily Chiavelli: The Sky Is Blue in Boston
2024-06-08 13:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-15 13:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-22 13:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-29 13:00 - 17:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
The Sky is Blue in Boston is a solo exhibition by Gowanus-based photographer Emily Chiavelli. The exhibition comprises analog images she shot in the year following her mother’s death in March of 2023, primarily in California’s San Joaquin Valley, intertwined with the medical texts her sister studied during the same period.
Reception: June 8, 2024, 6:00-8:30 PM
Open 1-5 PM Saturdays in June – 8, 15, 22, 29, or by appointment

Maggie, by Emily Chiavelli

Rascal Creek Treehouse, by Maggie, by Emily Chiavelli

Sick Role Theory, by Maggie, by Emily Chiavelli

Postcard Party at Threes Brewing!
2024-06-12 17:00 - 19:00 | Threes Brewing, 333 Douglass St., Brooklyn, NY, 11217
Join the Gowanus Dredgers, the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, and our friends at Threes Brewing for a chance to share your feedback on the proposed restoration plan for the Gowanus Canal.
The Dredgers have been reviewing the plan, and we’ve identified some issues that we hope to see addressed. We’ll be making comments focused on these issues and will specifically highlight evidence from our past experience on the canal. You can help, too, by sharing your perspective as a local resident. Come write postcards and tell the Trustees:

What wildlife and species have you seen in your explorations of the canal?
How and why have you enjoyed boating or fishing on the canal? What has prevented you from boating here more?
What would a greener, more accessible canal mean for you?

Threes Brewing is offering 10% off to anyone attending the postcard party. Be sure to let them know the Dredgers sent you!

Unheard-of Ensemble : Not in Fact Dead - RESCHEDULED
2024-06-14 19:00 - 22:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Bunker (19th St.), 2 19th St., Brooklyn, NY
Unheard-of Ensemble‘s Cultural Ecologies returns! The first performance at the Bunker (2 19th Street) features ensemble members and composer-performers Ford and Iva presenting two premieres. Ford’s work sets the murky, sentimental poetry of Brad Vogel, Gowanus local and former Dredgers captain with video created in collaboration with artist Bonnie Ralston, while Iva’s work explores her connection to her Mexican culture through Aztec myth. FREE RSVP & Canoe Tickets available here
Featuring Special Guest Vines

About the Cultural Ecologies Series: Unheard-of Ensemble, in collaboration with the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, features world premieres and cutting edge music by artists exploring climate change, race, technology’s impact on our mental health, and feminism presented in a setting that brings people closer together in an open and adventurous way. These free performances will take place at the Gowanus Dredgers Bunker as well as their paddle-in movie location (both ADA accessible). The audience will be able to attend the performance either via canoe (reserved in advance via donation to the Dredgers), sitting on one of the Dredgers’ new docks, or on shore via an accessible location. Each performance opens with a talk given by members of the Dredgers about their work in the Canal.
About Unheard-of: Ford Fourqurean (clarinet), Matheus Souza (violin), Iva Casian-Lakoš (cello), and Daniel Anastasio (piano) are Unheard-of, a Brooklyn-based clarinet, violin, cello, and piano quartet performing dedicated to connecting new music to communities in New York and across the United States through the development and performance of adventurous programs using technology and interactive multimedia. Unheard-of is committed to the idea that new music belongs in every community, and implements this mission through concerts and educational workshops throughout New York as well as on tour. Unheard-of originally started as a commissioning project by Ford and Daniel in 2014 to expand the chamber music repertoire for clarinet and piano. The group formed as a quartet in 2018 and has since grown into a nation-wide community across multiple artistic genres. With an approach that is open and welcoming of all voices, Unheard-of strives to be a vehicle for development and growth for voices novel and experienced, experimental and traditional, uncomfortable and accessible.

Ukulele Cabaret: Shipwrecked on Ukulele Island
2024-06-15 17:00 - 21:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
Get lost seeking treasure with Ukulele Cabaret on a secret tropical island. Watch out for pirates, hunky sailors, mermaids and creatures from the deep unknown. RSVP here.
For nineteen years the Ukulele Cabaret has provided a stage for musicians, artists and performers from New York’s underground ukulele scene.
Ted and Jason of Sonic Uke started the cabaret in May 2005 in the back of Julius bar in West Village. After outgrowing our stage there we settled in for a residency at legendary East Village gastropub Jimmy’s 43, with cameos at Barbes, The Zipper Factory and Banjo Jim’s before moving to The Red Room at the KGB Bar — an East Village speakeasy that in 1914 was the headquarters of Emma Goldman’s Secret Society of anarchists.
Join us at:
Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse
165 2nd St, Brooklyn
https://ukulelecabaret.com/

The Beginning of Swimming Season at the End of the World
2024-06-16 13:00 - 17:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
A participatory archival activation about swimming, flooding, and water relationships created for the 2024 Culture Push symposium. Visit the archive. Share your own water stories, feelings, fears, and memories.
The Beginning of Swimming Season at the End of the World is part of a research and public art project about swimming, flooding, and water relationships called Open Water. So far the project has been conducted on the coast of Red Hook and shores of Coney Island Creek.
During the symposium, in collaboration with Interference Archive, the Gowanus Dredgers, Faith Toran (climate adaptation specialist, artist), and Jordan Packer (urban ecologist), we will install an interactive archive that will change and expand through the course of the symposium. Visit the archive. Learn about water experiences and practices, urban swimming, and coastal ecology. Share your own water stories, feelings, fears, and memories.
We’ll be recording anonymous oral histories, annotating a non-scientific map of NYC waterways, inviting additions to our incomplete climate action emergency toolkit, and asking questions emerging from research and an ongoing dialogic and somatic exchange that has been ongoing with the videographer iki nakagawa for the past year.
Curated by Nora Almeida

Sunset & Full Moon Gowanus Voyage - June
2024-06-19 19:30 - 21:30 | Gowanus Dredgers Bunker (19th St.), 2 19th St., Brooklyn, NY
Join our Crew on a sunset and full-moon guided adventure!! The moon will be up as the sun is setting, so we get a two-for-one! Meet at the the Gowanus Dredgers Bunker, at the end of 19th St / off 3rd Ave, 11232 – NOT our 2nd St. boathouse. Tickets required, available here.
Moonrise 6:36p | Sunset 8:30p | Civil End 9:04p | Nautical End 9:46p
The stars should be on display along with harbor lights. We will provide lights for each canoe, you’re welcome to bring/wear your own head lamp as well. Each canoe will have up to 3 people. Solo paddlers are welcome, you will be paired with other members of the group based on experience and comfort in a canoe. Close-toed shoes are recommended, and wear clothing you don’t mind potentially being splashed. Use a restroom before arrival, as we have limited facilities on-site.
Due to EPA cleaning of Gowanus, voyage will head towards the 9th St bridge and return to Gowanus Bay and our new South Gowanus Bunker.
If raining or threatening weather (high winds, lightning) by 5:30pm we may cancel. Attendees will be notified via the email used to purchase tickets. Tour is not cancelled due to clouds but let’s hope for a clear sky for the moon rise! No Refunds, there is no rain date.

June Monthly Meeting & Paddle
2024-06-20 18:30 - 20:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
Socialize with the Dredgers at our BUNKER (2 19th St, off of 3rd Ave) to discuss the latest updates on Gowanus and get involved. We continue to plan new and fun events on our shoreline and waterway. The agenda will include:

updates on summer plans for canoeing Gowanus Bay and more
collaboration with other recreational organizations
chatting about volunteer opportunities
special voyages for members and friends of Gowanus Dredgers
post-meeting paddle!

Meet at the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club 19th St. Launch, 2 19 St, Brooklyn, (off of 3rd Ave.). If you plan to join the paddle, wear sunscreen and bring a bottle filled with water. Close-toed shoes are recommended, and wear clothing you don’t mind potentially being splashed. Use a restroom before arrival, as we have limited facilities on-site. All paddlers must sign a waiver.
Weather (wind, waves or evidence of storm) may cancel the paddling portion with one hour advance notice. In case of inclement weather, meeting will be relocated follow us on Instagram or sign up for our mailing list to stay informed.

2Step/Line Dance Party with the Slide Stops & Sargent Seedoo
2024-06-21 19:00 - 22:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
2 Step / Line Dance Party with the Slide Stops & Sargent Seedoo
June 21
@
7:00 pm
–
10:00 pm
Sargent Seedoo teaches yr feetThe moves and swings he’ll chantGd respects us when we workBut Loves us when we dance!

Simple 2 Step Lesson, Simple Line Dance Lesson
Band strikes up and we dance
A lil tougher line dance and some more 2 Step moves
Band strikes up and we dance

Line dancing provides a space for everybody to move w/ one another and feel that power of dancing in time w/ others w/o the touch.
🎟️ Tickets required. 🎟️

Pride Paddle 2024
2024-06-27 19:30 - 21:30 | Gowanus Dredgers Bunker (19th St.), 2 19th St., Brooklyn, NY
Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride & paddle with us.
June 27
@
7:30 pm
–
9:30 pm
This is our sixth annual Pride Paddle! We persisted right through each year of the pandemic, because celebrating and signaling the importance of inclusion on the waterfront is crucial to our work.
Meet at our 19th St. Bunker Launch site (end of 19th St / off 3rd Ave.) at Gowanus Bay and please register to ensure we can reserve a seat for you. [Tickets available here.]
We’ll be be paddling out as the sun sets, hoping for some technicolor clouds and good sunset glows. We may pair three people per canoe with two in change of navigation and one passenger. Solo paddlers are welcome, you will be paired with other members of the group based on experience and comfort in a canoe. Bring your rainbow flags and colorful apparel!
Sunset: 8:31| Civil End 9:04 | Nautical End 9:47
**No rain date – event will cancel by 4 pm if heavy rain, thunder or lightning is on the menu.** Meet at the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club 19th St. Launch, 2 19 St, Brooklyn, (off of 3rd Ave.), wear sunscreen and bring a bottle filled with water. Close-toed shoes are recommended, and wear clothing you don’t mind potentially being splashed. Use a restroom before arrival, as we have limited facilities on-site (a port-a-john).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdvJE0VH5No

What's a Mookntaka? (a playful pairing of mark and karyn)
2024-07-06 13:00 - 20:00, 2024-07-13 13:00 - 17:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club Boathouse, 165 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States
The Brooklyn-based art duo, Mookntaka (MOO-kin-tah-kah) is known for their playful and whimsical inflatable installations, but did you know that Mark Zlotsky and Karyn Lao also have individual creative practices?
What’s a Mookntaka?, a solo show at the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, dives into the duo’s personal work, providing insight to their collaboration and inspiration behind their big, friendly, inflatable friends.
Explore an eclectic mix of pompoms, furniture, jewelry, drawings, inflatables, and more! See how their unique backgrounds and shared vision come together to create joyful art experiences.
July Gallery Hours: Saturdays 1-5 pm, or by appointment
Opening Reception: July 6, 5-8 pm

Mookntaka’s Friends and Follies, Photo by Anna Louise

City of Water Day with the Gowanus Dredgers
2024-07-13 10:00 - 16:00 | Gowanus Dredgers Bunker (19th St.), 2 19th St., Brooklyn, NY
City of Water Day 2024!
Now in its 17th year, City of Water Day — taking place this year on Saturday, July 13 — is a region-wide day of free, family-friendly events on or near the water, organized by Waterfront Alliance and New York–New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP), to champion a climate-resilient New York and New Jersey harbor.
Here’s what the Dredgers’ have planned for the day. Additional events can be found on the City of Water Day site here.

Unheard-of Ensemble x Gowanus Dredgers
Join us for the premiere of a unique, site-specific music journey curated by Unheard-of Ensemble in collaboration with the Gowanus Dredgers. Launch yourself into the Gowanus on a canoe for a musical experience inspired by the surprising, beautiful stories of its contamination, resiliency and recovery.
Self-guided tours will launch from our 19th St. Bunker (2 19th St.) from 10Am to 4PM. RSVP here for specific details about launch times.

Gowanus Canal Conservancy x Gowanus Dredgers
Drop in at the Lowlands Nursery, 25 9th Street, between 11 AM and 4 PM to learn about the Gowanus Canal and visit our own Mussel Beach! All ages are welcome. Visit our education stations all day for observing wildlife, mussel crafts, and flexing your Gowanus Mussels. During the event take part in scheduled lectures, demonstrations, water quality testing, and performances.
Mussel Beach Stations @ Lowlands Nursery11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Water Quality Testing @ Lowlands Nursery11:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Atlantic Ribbed Mussel Talk and Habitat Casting Demo @ Lowlands Nursery1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Artichoke Dance Company Performance (300 Huntington Waterfront Esplanade)2:00 PM – 2:15 PMEsplanade accessible via 300 Huntington Street or Lowlands Nursery.
This event is free for all to attend. Registration encouraged but not required. Please note, all participants will be asked to sign a waiver while on site. These activities will be available weather permitting. A port-a-potty is available on site. The Lowlands Nursery is a mulch and gravel surface; those using mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs may find it challenging to traverse the landscape.
