Entrance

Entrance is a window into a lifestyle. There’s a definite DIY sensibility and grassroots vibe to this sunny gallery on Ludlow Street, and over at its outdoor sculpture center in Red Hook. Many of the artists showcased here are friends who got their start in zine and skateboard culture, which in NYC and Brooklyn is a high-sensibility pursuit that sparks many creative careers.

The shows always feel closer to the studio than the street, however. The art here could be painting, ceramic, or assemblage out of trash. The subject could be upstate farming, Canadian speed skating, knights, castles, or fantasy lands. Yet, we always feel close to the maker’s process and connected to how the artist is thinking about things.

The intimacy of it all has the knock-on effect of bringing us closer to the driving force of creativity in everyday life.

Louis Shannon is the great, great-grandson of Matisse (though that’s arguably the least interesting thing about him). And he grew up around artists in Tribeca. So it's unsurprising that he has an eye. Entrance started in 2011 with a group of artist friends in the cellar of the Ludlow Street location as Luck You Collective. It morphed into Entrance in 2017 when Louis took over the storefront lease above the cellar with the mission of showcasing artists making their debut. In 2024, he added a sculpture center in Red Hook as an outdoor extension of the gallery.