Charting the Narrows & The Harbor
On view at Stand4 Gallery, May 16–June 27, 2026

In this new work created for Stand4 Gallery, Jennifer Jo McGregor expands her approach to place by constructing artifacts inspired by The Narrows and the New York Harbor. She became acquainted with Bay Ridge through curating three exhibitions at the gallery. Her notebooks from these projects were used for the map series. She is grateful to the support of an expanding network that has helped make this work possible.

The Narrows, the majestic entrance to the New York Harbor, defines Bay Ridge. A mile to the east a visitor enters Stand4 and encounters The Narrows, a kaleidoscope of color extending across the main wall evoking an experience of the light, sound, wind, and the shoreline’s weather. The artwork is composed of hundreds of spirals made from repurposed sweaters collected for this project.

On the surrounding walls, a series of cast paper and encaustic assemblages explore perspectives and relationships between land and water. The artworks are inspired by maps in the collection of the New York Public Library that date from 1747, 1844, and 1905. Originally created for mariners to navigate the Lower and Upper Bays of the New York Harbor and for planners to establish sources of encroaching pollution, the maps document place names, navigational features, changing forms of transportation, and expanded neighborhoods.

Image: The Narrows, (detail), 2026. Repurposed sweaters, glue, dimensions variable.