Jack the Pelican Presents Gallery Closes After Eight Years in Williamsburg

Jack the Pelican Presents will close its Williamsburg gallery after eight years, with owner Don Carroll citing economic downturn, declining sales, and rising rent as reasons. The gallery has occupied its Driggs Street location since 2002, named from a drunken mishearing of Jackson Pollock. Its final exhibition, "The Sacred Comic Book," features a hand-drawn, unbound illustrated story about an anonymous frustrated artist in New York from 1921 onward, with the theme "Just Keep Pecking Away." Past notable shows include David Shapiro's 2003 exhibition of organized garbage on commercial shelves, which earned critical praise and helped establish the gallery's reputation, and the 2004 Icelandic Love Corporation show blending video, performance, sculpture, and photography. Carroll plans to seek a smaller space in Manhattan but may take time off after years without weekends. The closing date is unspecified; the gallery remains open Friday through Monday at 487 Driggs Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.