The DUMBO Arts Center, located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, has paved the way for creativity in the Brooklyn district. According to the Huffington Post it was Brooklyn’s first non-profit contemporary arts organization. The DAC, founded in 1997, has changed and continued to captivate people because of its landmark location, accessibility to the public, and numerous art festivals. According to the New York Times the creation of DAC was a pivotal turning point in the DUMBO neighborhood when it became increasingly gentrified near the end of the twentieth century. It became a platform for local artists providing them with something special.
According to DumboArtsCenter.org, Joy Glidden, the Founding Director of the DAC and co-founder of the DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival says “The DAC’s main goal is get visitors and allow them to interact with art of all forms and each other.” They also collaborate with schools, training students to become upcoming artists.
The recent sixteenth annual DUMBO arts festival brought the whole neighborhood to life visually transforming the land, water, and sky into a massive arts playground. Artwork was created by more than 500 artists and over 225,000 visitors come check it out for free three-day festival according to New York State of Mind blog. Exhibits such as “Superhero” by Wildbytes, “Codex Dynamic” by Leo Kuelbs and John Ensor, “Flex is King Live” an East Brooklyn underground dance movement and the “Monster Drawing Rally” by the DAC were available to the public. People were allowed to enjoy an art festival that offered a range of art projects, media workshops, and sights for individuals and families to enjoy. With the DUMBO Arts Center being in a historically landmarked area, people could learn about its history, culture, and how it changed a barren neighborhood into a thriving cultural area.
