By Dan Duray, Farah Abdessamad, Christa Terry and The Editors for Observer

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Powerhouse Arts founder, Joshua Rechnitz, is included in the Observer's list of Most Influential People in the Art World Today.

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Philanthropy is a family affair for Joshua Rechnitz. His grandparents and parents actively supported art institutions and causes, and Joshua—also a collector—upheld that tradition when he donated $180 million to transform Brooklyn’s “Batcave” into the nonprofit cultural hub, Powerhouse Arts. Rechnitz acquired the six-story industrial building on the Gowanus Canal in 2012 for $7 million. He contracted leading architecture companies, including Herzog & de Meuron (previous projects: Beijing’s bird nest-shaped national stadium and London’s Tate Modern), to redesign the building that was once a decrepit shell. Opened to much fanfare in May of 2023, Powerhouse Arts boasts 170,000 square feet of below-market-rate artist production facilities—for ceramics, printing and more—and event space with a sumptuous Great Hall.

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Read the full article: Observer