GOWANUS -- The Gowanus Canal Conservancy presents a Holiday Art Show and Sale entitled “Gowanus: A Sense of Place,� an homage to the cityscape highlighting the work of 16 local artists.

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy announced the opening of a holiday group art show and sale, Gowanus: A Sense of Place, which runs from Dec. 5 to 22. Sixteen local artists who paint in the streets of Gowanus and the neighborhoods around it have contributed works depicting the local landscapes.

Conservancy chairman Andy Simons said that the show will be a benefit to aid the not-for-profit conservancy's programs. “It will also show the value and uniqueness of the cityscape of these old neighborhoods, and help to generate interest in preservation and environmental quality.�

The venue is a new space at 298 Bond St., between Union and Sackett streets, just a short block from the Gowanus Canal, which is the geographic center of the show. The works on the walls will reflect the streets and bridges and buildings for several miles around, in the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and Red Hook, as well as Gowanus itself.

One of the painters represented in the show, Nicholas Evans-Cato, suggested that Gowanus may be one of the most painted districts anywhere in the world, comparable to Venice in the 19th century; “In fact, this collective activity has created a veritable 'Gowanus School.� His father, Eddie Earl Cato, came to live and paint there in the 1960s, when he was unable to afford Manhattan, and Evans-Cato has done the same.

Local businesswoman Linda LaViolette, who contributed the use of the site, said “This is a great opportunity to support local artists, who have lived and worked in these neighborhoods since the 1960s, and who continue to contribute so much to the character of the area.�

More than 125 oil paintings, watercolors, photographs and other media will be on sale, with an emphasis on smaller works, and nearly all priced between $150 and $1000.

An Opening Artists' Reception with wine and cheese is open to the public, on Friday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The show and sale will be open regularly after that, on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Thursdays from 3 to 8 p.m., and Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. The show closes on Monday, Dec. 22, with a “Final Sale Day� from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s mission is to be the steward for the preservation, restoration and green development of the Gowanus Canal and its environs for the greater good of the community.

Further information is available by calling Lauren Collins at the Conservancy office, (718) 858-0557, and by visiting the Conservancy’s web site: www.gowanuscanalconservancy.org.

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