New Public Art: The Dear Neighbor Project
April 22, 2025
Van Alen Institute Announces The Dear Neighbor Project, New Public Art Installation in Gowanus, Brooklyn
Created by artist Tiffany Baker, multi-site murals showcase stories of Gowanus residents impacted by flooding
View and download photos here.
(Brooklyn, NY—April 22, 2025) — Van Alen Institute is pleased to announce The Dear Neighbor Project by artist Tiffany Baker. On view April 22–July 2025, this multi-site mural installation turns the voices of Gowanus residents into public art and illustrates their experiences with flooding in the neighborhood.
To create The Dear Neighbor Project, Baker connected with community leaders, local organizations, business owners, and residents to learn more about the impact of flooding in Gowanus. She then organized interviews with residents about their personal experiences with flooding, ranging from long-time residents to newer arrivals, and middle schoolers to older adults. Baker’s murals illustrate and directly quote from these residents’ stories — sharing their experiences, advice, and stories of community support during flood events. Each mural prompts viewers to visit dearneighborproject.com, where they can listen to audio recordings of these interviews.
“I went into The Dear Neighbor Project with a lens of learning. I’ve found that when doing any community-based work, it’s important that the work be grounded in real stories. It’s up to the people who live here to communicate their lived experience in Gowanus,” said Tiffany Baker. “I’m so grateful to all those who contributed their stories and the incredible local organizations hosting these murals — Brooklyn Public Library, FDNY EMS Station 32, MS 447, the Old Stone House & Washington Park, and Powerhouse Arts.”
“Gowanus is undergoing a rapid transformation, and it’s essential we gather and share the stories of people who live and work here — particularly those who have been here a long time,” said Andrew Brown, Co-Interim Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “Tiffany Baker’s eye-catching murals and stirring audio archive don’t just raise awareness of the significant impacts of flooding in Gowanus, they’re also a loving testament to the resilience of our neighbors.”
The Dear Neighbor Project has also been incorporated into the Art for Social Justice curriculum at local middle school MS 447 – The Exploratory School. With instruction from educators Cheryl Grau and Davielle Morton, the students designed symbols exploring themes of flooding and community support. Baker then incorporated these symbols into her design for an outdoor mural at the school.
The Dear Neighbor Project is the second installation in Van Alen’s annual initiative Points of Promise, which uses art and design to support civic engagement in Gowanus amidst the neighborhood’s redevelopment. The initiative responds to topics in the 56 Points of Agreement, a $450 million commitment made by New York City to invest in housing, infrastructure, public space, community amenities, and business programs in Gowanus.
Each year, Points of Promise seeks artists and designers with demonstrated experience facilitating community-engaged work. In Spring 2024, Van Alen Institute issued an open call for artists and designers interested in increasing public awareness of flooding in Gowanus. From more than 100 responses, three artists were invited to submit proposals: winner Tiffany Baker and finalists Ali Rufrano-Ruffner and Leah Harper. Baker’s The Dear Neighbor Project was selected by a committee of seven Gowanus residents and stakeholders, including representatives of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Gowanus Houses Tenants Association, and the Gowanus Oversight Task Force. Learn more and see all proposals at vanalen.org.
The Dear Neighbor Project is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, with additional support from Rebuild by Design and the Brooklyn Borough Delegation of the New York City Council. Van Alen’s programming is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Engineering review services were provided by TYLin.
Learn more: dearneighborproject.com / @dearneighborproject on Instagram
LOCATIONS
Outdoor Murals — on view 24 hours
- Van Alen Institute, 303 Bond St
- FDNY EMS Station 32, 347 Bond St
- Old Stone House / Washington Park, 4th Ave and 3rd St
- MS 447 – The Exploratory School, 345 Dean St (Pacific Street side)
Indoor Activations — on view during public hours
- Brooklyn Public Library — Pacific Library, 25 4th Ave. On view during library hours: Mon/Wed/Fri, 10 am–6 pm, Tues/Thurs 10 am–8 pm, Sat 10 am–5 pm.
- Powerhouse Arts, 322 Third Ave. On view beginning May 30; Mon–Fri 9 am–7:30 pm, Sat/Sun 10 am–5:30 pm.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
The Dear Neighbor Project: Art Workshop
Saturday, April 26, 1–4 pm
Van Alen Institute, 303 Bond St, Brooklyn
Artist Tiffany Baker will give a brief mural tour and talk, followed by an artmaking workshop. Participants will listen to excerpts from community interviews that informed The Dear Neighbor Project, and respond through drawing, writing, and storytelling prompts. Ages 12 and up. No artistic experience required.
The Dear Neighbor Project: Artist Talk + Viewing
Tuesday, May 13, 5:30–7:30 pm
Brooklyn Public Library — Pacific Library, 25 4th Ave, Brooklyn
Join the Brooklyn Public Library for a viewing of The Dear Neighbor Project at the Pacific Library branch. Artist Tiffany Baker will give a brief talk on the project, followed by a Q&A.
The Power of Story: An Intro to Oral History
Friday, May 16, 6–7 pm
Brooklyn Public Library — Library of Arts and Culture, 10 Lafayette Ave, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn
In this workshop led by Emmy-nominated storyteller and photographer Naeem Douglass, learn how to craft compelling interviews, develop thoughtful questions, and record stories. This workshop welcomes artists, neighbors, and anyone curious about preserving lived experiences through story. Access to a smartphone with a recording app is encouraged for participation.
About the Artist
Tiffany Baker (she/her) is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based visual artist, working in oil, acrylic, pencil, digital media, and glass. Tiffany works in a unique style of realist portraiture marked by vibrant palettes and considered attention to her subject’s grooming, often merging somber, regal, and mundane themes, bringing forth her subject’s essence. In her portraiture, she transmutes life experiences into emotive visual expressions that reimagine trauma, embed messages of connection, and celebrate her identity as a Black woman.
Learn more at tiffany-baker.com.
About Van Alen Institute
Van Alen Institute is a driving force behind community-led urban design, which believes that local knowledge and care enrich the design process. Since 1894, Van Alen has invested in people with a passion for improving cities through the power of architecture and design. Our public space projects build unconventional coalitions of designers, local stakeholders, and city leaders, and we support their visions through project scoping, hands-on guidance, and seed funding. From our home in New York City, our work confronts longstanding power imbalances in citymaking, showcases the vanguard of community-led design, and supports the next generation of designers in creating more just cities.
See all work at vanalen.org.
Media Contacts
Alisha Kim Levin, Director of Communications, press@vanalen.org
Elisa Smilovitz, elisa@elisasmilovitz.com