A city shut down. Life on pause. Trying to make sense of 2020 can seem futile. But this is where art comes in—helping us see things in a new light. In the Seaport’s inaugural gallery walk, The Magic HOUR, more than 30 local artists reflect on the past year via a wide range of creative work.

Five curators put together the five separate exhibitions. Heading up the endeavor was The Gallery Walk founder, co-producer and creative director Kamau Ware of Kamau Studios and Black Gotham Experience.

“The Magic HOUR is a creative healing space for New Yorkers who survived 2020,” Ware explains. “—and an archive for the future. We learned a lot about ourselves in isolation that can grow our consciousness.”

Here, the curators also reflect on the significance of the phrase “The Magic HOUR.”

Inside/Out features the work of 19 artists exploring how 2020 had us looking outward and diving deeply inward.

See it at: 23–25 Fulton Street

“The Magic HOUR is the space in time between chaos and resurrection; it is today’s summoning to be reborn anew,” says curator Bri Laboss.

We Still Around: Here showcases nine artists who remained in NYC for the duration of the pandemic.

See it at: 23–25 Fulton Street

“It’s clear that the pandemic affected a lot of aspects of our lives and beyond but we firmly believe in the spirit of resilience, the power of community, and the vibrancy of art as an agent of calm and particular hope,” says co-curator Danny Baez.

Fellow curator Andrea Delph says, “In these brief moments of in-between, when the sun rises and the city awakens, the magic hour is a moment for stillness, a space to reflect and prepare oneself with intentionality for the day ahead. These works remind us of the resiliency we all faced, having lived in New York City during a global pandemic.”

Big Apple Gifts and Souvenirs is an immersive spin on the souvenir shop by artist Azikiwe Mohammed, with all original work on display for sale.

See and shop it at: 193 Front Street

The Sanctuary features bronze and steel gongs, LED lights and digital compositions written on site by artist Aaron Taylor Kuffner

Experience it at: 203 Front Street

Both Big Apple Gifts and Souvenirs and The Sanctuary were curated by Anne-Laure Lemaitre, who says: “The Magic HOUR is an in-between space of presence where things feel more alive. A space for intentionality, purpose, reflection, perspective, wonder and vibrancy. A space to shift one’s way of being and connect more deeply to the now. A space to become one with more than yourself as we shift from daylight to night.”

LIGHT Work features work by NY-based artist Alexandre Keto and the gallery serves as a kind of living laboratory, exploring the power of plants.

Visit it at: 192 Front Street

“The Magic HOUR lets us know that there is magic left in the world and within us…” says curator Kamau Z. Akabueze. “That magic is accessible if you plant yourself in your intention to seek it, harness it and honor it.”

Gallery Walk is on show at the Seaport through September 30. “It has been great being part of the Seaport community since Black Gotham Experience opened in the spring of 2017,” says Kamau Ware of his ongoing work in the neighborhood. “I am thankful that The Howard Hughes Corporation provided another opportunity to provide a service to the community through the arts.”

For more information on special events taking place as part of The Magic HOUR, visit gallerywalk.nyc and follow @theseaportnyc and @gallerywalknyc on Instagram.