On Wednesday, December 3, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz officially launched a new cultural initiative, Brooklyn Tourism’s first smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop, to introduce art lovers to Brooklyn’s thriving and diverse art scene.

Sunday, December 14, from 1pm to 6pm, 64 participating Brooklyn art galleries will offer exhibitions and refreshments, as well as a chance for visitors to learn more about Brooklyn’s expanding art scene. The free smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop features buses that run through four different gallery districts, allowing participants to hop on and off the bus within each line’s loop. Buses will be staffed with art docents offering smART tip sheets about collecting and buying art.

BP Markowitz says, “As home to some of the greatest art museums and cultural institutions in the world, we all know that Brooklyn is the Creative Capital of New York City. But our neighborhoods also feature smaller galleries—many showcasing the work of emerging Brooklyn artists—and I invite art lovers of every stripe to get out and enjoy our lively art scene. There’s no better time than the smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop, to get on the bus, raise your ‘art I.Q.,’ and maybe even purchase work by the next Jeff Koons or Jackson Pollack. And just in time for holiday gift giving!”

Four smART Brooklyn Gallery “districts” will be included in bus routes. Participants can visit galleries in the Gold Loop: DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, and Red Hook; the Red Loop: Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant; the Green Loop: Crown Heights, Park Slope, Gowanus, Sunset Park, and Flatbush; and the Blue Loop: Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

The smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop is a collaborative effort between the public and private sectors working to advance local economic development and increase awareness and support of the arts. To reserve a seat on the bus, you must register by phone at 718-802-3530 or email smart@visitbrooklyn.org.

For more information on the smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop, visit www.brooklyn-usa.org or www.visitbrooklyn.org.