Van Alen Fall Fest 2026

12–1:30 pm: Masquerade Masks with Zofia Kostyrko

Inspired by Van Alen’s historic invitations to the Beaux Arts Ball, design your own masquerade mask as if you were attending the Ball! All ages welcome. Born in communist Warsaw, Zofia grew up surrounded by the Polish avant-garde theatre and visual arts. After moving solo to the US, she graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA and built a family and a career in themed entertainment at Walt Disney Imagineering as a Senior Concept Designer. In 2000, she started her independent design studio deZign sKape LLC while developing a large body of art works held in private collections and shown in multiple exhibitions. In 2025, she joined Powerhouse Arts as a member of their ceramic arts studio and volunteer for their outreach programs.

1:30–3 pm: Gowanus Yearbook

Gowanus Yearbook is a living portrait of Gowanus. Get your photo taken, mark your photos with the year you arrived or were born in Gowanus, and draw a symbol answering the prompt: “What makes Gowanus Gowanus?” All ages welcome. Created by Rida Chaudhry, Ananaya Singh, and Kaye Yuvallos, this project is grounded in a simple but urgent idea: everyone experiences and perceives where they live differently. In neighborhoods undergoing rapid development, local histories are often at risk of being lost or diminished. Gowanus Yearbook responds to that pressure by treating memory as something communal, lived, and worth protecting.

2–3:30 pm: Collage Your City with Marcus Wilford

Using materials from Van Alen’s archive, create a collage of your vision of a resilient city! Ages 12+. Marcus Wilford is an architect, educator and urban designer based in New York, originally from Trinidad. His professional work spans public memorials, cultural buildings, and housing developments at leading design firms. Working across scales, he has contributed to exhibition designs for artists at major international museums, mixed-use urban buildings, and rural architectural projects. He is the co-founder of Modeling Community Visions for the BQE, developed in collaboration with the Institute for Public Architecture, an initiative that explores alternative models for shared urban futures and civic infrastructure.