The new art gallery explores the neighborhood’s cultural history.
The Wonder Gallery, a collaboration between Parachute Literary Arts and the Coney Island History Project, opens May 23 at the History Project’s Exhibit Center beside the landmark Wonder Wheel in Coney Island.
Located at 3059 W. 12th St., the seasonal gallery will debut with photographs by Brooklyn documentary photographer Anders Goldfarb and the launch of the Coney Island Zine Machine, featuring miniature zines by Sheepshead Bay artist Kelly Luu.
The free gallery will be open from 1:00 -7:00pm on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
Goldfarb’s black-and-white photographs from the 1970s and 1980s capture residents, visitors and longtime boardwalk regulars during a transitional era in Coney Island. His work also documents architecture that has since disappeared from the neighborhood. The images were shot on black-and-white film using Rolleiflex and Leica cameras.
A Brooklyn native, Goldfarb has worked in documentary photography for more than 40 years and has exhibited nationally and internationally. His work appears in public and private collections and his latest photography book, Ash Avenue, was published in 2024. He also assisted photographer Saul Leiter for many years and now teaches photography at Pace University.
The Coney Island Zine Machine features miniature publications inspired by local memories and attractions, including Dreamland postcards, the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest and a “Coney Island Baby” zine reflecting Luu’s childhood experiences in the neighborhood.
Luu works in book arts, photography, zine-making and letterpress. She is a Nagelberg Fellow at the Mishkin Gallery and an intern at the Center for Book Arts.
Visitors to the Coney Island History Project can also explore exhibits featuring historic photographs, artifacts, maps, films and memorabilia documenting the area’s past.
