Kentler International Drawing Space

History :

Kentler International Drawing Space, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is dedicated to bringing important and timely contemporary drawings and works on paper to the public by local, national and international artists, as part of the cultural fabric of the community. The Kentler Flatfiles, consisting of drawings and works on paper by over 160 artists, are available for viewing by curators, collectors and the general public by appointment. The Kentler gallery, founded by artists Florence Neal and Scott Pfaffman, opened its doors in April of 1990 and quickly became the focus of a burgeoning artists community in this historic, inspiring, yet challenging area of the New York City.

The gallery is located in a storefront space which faces Van Brunt Street, a busy commercial avenue. The building was built in 1877 by the Kentler family as a men's haberdashery which served the Brooklyn seaport business workers. Today the neighborhood is a lively mix of Black, Hispanic, Italian, and Irish families, public schools, parks, waterfront piers and churches. The gallery is especially accessible to the public, as its glass doors face a bus stop, attracting notice and visitors who would otherwise have little opportunity to meet artists or to see new works of art.

The gallery sponsors monthly and bi-monthly exhibitions featuring solo, group shows and installations by some of New York's most exciting emerging and under-recognized artists. Shows drawn from the international community have given travelling artists an opportunity to visit America and bring their work to a New York audience. An announcement card, a press release and photo or video documention accompanies each show.