New York Waterfront Diary

I discovered the waterfront in my early twenties when I moved to Brooklyn. At the time, much of it was abandoned and falling apart. Knowing it would vanish, I felt an urge, almost a duty, to document it. Very honestly, I was secretly guided to record the landscape of where I had just landed and found myself mapping its borders, becoming familiar with it, appropriating it, becoming a part of it. I started to collaborate with the Seamen’s Church Institute in New York and Port Newark, gaining access to other locations throughout New York.

Artist Bios

Sophie Fenwick

Sophie Fenwick is a French-American photographer, born in 1969 in New York City. She studied photography at Parsons in Paris and at the International Center of Photography in New York. She started documenting the New York waterfront in the early 1990s, following with her first solo exhibition “Entrepôts d’Eaux” (Homage to the Port of New York) at Victoire Schlumberger in Paris. Other exhibitions include shows in New York City at the Philippe Briet Gallery, Threadwaxing Space, The Seamen’s Church Institute, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Brooklyn Public Library. She lives in Brooklyn.

Organizations

The Alice Austen House

The Alice Austen House occupies a singular position, both geographically and culturally—on the water’s edge of Staten Island’s North Shore. Once the home, studio, and muse of pioneering photographer Alice Austen, the house dates back to 1690 and is one of New York City’s historic homes. Yet it functions today not as a static historic site, but as a dynamic contemporary arts hub.

The museum celebrates queer and women’s history while breathing new life into Austen’s legacy by engaging with current artistic, social, and personal exploration. For Austen, this home, now a public park, was a radical retreat and safe haven for her and her largely queer circle of friends. That spirit of refuge and experimentation continues today. We activate the house and grounds through our Queer Ecologies Garden, deep community partnerships, and sustained support for artists, fostering the creation of new work that honors the past while speaking directly to the present.

The museum and public park have been a National LGBTQ+ landmark since 2017.
NYC Parks

NYC Parks is the steward of more than 30,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 65 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City’s principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.