Archive

1. Unveiling: Albany Hive

   October 10, 2024 10:48 am Comments Off on Unveiling: Albany Hive

   City of Albany, Local Leaders, and Van Alen Institute Open Albany Hive, a Community-Led Redesign of Alley in West Hill

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Community organizers, designers, and 400+ residents co-created new shared space with public sculptures and enhanced pathway

   Press Contacts:
   Nyla McKenzie-Isaac, City of Albany, nmckenzie-isaac@albanyny.gov
   Alisha Kim Levin, Van Alen Institute, press@vanalen.org
   Elisa Smilovitz, elisa@elisasmilovitz.com

   View and download images here.

   ​​(Albany—October 10, 2024)—The City of Albany, Van Alen Institute, and Albany community leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past weekend for Albany Hive, an uplifting new shared space on a city-owned alley at Quail St and 1st St in the city’s West Hill neighborhood. Co-designed with West Hill residents, Albany Hive (“the Hive”) is a neighborhood hub buzzing with locally-led activities. Vibrant, illuminated honeycomb-like sculptures host community artwork and a newly-renovated path includes improved lighting, landscaping, access, and drainage.

   Albany Hive is a collaboration between Albany 518 SNUG, Albany & Troy Lions Club, Albany Victory Gardens, Bridge Tha Gap Community Resource & Outreach, the City of Albany, Grateful Villages, Rensselaer School of Architecture, Stantec, The Urban Conga, and Van Alen Institute.

   “We have transformed an underutilized alleyway in West Hill into a beacon of hope for the entire community,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “The Hive is a place where neighbors can relax, enjoy public art, and share a sense of pride in their neighborhood. I am deeply grateful to Van Alen, the Albany Community Development Agency, and Albany’s Department of Planning for their support in bringing this new space to life.”

   “Transformational change is possible when communities, designers, and city leaders come together. The Hive represents four years of incredible collaboration, and Van Alen Institute’s experience as project manager and facilitator has been profoundly meaningful,” said Andrew Brown, Interim Co-Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “We’re deeply grateful to Mayor Sheehan, the City of Albany, and our coalition of partners and supporters for co-creating this new shared space with and for West Hill.”

   “Unity and collaboration creates positive change, and The Hive is what that looks like,” Eva Bass, CEO, Bridge Tha Gap Community Resources & Outreach. “The Hive coalition came together through our differences, and if we continue to do that, we’re going to see positive, sustainable change and bring our city to where it needs to be.”

   “The Hive is a light that has removed a dark cloud from this area,” said Gordon Davis, Albany 518 SNUG. “When we come together and show love and respect for each other, things like the Hive can happen. When we put our minds to something, we can change our communities.”

   “From early conversations around the community’s desires and hopes of the neighborhood to the alley’s final design, the community gifted us their stories, experiences, feedback, and more to create the Hive,” said Maeghann Coleman and Ryan Swanson, The Urban Conga. “Our design studio was simply a tool for the community to create what they wanted to see.”

   “The best architectural projects are those that are not only beautiful, but whose purpose is to learn more about one another and to bring people together to share in the care of their neighborhoods,” said Christianna Bennett, Assistant Professor, and Fleet Hower, Lecturer at the School of Architecture, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “We hope the Hive continues to be a space where the community comes together to continue to dream about what this corner of Albany will look like in the future.”

   Albany Hive is located in a city-owned alley adjacent to Albany Victory Gardens and Grateful Villages’ West Hill Farmers Market. Despite the success of these nearby community-led programs, the alley itself was in poor condition, with debris, inadequate drainage, and an overgrown tree canopy that blocked light. Through this collective effort and investment in city-owned space, the Hive now supports community development and provides much-needed green space.

   Albany Hive provides a new model for designing shared spaces by following the lead of those directly impacted in every step of the process. Before putting pencil to paper, project partners held dozens of conversations with community groups and 400+ residents. In these discussions, West Hill community members compared themselves to a beehive, helping and supporting each other in the neighborhood. This formed the basis of design plans featuring community artwork, words of aspiration, and places to play and reflect. Plans were shared in multiple community engagement sessions, where residents further shaped the design.

   Going forward, the Hive will host public programs and workshops responding to community needs in West Hill. Upcoming events will be posted on albanyhive.org. The project’s partners also created a long-term stewardship and maintenance plan, outlining the city and community’s continued collaboration in service of the alley.

   Albany Hive is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” program, which supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Additional support was provided by the Albany Community Development Agency, America Walks Grant, the Bender Family Foundation and the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Initial project planning was done in partnership with the Mayors’ Institute on City Design.

   Additional information can be found at vanalen.org/project/albany-hive.

   PROJECT PARTNERS

   Albany 518 SNUG
   Albany 518 SNUG (‘guns’ spelled backwards) is an anti-violence program aimed at reducing gun violence by providing proactive intervention for gang activity or at-risk youth. SNUG mentors and directs youth from under-resourced communities to new healthy and formative experiences that allow them to envision a different life and future.

   Albany & Troy Lions Club
   The Albany Host Lions Club and the Troy Lions Club were both founded in 1925. The two clubs joined forces in July, 2006 to become the Albany & Troy Lions Club, which currently has 46 members – men and women who volunteer their time to perform a variety of community service activities. The group is one of approximately 45,000 clubs in Lions Clubs International, the world’s largest service club organization.

   Albany Victory Gardens
   Albany Victory Gardens (AVG) is a project to upcycle vacant lots in low-income communities, transforming them into vibrant farmland that supports urban agriculture and circular economy training. The project began with the purchase of five vacant lots at the core of West Hill and quickly expanded to 20 lots for farming, training, and as their market space. The garden looks to provide trainings and resources to involved community members, turning a still-expanding swath of land into a network of individually-owned plots and a space for community organizing.

   Bridge Tha Gap Community Resource & Outreach
   Bridge Tha Gap is a community outreach program with the mission to fill the gaps in our community. We aim to supply support to families and individuals that have a need. We at Bridge Tha Gap believe that the unity within the community is the key to reviving our community as a whole. Please come together with me to lift those up who have fallen into the gaps of life. Let’s do this together so that we can thrive as a strong united community.

   Grateful Villages
   Grateful Villages is a non-profit charitable organization focused on the design and implementation of community programs to help spur development, sustainability and empowerment at the local level, with lasting global effects. We believe the answers we seek for our community cannot be found in the focus of any one institution but in the very tenets of community itself. Families don’t need houses, they need homes. We live in an environment of shared effect and our equity is woven in the fabric of our community.

   Rensselaer School of Architecture
   Situated within one of the premier technological research universities in the US, the School of Architecture at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute works in collaboration with leading scientists, engineers, technologists, artists and entrepreneurs.

   Stantec
   The Stantec community unites approximately 22,000 employees working in over 350 locations across six continents. We collaborate across disciplines and industries to bring buildings, energy and resource, environmental, and infrastructure projects to life. Our work—engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics, from initial project concept and planning through design, construction, and commissioning—begins at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships.

   The Urban Conga
   The Urban Conga is an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio based in Brooklyn, NY led by Ryan Swanson and Maeghann Coleman. The studio is focused on sparking community interaction and social activity through open-ended play. To achieve this, they utilize play methodologies as a critical tool implemented not just in the work itself but within the community-driven design process in which the work is created. Focusing on working with communities to create inclusive multiscale spatial opportunities that transform once-overlooked or underutilized situations into stimulating creative outlets that evoke our innate drive to discover, explore, and empathize with others. Their work encourages people to think about the value of play beyond the playground and how creating more play everywhere can dramatically impact our daily lives.

   About Van Alen Institute
   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. We partner with leaders of historically disinvested communities to support their immediate needs and long-term visions with our network, knowledge, and resources. We shape diverse interdisciplinary teams, build cross-sector public/private coalitions, and invest our own funds to support neighborhood priorities. By centering community in everything we do, our inclusive design method responds to the urgent need for social justice in citymaking. For 130 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy. See all work at vanalen.org.

   PROJECT SUPPORTERS

   Albany Community Development Agency
   The Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) revitalizes Albany neighborhoods and homes in a variety of ways, through its management of funds received primarily through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

   America Walks
   America Walks is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing communities and advocates the resources to advance safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and be physically active for all. The organization provides its diverse network of over 30,000 advocates and hundreds of local, state, and national organizations, with the tools, resources, and experts needed to build capacity, gain experiences, and successfully promote walking and walkability. Learn more at americawalks.org

   Bender Family Foundation
   The Bender Family Foundation was established in 1997 and works to foster, preserve and fund the arts, culture, education, history and environment of New York State’s Capital Region. Learn more at cfgcr.org/bender.

   Mayors’ Institute on City Design
   With a belief in the power of city design to transform communities, the Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) educates mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities. MICD is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors. Since 1986, we’ve offered collaborative learning programs and resources to mayors in order to make a purposeful, positive impact on America. Detailed information about MICD programming is available at micd.org.

   National Endowment for the Arts
   Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit arts.gov.

   New York State Council on the Arts
   New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) fosters and advances the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture, and creativity for all. Albany Hive is made possible by NYSCA with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. To learn more, visit arts.ny.gov.

2. Van Alen Announces Second Design Sprints Cohort

   September 26, 2024 11:50 am Comments Off on Van Alen Announces Second Design Sprints Cohort

   Van Alen Institute Announces Second Design Sprints Cohort, Pairing Five Community-Based Organizations with Designers

   For eight weeks, community groups work closely with designer professionals to realize public realm design projects that serve their neighborhoods

   ​​(Brooklyn—September 26, 2024)—Van Alen Institute is pleased to announce the new cohort for Design Sprints, an eight-week community-led co-design program that pairs community-based organizations in NYC and design professionals. The Fall 2024 collaborations include 34th Ave Open Streets Coalition with WXY, Gotham Park with Pentagram, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center with BD FELIZ, Red Hook Farms with Studio Loutsis, and Street Vendor Project with ThoughtMatter. Working across New York City, each community organization has a unique approach to using public spaces to create more interconnected neighborhoods. In collaboration with their design partners, they’ll develop visual identities, wayfinding systems, and advocacy campaigns that support their missions.

   Design Sprints follows the lead of people already working towards equity and justice in their neighborhoods. Community partners have identified an immediate, pressing challenge facing their area, and Van Alen has shaped multidisciplinary design teams uniquely suited to those challenges. Van Alen facilitates these collaborations through end-to-end project management and provides each team with $5000 in seed funding to implement their plans. Each challenge also feeds into neighborhood-scale efforts led by community partners, and work completed through Design Sprints supports their long-term goals.

   Design Sprints builds on Neighborhoods Now, a collaboration with the Urban Design Forum that forged interdisciplinary partnerships to support local organizations leading their communities’ recovery from COVID-19. Past Design Sprints community partners include 82nd Street Partnership + Librería Barco de Papel, Equality for Flatbush, FABnyc, Loisaida Center, and Think!Chinatown. Many of these organizations participated in Neighborhoods Now and continue to work with their design partners and Van Alen Institute.

   The Design Sprints Fall 2024 cohort will present their work at Van Alen Institute in November 2024. To request an invitation, contact press@vanalen.org.

   Participants | Projects

   34TH AVE OPEN STREETS COALITION + WXY

   Operating along Queens’ 34th Avenue between 69th St and Junction Blvd, 34th Street Open Streets Coalition facilitates an outdoor community center and micro mobility corridor along 26 blocks in Jackson Heights. Together with WXY Architecture + Urban Design, they’ll create design interventions that further activate the open street, including gateways at the main entrances and mile-markers for joggers and pedestrians.

   Team Members
   Jim Burke, Co-Founder, 34th Avenue Open Street Coalition
   Rob Daurio, Senior Associate, WXY
   Annie Peyton, Associate, WXY
   Clinton Van Arnam, Creative Director, WXY
   Claire Weisz, Principal-in-Charge, WXY

   GOTHAM PARK + PENTAGRAM AND SHAWN SCOTT

   Gotham Park is the nonprofit grassroots organization reopening, revitalizing, and reactivating the forgotten spaces under the Manhattan side of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Together with Pentagram and Shawn Scott, they’ll create a comprehensive rebrand of the organization to be applied to its digital presence and merchandise. Pentagram will also conduct preliminary work on a new wayfinding system for the park.

   Team Members
   Megan Brosterman, Chief Operating Officer, Gotham Park
   Rosa Chang, Co-Founder & President, Gotham Park
   Shigeto Akiyama, Associate, Pentagram
   Sewon Bae, Project Manager, Pentagram
   Luke Hayman, Partner, Pentagram
   Anna LaGrone, Photo Editor, Pentagram
   Shawn Scott, emerging designer

   JAMES BALDWIN OUTDOOR LEARNING CENTER + BD FELIZ

   James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center‘s mission is to strive for inquiry and project-based solutions at the juncture of food, environmental justice, and social justice. Together with BD FELIZ, they’ll build upon their existing branding and website to better reflect the organization’s rich history and advance its programs, such as its market, garden, and edible forest.

   Team Members
   Sung Kim, Assistant to the Director, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center
   Linda Pollak, Board Member, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center; and Principal, Marpillero Pollak Architects
   Ray Pultinas, Director, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center
   BD Feliz, Principal, BD FELIZ

   RED HOOK FARMS + STUDIO LOUTSIS

   Red Hook Farms is a youth-centered urban agriculture and food justice program operating one of Brooklyn’s largest farms. Together with Studio Loutsis, they’ll design a comprehensive wayfinding and signage system for their two farms, allowing local residents and volunteers alike to more easily engage with and navigate the farms.

   Team Members
   Brendan Parker, Associate Director, Red Hook Farms
   Taylor Loutsis, Founding Partner and Creative Director, Studio Loutsis

   STREET VENDOR PROJECT + THOUGHTMATTER

   Street Vendor Project (SVP) at the Urban Justice Center is a membership-based organization of over 2,900 members who are working together to create a vendors’ movement for permanent change. Together with ThoughtMatter, they’ll develop their design identity and drive public awareness of their mission, visions, and goals. Starting with a unified brand toolkit for the organization, they will apply the branding across a set of strategic communication touchpoints that uplift street vendors in New York City.

   Team Members
   Mohamed Attia, Managing Director, Street Vendor Project
   Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, Deputy Director, Street Vendor Project
   Mari Andreatta, Business Development Lead, ThoughtMatter
   D’Angelo Heyward, Designer, ThoughtMatter
   Jessie McGuire, Managing Partner, ThoughtMatter
   Diana Ross-Gotta, Account Director, ThoughtMatter
   Dylan Stiga, Senior Strategist, ThoughtMatter

   About Van Alen Institute

   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. In an equitable city, communities are engaged in the conception and creation of their built environment, regardless of income or personal circumstances. Community-driven decision-making builds resilience, social infrastructure, and ultimately, more just cities. For 130 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy. See all work at vanalen.org.

   Van Alen’s programs are 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.

   Press contacts:
   Alisha Kim Levin, press@vanalen.org
   Elisa Smilovitz, elisa@elisasmilovitz.com

3. New Public Art Project: With Your Voice

   July 11, 2024 11:05 am Comments Off on New Public Art Project: With Your Voice

   Van Alen Institute Unveils Public Art Project: With Your Voice

   

   Interactive installations by Juanli Carrión and Rodolfo Kusulas illustrate agreements made between the City of New York and Gowanus residents as part of Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning

   View and download images
   CONTACT: Alisha Kim Levin | press@vanalen.org

   BROOKLYN (July 11, 2024) — Van Alen Institute is pleased to announce With Your Voice, a new participatory public artwork by Juanli Carrión and Rodolfo Kusulas, on view through August 9, 2024. Located at 10 indoor and outdoor locations in Gowanus, this community engagement tool informs New Yorkers about the 56 Points of Agreement, a set of major capital and programmatic commitments made by the City of New York as part of the Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning, backed by a $250 million investment by the City. The installation brings these agreements directly to Gowanus residents through 10 site-specific “Voicers” — colorful, megaphone-shaped viewfinders — and a VR headset located at Van Alen Institute.

   Although the 56 Points of Agreement affect tens of thousands of Gowanus residents and workers, many are unaware of their existence. Through With Your Voice, people can look into the Voicers and view slides illustrating how the 56 Points of Agreements are shaping Gowanus — including changes to the built environment and city-led programs to support residents and local businesses.

   At each Voicer, participants can scan a QR code to record voice notes responding to what they’ve learned. These notes are shared with the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, community volunteers that advance the 56 Points of Agreement by meeting regularly with city agencies. Responses support the task force’s efforts by surfacing community voices and humanizing impacts of the rezoning. To encourage participation, people can collect digital gem tokens — dubbed “Gowameralds”— by leaving a voice note at each Voicer. Those who collect all 10 Gowameralds will win gift certificates from local businesses.

   The VR headset at Van Alen Institute hosts an expansive library of additional resources, including 3D models, illustrations, interviews, and videos. The VR headset is available to the public Tuesdays–Thursdays, 10:30 am–6:30 pm, July 16–August 8.

   “With Your Voice raises awareness about major promises made by New York City to Gowanus residents as part of the neighborhood’s ongoing redevelopment, “ said Juanli Carrión and Rodolfo Kusulas. “Through the surveys posted at each Voicer, we encourage Gowanus residents to voice their opinions about what they learn and create a connection with the Gowanus Oversight Task Force members working to strengthen this community.”

   “Juanli Carrión and Rodolfo Kusulas’s installation With Your Voice exemplifies public art’s potential for approachable, effective community engagement,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “Amidst the speedy evolution of Gowanus’s built environment, the piece’s brightly colored, whimsical installations — the Voicers — demystify neighborhood changes and support the Gowanus Oversight Task Force’s important advocacy.”

   This is Van Alen’s 15th installation in its ongoing Common Build initiative, which surfaces the work of emerging artists and tests new strategies to bring people together in public space. With Your Voice is supported by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the Council’s Brooklyn Boroughwide Needs Initiative, and with in-kind fabrication from Bednark Studio and engineering review services from Silman. The project is made possible through the collaboration of Brooklyn Public Library, New York City Housing Authority, NYC Department of Environment Protection, NYC Department of City Planning, NYC Parks, Domain Companies, PMG, SCAPE, and Avery Hall.

   With Your Voice Locations

   Van Alen Institute, 303 Bond St
   Wyckoff-Bond Garden, 195 Wyckoff St
   Powerhouse Arts, 322 3rd Ave
   David Foulke Memorial Garden, 248-250 Bergen St
   Wyckoff Gardens Community Center, 280 Wyckoff St
   C-Town, 239 Bond St
   Good Morning Deli, 303 Dean St
   Brooklyn Public Library, 25 4th Ave
   Siempre Restaurant, 255 3rd Ave
   Office of Councilmember Hanif, 195 Bond St

   Maps can be found on each Voicer and online at withyourvoice.org.

   With Your Voice Selection Process

   Artists were nominated by members of Van Alen Institute’s network who have a history of working with artists who create socially engaged public art. With Your Voice was chosen by a selection committee from a shortlist of three proposals; the other shortlisted artists were Lynn Neuman and Immanuel Oni.

   The selection committee consisted of eight Gowanus residents who serve on the Gowanus Oversight Task Force or other neighborhood groups: Bahij Chancey*, WXY Studio; Frank Dubinsky, Monadnock Development; Diana Gruberg, Gowanus Canal Conservancy; Candelaria Mas Pohmajevic*, Resilient Cities Catalyst; Nilda Lino*, Assure for Life; Tony Ruiz*, Gowanus Oversight Task Force; Elisa Smilovitz, Gowanus Mutual Aid; and Andreas Tyre, Gowanus Houses Resident Association. (*Denotes member of Gowanus Oversight Task Force)

   About the 56 Points of Agreement

   In 2021, the New York City Council approved the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan, an expansive rezoning that will bring an estimated 8,200 new apartments to an 82-block stretch of Gowanus, transforming a historic manufacturing area into mixed-use. Approximately 18,000 new residents are estimated to occupy new housing developments by 2035. It is the largest rezoning of the de Blasio administration and has been in the works for over a decade. In response, a diverse and representative group of community volunteer stakeholders formed the Gowanus Oversight Task Force to ensure Gowanus residents benefit from the rezoning. The 56 Points of Agreement are an outcome of the work of the Gowanus Oversight Task Force that details a comprehensive investment from the city in housing, infrastructure, public space, community amenities, and workforce and business support programs to improve the quality of life for current and future residents as part of the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan.

   About the Artists

   Juanli Carrión’s work has unfolded over the past decade in the research, development, and education of community-engaged design and artistic practices addressing social and environmental justice. Over the past decade, Carrión has followed the Gowanus Canal’s changes and challenges up close. As Assistant Professor of Creative Community Development at Parsons School of Design, he has used the Canal as a case study for his Sustainable Systems Practices course, in which students map the pollution of waterways using pH reactive natural dyes. He is the co-founder of OSS Project Inc. and his work has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, BRIC, ARTIUM, MUSAC, CentroCentro, MAC Lima, India’s National Gallery of Modern Art, and Serbia’s MOCA. His research has been presented at Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, AIA New York, National Academy of Sciences, and Getty Institute, among others.

   Rodolfo Kusulas is a transdisciplinary creator with a deep passion for social innovation and sustainability who uses his work as a tool to help communities thrive. With experience working internationally, he has a background in industrial design, extensive experience in branding, product and retail. After winning a global competition for the 140th anniversary of Heineken, Kusulas joined VBAT as a creative in the Latin American office. Since 2018, he has developed programmatic design and creative community development work with KOUS studio, which he co-founded in 2016, and in collaboration with artists and nonprofit organizations.

   As a duo, Carrión and Kusulas share interest in transdisciplinary research about how art and design can be used to visualize the layers of identity that compose communities. They transform stories, data, materials, actions or information into art and design strategies that serve as tools for sustainable community development. This manifests in community lead initiatives including public art that becomes urban agriculture, product design and art pieces that become small businesses as supplemental source of revenue, interactive murals and workshops that become tools for education on water pollution and jewelry that becomes therapeutic tools to confront environmental devastation.

   About Van Alen Institute

   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. In an equitable city, communities are engaged in the conception and creation of their built environment, regardless of income or personal circumstances. Community-driven decision-making builds resilience, social infrastructure, and ultimately, more just cities. For 130 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy. See all work at vanalen.org.

4. Deborah Marton to Step Down as Executive Director

   July 1, 2024 11:24 am Comments Off on Deborah Marton to Step Down as Executive Director

   Van Alen Institute Announces Deborah Marton to Step Down as Executive Director

   

   Current Director of Programs and Director of Strategic Partnerships to Serve as Interim Co-Executive Directors

   (Brooklyn, NY—July 1, 2024) Van Alen Institute, the 130-year-old urban design nonprofit, announces that its Executive Director, Deborah Marton, will step down from her role in August 2024 to focus on family and her work at the New York City Public Design Commission.

   During her five-year tenure, Marton led the organization through a major mission shift to create equitable cities through inclusive design, centering community expertise and residents’ agency over their built environment. She created programs that leverage Van Alen’s legacy, resources, and network to make it easier for communities to shape places where they live.

   “It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime to steer Van Alen Institute towards self-initiated projects that advance design justice. Now, with a suite of community-led design programs, welcoming new headquarters in Brooklyn, and a unified board and staff, Van Alen is in a brilliant place to continue growing under new leadership,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “It’s been an honor and privilege to lead these efforts and build coalitions with inspiring community leaders working towards justice, squarely situating Van Alen to foster equity in the built environment.”

   “We’re going to miss Deborah. Throughout her career as a civic leader, Deborah has been committed to elevating community voices and holding space for dialogue among the many stakeholders involved in bringing an environment to life. At Van Alen, she has consistently cultivated trust in service of the design process, the essential first step to systemic change we need for a more equitable world,” said R. May Lee, Van Alen Board Chair and Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Institutional Impact, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

   Van Alen’s Board of Trustees has begun the search for the new Executive Director and will seek an individual who shares the organization’s values and has the skills and passion to lead Van Alen in the next stage of advancing its mission. During this time, current Director of Programs Andrew Brown and Director of Strategic Partnerships Kate Overbeck will serve as Interim Co-Executive Directors, building on their extensive senior leadership experience at Van Alen.

   “Deborah joined Van Alen Institute with a laser-focused vision to put community expertise at the center of our work. It’s been profoundly fulfilling to lead Van Alen’s programs during this transformational period, and I look forward to continuing this momentum,” said Andrew Brown, Director of Programs, Van Alen Institute.

   Added Kate Overbeck, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Van Alen Institute, “Under Deborah’s leadership, Van Alen’s staff, board, and partners are wholly united in our mission to create more equitable cities. I’m excited to continue advancing the remarkable power of Van Alen’s inclusive design network.”

   As Interim Co-Executive Directors, Brown and Overbeck will carry forward community-led inclusive design programs developed during Marton’s tenure, including:

   • Design Sprints: fast-paced co-design projects that build trust between community leaders and designers
   • Common Build: public space activations that engage residents and attract neighborhood investment
   • Multiyear initiatives sparking transformational change in the way communities, designers, and city leaders build coalitions and co-create shared spaces — for example, Albany Hive is redeveloping a disinvested alley into a welcoming community space
   • Urban Room at Van Alen Institute, a dignified community meeting space to support civic participation and the work of Van Alen’s partners

   These programs build on the momentum of citywide initiatives that Marton spearheaded at Van Alen, including Neighborhoods Now, the pandemic-response initiative in collaboration with the Urban Design Forum; and Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge, an international design competition in partnership with the New York City Council.

   About Deborah Marton
   A leading voice on the intersection of environmental and social justice, Deborah Marton is the President of NYC’s Public Design Commission, where she leads its advocacy for equitable public space design. She was previously Executive Director of New York Restoration Project, where she led the private sector commitment to plant a million trees as part of New York City’s MillionTreesNYC initiative and the creation and/or renovation of more than 50 community garden spaces throughout New York City’s most under-resourced communities. In her prior role as Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space, Deborah launched the Taxi 07 program, resulting in a new purpose-built NYC taxi.

   About Andrew Brown
   As Director of Programs at Van Alen Institute, Andrew Brown oversees programs that mobilize designers to address pressing challenges in communities. Andrew is a researcher trained in empirical analysis of programs and public policy and his work often explores how designers, city leaders, and communities can work together to create healthier, more prosperous neighborhoods. He received his Master of Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University and Bachelors in History from Williams College.

   About Kate Overbeck
   As Director of Strategic Partnerships at Van Alen Institute, Kate Overbeck connects people committed to equitable citymaking with the resources needed to create more livable, healthy, and resilient neighborhoods for everyone. Prior to joining Van Alen, Kate was Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships at Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative, where she mobilized support to help cities survive and thrive in the face of physical, social, and environmental challenges. Kate graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology.

   About Van Alen Institute
   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. In an equitable city, communities are engaged in the conception and creation of their built environment, regardless of income or personal circumstances. Community-driven decision-making builds resilience, social infrastructure, and ultimately, more just cities. For 130 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy. See all work at vanalen.org.

   Press Contacts
   Alisha Kim Levin, Director of Communications: press@vanalen.org
   Elisa Smilovitz: elisa@elisasmilovitz.com

5. Now on view: Ugly Beauties by Curry J. Hackett

   March 9, 2024 2:22 pm Comments Off on Now on view: Ugly Beauties by Curry J. Hackett

   Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Van Alen Institute Unveil New Public Art Installation by Curry J. Hackett

   Ugly Beauties features AI-generated images of Black people immersed in wild flora, designed to reimagine abundant urban futures that center Black communities

   View and download images
   CONTACT: Emma Brownstein | emma@risaheller.com | 718-838-8328
   Alisha Kim Levin | press@vanalen.org

   BROOKLYN (March 11, 2024) — Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) and Van Alen Institute unveiled Ugly Beauties, a new public art installation by artist Curry J. Hackett at The Plaza at 300 Ashland. Commissioned by DBP with support from Two Trees Management Co, Ugly Beauties features a panoramic display of AI-generated images of Black people juxtaposed with the various native and invasive plant species — so-called “weeds” — that flourish in New York City, prompting viewers to consider society’s perception of beauty and belonging. Ugly Beauties will be on view until May 2, 2024.

   “Ugly Beauties expands on Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s commitment to activating its shared spaces with art installations that enliven the public realm and capture the spirit of the neighborhood,” said Regina Myer, President of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. “With residents, shoppers, workers, diners, and other visitors rushing around the neighborhood, we hope this piece will impart a moment of reflection and help Brooklynites to realize the beauty all around them. Thank you to Curry, Van Alen, and Two Trees for working with us to bring Ugly Beauties to the Plaza.”

   Ugly Beauties features construction netting printed with AI-generated images draping a steel scaffolding. Upon approaching the structure, viewers are presented with scenes depicting Black individuals in city landscapes surrounded by various urban growth, commonly known as weeds. Much of the vegetation that emerges in urban settings is spontaneous, often appearing between sidewalk cracks and labeled as invasive when not planted with municipal ordinance. Many gardeners and ecologists often try to banish unwanted plant growth from meticulously planned landscapes, but Ugly Beauties challenges this notion.

   Through Hackett’s lens, the piece depicts Black individuals among the weeds, highlighting a metaphorical connection between society’s perception of these species and its treatment of Black people. The AI-generated images urge the viewer to look beyond the conventional definition of pretty flowers, such as tulips, roses and daffodils, and ponder the idea that weeds should also be appreciated for their beauty, cultural importance, and ecological value. In posing this idea, Ugly Beauties champions Black resilience, celebrating the belonging of both Black people and spontaneous plant growth in urban environments.

   “Ugly Beauties brings together so many of the topics I embody and think about often: Southern Black culture, land, food, and plants,” said Curry J. Hackett. “Many of our cities bear difficult histories that have made it harder for us to develop relationships with land and food. I see this project as both a reminder of what Brooklyn’s landscapes can offer us, and a charge for us to dream wildly of what is possible in our streets, yards, and gardens.

   “Curry J. Hackett’s Ugly Beauties is an ingenious use of AI to activate one of Brooklyn’s most visible crossroads. It’s an elegant call for a future that centers inclusive joy in shared spaces,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “We’re honored for this ongoing opportunity to surface work of emerging designers, and we thank Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Two Trees for their partnership in bringing Curry’s vision to life.”

   “Curry Hackett’s recent projects prompting AI to create alternative urban landscapes celebrating Black culture challenge us to expand our capacity to imagine more just futures. We’re thrilled to host Ugly Beauties at the Plaza at 300 Ashland and support Hackett’s provocation to envision a bold, abundant future for New York City,” said Kate Gavriel, Cultural Affairs Director of Two Trees Management Co.

   Ugly Beauties is Curry J. Hackett’s latest project to employ AI as a tool to imagine alternate realities and explore urban landscapes through a Black lens. A multidisciplinary artist and architect, Hackett uses machine learning to create vignettes of urban landscapes in which mundane Black traditions are recast in new and uncanny settings.

   Ugly Beauties is part of Van Alen Institute’s Common Build program, intended to surface the work of emerging designers and test new strategies to bring people together in public space.

   For more information, please visit downtownbrooklyn.com and vanalen.org.

   #

   About Curry J. Hackett
   Curry J. Hackett is a transdisciplinary designer, public artist, and educator. His practice, Wayside, looks to undertold histories to inspire meaningful art and critical research. Recently, Curry has been experimenting with artificial intelligence tools, with which he braids Black aesthetics, kinships with nature, and pop culture to imagine surreal scenes of Black joy. This work has been featured widely, most notably in Bloomberg and Architect Magazine. His ongoing research project, titled Drylongso, explores relationships between Blackness, geography, and land. This project has received funding the Graham Foundation, Journal of Architectural Education, and Washington Project for the Arts. Curry earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University, and is currently completing his Master of Architecture in Urban Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

   About Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
   The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that serves as the primary champion for Downtown Brooklyn as a world-class business, cultural, educational, residential, and retail destination. Managing three Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) that cover Downtown Brooklyn — the MetroTech BID, Fulton Mall ImprovementAssociation, and Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID — the Partnership’s diverse activities include attracting new businesses and improving the environment for existing companies, facilitating the construction of public spaces and streetscapes that promote an active and cohesive community, supporting and promoting Downtown Brooklyn’s cultural assets, and encouraging a sense of place and an engaged civic community.

   About Van Alen Institute
   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. In an equitable city, communities are engaged in the conception and creation of their built environment, regardless of income or personal circumstances. Community-driven decision-making builds resilience, social infrastructure, and ultimately, more just cities. For 130 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy. See all work at vanalen.org.

   About The Plaza at 300 Ashland
   The Plaza at 300 Ashland sits at the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District, adjacent to the brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, and Park Slope. Managed, programmed, and maintained by DBP, the public plaza features a robust calendar of events presented in partnership with premier Brooklyn arts organizations such as BAM, BRIC, Brooklyn Public Library, Mark Morris Dance Group, MoCADA, 651 Arts, and Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA), offering free, high-quality programming for everyone. With ample stepped seating, bistro tables and chairs, and capacity for 2,000, the 15,000-sf plaza has regularly hosted large-scale festivals, markets, and community events since its opening in 2017. Programming at The Plaza at 300 Ashland is made possible by support from Two Trees Management Co.

6. Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland

   November 7, 2023 11:53 am Comments Off on Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland

   Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland:
   A Holiday Experience Presented by Wells Fargo

   (November 06, 2023, Brooklyn, NY) — The weather outside may be frightful. However, thanks to Bed Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District (BID), the streets along its business corridor are about to be quite delightful, as it celebrates Small Business Saturday with the launch of its annual Winter Wonderland Popup Holiday Marketplace and Open Streets. Presented by Wells Fargo with support from Van Alen Institute, this festive fresh air holiday shopping experience showcases the diverse and vibrant businesses that make the neighborhood a great place to live, work and shop.

   The festive holiday marketplace kicks off Shop Small, Shop Local Saturday, November 25, and will run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 12 noon to 6:00 PM, through December 23 at Marcy Plaza, Marcy Avenue at Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY. An official Ribbon Cutting ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 25, in celebration of Small Business Saturday. In addition to a festive open space marketplace, complete with environmentally safe greenhouses, a dedicated trolley will travel throughout the shopping corridor providing plenty of opportunities for visitors to shop locally. For additional information, please visit us at www.ww-bk.com.

   “It’s truly an honor to once again uplift and celebrate the Bedford-Stuyvesant community this holiday season,” shared Dale Charles, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID’s Executive Director. “Our gratitude extends to our sponsor Wells Fargo, partners, and supporters who continue to support in making Winter Wonderland a treasured affair for generations to come.”

   Winter Wonderland was founded in collaboration with Neighborhoods Now, the 2020-22 initiative from the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute. Supporting partners include Con Edison, TD Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Van Alen Institute, Urban Design Forum, Buro Happold, Dash Marshall, Moody Nolan, Fried Frank, Gretel, Block by Block, New York City Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS).

   “As the Bank of Doing, we truly believe that small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities – here in Brooklyn and nationwide,” said Krissy Moore, Senior Vice President – Community Relations Northeast Region at Wells Fargo. “The Bed-Stuy Gateway BID’s Winter Wonderland open-air holiday market has given local small business owners and entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to showcase and promote their brands and products to a larger base of customers right here in the heart of the Bed-Stuy community. Wells Fargo is proud to continue our support of Winter Wonderland for the third year in a row.”

   Bed-Stuy Gateway BID annually shares its platform with local community stakeholders. Programming this year will include Community Thursdays, dedicated to non-profit and community organizations, and Caroling in the Plaza on Fridays featuring yule-tide sing-alongs with local houses of worship. Seasonal highlighted, activities will include a Holiday Lighting Ceremony 5:00 PM, Thursday, November 30, a winter fashion showcase featuring the latest creations from Brooklyn-based, iconic designer Moshood, Saturday, December 2, along with family friendly activities that include pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music, gift giveaways, and much more.

   “Winter Wonderland celebrates the very best of Bed-Stuy,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “Showcasing the neighborhood’s exuberant creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and deep communal roots, the festival has quickly become a beloved annual tradition. Van Alen is honored to continue our partnership with Bed-Stuy Gateway BID and Wells Fargo to bring this community-led festival to life each holiday season.”

   “The highlight of my holiday season is always Bed-Stuy’s Winter Wonderland,” said Daniel McPhee, Executive Director of the Urban Design Forum. “Dale Charles and the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID team have rallied some extraordinarily small businesses to sell unique gifts this year. We were honored to help make the market possible with our partners at Van Alen Institute and are excited to come back for the best year yet.”

   Additional supporters include NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Senator Jabari Brisport, New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, City Councilman Chi Osse, Brooklyn District Attorney Gonzalez.

   About Van Alen Institute

   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. We partner with leaders of historically disinvested communities to support their immediate needs and long-term visions with our network, knowledge, and resources. We shape diverse interdisciplinary teams, build cross-sector public/private coalitions, and invest our own funds to support neighborhood priorities. By centering community in everything we do, our inclusive design method responds to the urgent need for social justice in citymaking. For 129 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy. See all work at vanalen.org.

   About Wells Fargo

   Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management.

   Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune’s 2021 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo.

   About the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID

   Centrally located in Brooklyn, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID has proudly stood as one of the borough’s most prominent commercial and cultural focal points. Since 2009, the agency has partnered with local neighbors, and stakeholders to enrich its community through economic development while promoting its rich history of cultural diversity. Through a wide array of programs and services, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID is committed to seeing the community thrive and blossom into the popular destination for all things Brooklyn.

   Press Contacts

   Bed-Stuy Gateway BID: Keith L. Forest, keithlforest@gmail.com

   Van Alen Institute: Alisha Kim Levin, press@vanalen.org

   Wells Fargo:  Jacqueline Hlavenka-Sansone, jacqueline.hlavenka-sansone@wellsfargo.com

7. Deborah Marton Named President of NYC Public Design Commission

   July 11, 2023 12:57 pm Comments Off on Deborah Marton Named President of NYC Public Design Commission

   Deborah Marton Named President of Public Design Commission, NYC’s Design Review Agency

   Marton will lead a team of 11 members to advocate for equitable design for public spaces throughout New York City

   NEW YORK (July 11, 2023) — Deborah Marton, Executive Director of Van Alen Institute, has been elected as President of New York City’s Public Design Commission (PDC). Marton has served as a PDC Commissioner since 2020 and was elected as President in a unanimous vote by her fellow commissioners. As part of her role as President, she will work closely with the members of the commission to review designs for City-owned property, including permanent structures, landscape architecture, and public art, while upholding the PDC’s mission to advocate for the innovative, sustainable, and equitable design of public spaces and civic structures across the five boroughs.

   In her role as Executive Director of Van Alen Institute, Marton has led Van Alen’s evolved mission to create equitable cities through inclusive design, developing major public realm initiatives that center community interests. She guided the creation of Neighborhoods Now, an initiative with the Urban Design Forum that connected New York-based designers and interdisciplinary professionals with community-driven organizations for pandemic recovery strategies; and the expansion of Van Alen’s Public Realm R+D program, which invites emerging designers to create temporary installations that test new approaches to bring people together in public space. In addition, Marton oversaw Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge, an international design competition with the New York City Council to envision the iconic Brooklyn Bridge walkway as a center of equity, accessibility, and sustainability in 2019.

   As President of the PDC, Marton will build on the legacy of Signe Nielsen, the former President, while helping to make New York City an equitable city through design.

   “Design excellence is about more than what — what material or color or form. It’s about the who — who are we designing for, and did they have meaningful opportunities to contribute their perspective?” said PDC President Deborah Marton. “The PDC is committed to ensuring public buildings and civic spaces welcome and serve every New Yorker.”

   About Deborah Marton

   Deborah Marton is the Executive Director of Van Alen Institute, an independent non-profit working to create equitable cities through inclusive design. A leading voice on the intersection of environmental and social justice, she was previously Executive Director of New York Restoration Project, where she completed fulfillment of the private sector commitment to plant a million trees as part of New York City’s MillionTreesNYC initiative and lead creation and/or renovation of more than 50 community garden spaces throughout New York City’s most under resourced communities. In her previous role as Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space, Deborah launched the Taxi 07 program, resulting in a new purpose-built NYC taxi. As project director at James Corner Field Operations, she led the original Fresh Kills Master Plan team. Deborah was a program director for the New York City Dept. of Parks Natural Resources Group, and has lectured broadly, including as adjunct professor at the Univ. of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design. Early in her career, Deborah was an associate with the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

   About the Public Design Commission

   As New York City’s design review agency, the Public Design Commission (PDC) has jurisdiction over permanent structures, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over City-owned property. The mission of the PDC is to advocate for innovative, sustainable, and equitable design of public spaces and civic structures, with a goal of improving the public realm and therefore related services for all New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs.

   The PDC comprises 11 members, who serve pro bono and meet once per month, including an architect, landscape architect, painter, sculptor, and three lay members, as well as representatives of the Brooklyn Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Public Library, and the Mayor.

   About Van Alen Institute

   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. We partner with leaders of historically disinvested communities to support their immediate needs and long term visions with our network, knowledge, and resources. We shape diverse interdisciplinary teams, build cross-sector public/private coalitions, and invest our own funds to support neighborhood priorities. By centering community in everything we do, our inclusive design method responds to the urgent need for social justice in citymaking.

   For 129 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy.

   See all work at vanalen.org.

   Media Contacts
   Alisha Kim Levin, Director of Communications, press@vanalen.org
   Elisa Smilovitz, elisa@elisasmilovitz.com

8. From Think!Chinatown: Commercial District Needs Assessment + Roundtable Discussion, April 24

   April 12, 2023 11:56 am Comments Off on From Think!Chinatown: Commercial District Needs Assessment + Roundtable Discussion, April 24

   

   New Report Viewed as Step for Self-Determination by Manhattan’s Close-Knit Chinatown Community

   Amidst challenges of gentrification, Covid 19 and anti-Asian crime, Chinatown finds strength in intergenerational connections and history of entrepreneurship

   On April 24, Think!Chinatown, with the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute, will host roundtable talk and discuss next steps for neighborhood planning

   Contact: programs@thinkchinatown.org

   (April 12, 2023—New York, NY)—The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), in partnership with Think!Chinatown and the Chinatown BID, recently issued a Commercial District Needs Assessment for Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood. Commissioned by SBS, Think!Chinatown and the Chinatown BID conducted interviews, surveys, focus groups, on-the-ground observations, and deep-rooted research from November 2021 to June 2022 to create this comprehensive neighborhood report. The report identifies the many strengths, challenges, and opportunities to optimize Chinatown’s potential, and will help prioritize SBS-supported local investments.

   “More than just a report, we see this publication as a step towards self-representation within the process of city-making — a process in which the Chinatown community has historically lacked autonomy,” said Yin Kong, Executive Director, Think!Chinatown. “As a community-based organization working outside of established power structures, Think!Chinatown will continue to fight to be heard and to amplify increasingly diverse voices of Chinatown.”

   KEY FINDINGS

   • Chinatown is home to 1,803 storefronts, with 76% of businesses catering specifically to the Asian American community
   • Younger generations are stepping into leadership at family-run businesses, continuing Chinatown’s legacy of intergenerational connection
   • A majority of business owners are committed to the neighborhood, with 76% of merchants intending to maintain or expand in Chinatown
   • Despite these strengths, 59% of merchants and 70% of street vendors reported a loss in business over the past year
   • Language and cultural barriers inhibit merchants’ and residents’ access to resources such as legal services, access to financing, and marketing support
   • Inadequate wayfinding, street furniture, and pedestrian space can cause transportation nodes to overcrowd

   The Chinatown Commercial District Needs Assessment also identifies a number of opportunities, including enhanced connectivity between Chinatown’s historic core and surrounding neighborhoods; the creation of a cultural center that brings people to Chinatown; and new marketing and placekeeping strategies to promote Chinatown’s unique clusters of retail and professional businesses.

   View the full report (PDF) here.

   ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION, APRIL 24

   On Monday, April 24 at 6 pm, Think!Chinatown will host Planning Chinatown: Our Needs, Our Futures, a roundtable discussion at their studio at 1 Pike Street. The report and its key findings will be presented by Yin Kong, Executive Director, Think!Chinatown, followed by a roundtable discussion with city officials and local leadership. The event will be an opportunity for urbanists, community activists, city agencies, and community development organizations to engage directly with one another to advance neighborhood-centered change.

   Panelists include:

   • Jan Lee, 3rd generation Chinatown resident and property manager
   • Alice Liu, Owner, Grand Tea & Imports; SBS AveNYC Program Manager + Community Outreach Lead, Think!Chinatown
   • Andrew Marcus, Director of Neighborhood Planning, NYC Department of Small Business Services
   • Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute
   • Emily Weidenhof, Director of Public Space, NYC Department of Transportation

   This event is organized in partnership with the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute, and with support from the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

   For full event information and RSVP, visit thinkchinatown.org/happenings.

   About Think!Chinatown

   Think!Chinatown is a place-based intergenerational non-profit in Manhattan’s Chinatown, working at the intersection of storytelling, arts and neighborhood engagement. We believe the process of listening, reflecting and celebrating develops the community cohesion and trust necessary to work on larger neighborhood issues. By building strength from within our neighborhood, we can shape better policies and programs that define our public spaces, celebrate our cultural heritage and innovate how our collective memories are represented.

9. Now on view: COMMON GROUND by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong

   March 1, 2023 2:04 pm Comments Off on Now on view: COMMON GROUND by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong

   Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Van Alen Institute Unveil Interactive Public Sculpture by Artist Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong in Downtown Brooklyn

   COMMON GROUND creates a colorful, vibrant outdoor gathering space to bring community together

   View and download images
   Contact: Elisa Smilovitz | 551-486-3273 | elisa@elisasmilovitz.com

   BROOKLYN (March 1, 2023) – Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) and Van Alen Institute today unveiled a new interactive public art installation: COMMON GROUND, by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong, with lighting design and programming by Xena Petkanas and Christoph Gisel of Arup. Presented with support from Two Trees Management Co., the installation will be on view from March 1 to May 1, 2023, at The Plaza at 300 Ashland, in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District in Downtown Brooklyn.

   The community pavilion is a site-specific, interactive public artwork comprised of a colorful seating landscape and floor motifs that dance across the plaza. Drawing inspiration from the geometry of shrines and sacred spaces and referencing the terraces of the site, this architectural intervention transforms the plaza into an oasis for sitting, socializing and gathering by day and by night. COMMON GROUND creates a bold, joyous space, and offers a playable topography to embrace the here and now. As a community hub, COMMON GROUND aspires to cultivate togetherness and resilience, while encouraging moments of pause, reflection and play.

   During the evening, COMMON GROUND creates a shared synesthetic experience. The pavilion is illuminated with color-changing lighting and sensors that register environmental audio. Light animations shimmer across the sculpture in response to nearby sounds — the movements of passersby, footsteps on the structure, voices, the hum of traffic. These dynamic colored lights blend with the vibrant hues of the topography, playing with our perception of color. Here, COMMON GROUND is a place of joy and light, celebrating inclusion, diversity, and togetherness.

   “With its bold colors and interactive light display, COMMON GROUND transforms one of Downtown Brooklyn’s signature public spaces into a work of art that will engage visitors while also injecting color and life into our streetscape,” said Downtown Brooklyn President Regina Myer. “We are excited to once again partner with Van Alen Institute and Two Trees on a project that invites everyone to pause, reflect, and come together in this unique immersive installation.”

   “Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong’s COMMON GROUND ignites downtown Brooklyn with sound, color, and motion, playfully inviting neighbors and passersby to interact,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “COMMON GROUND’s welcoming presence exemplifies Van Alen Institute’s commitment to inclusive shared joy in public spaces. It’s the perfect spot to welcome in spring, and we thank Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Two Trees for their partnership in bringing this installation to life.”

   “COMMON GROUND creates this playful interruption on the plaza, one of Downtown Brooklyn’s everyday spaces, to bring a new community pavilion to the area,” said Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong. “By night, it becomes a large-scale instrument of sorts, responding to environmental audio — you’re encouraged to come sit, sing, play, linger and experience the art.”

   Performances are scheduled to activate the space, with the opening night on Wednesday, March 1 at 6 pm featuring the NuTribe Dance Company and Mark Morris Dance Group teaching artists CocoMotion and Luffy with an improvisational performance in the art of Waacking and Krumping.

   The Plaza at 300 Ashland has served as a hub for the arts since its unveiling in 2017, even amid the pandemic. Most recently, it was the site of Soft-Firm’s Drive-Thru art installation. Managed, programmed, and maintained by DBP, the plaza also features a year-round calendar of programming including film screenings, concerts, theater performances, dance and fitness classes, readings, community gatherings, and more — all free and open to the public.

   COMMON GROUND is part of Van Alen Institute’s Public Realm R+D program, intended to surface the work of emerging designers and test new strategies to bring people together in public space.

   COMMON GROUND Performance Lineup:
   • March 1 — NuTribe Dance Company and MMDG teaching artists CocoMotion and Luffy present an improvisational performance in the art of Waacking and Krumping.
   • April 6 — Peniel Guerrier and Kriye Bode will bring Haitian Rara to the plaza with an enchanting performance that calls all to rejoice in the energy of life as a community.
   • April 13 — Dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist Kendra J. Ross will give a glimpse into her latest work in progress.
   • April 20 — Soles of Duende, the all-female multicultural trio, will present a spirited collaboration across disciplines in celebration of Tap, Flamenco and Kathak dance.
   • April 22 — Pratt Institute’s fashion department will close out their academic year with JUNIOR THESIS, a fashion performance featuring selected works.

   Visiting COMMON GROUND:
   The installation in on view daily, with interactive lighting displayed from 5 pm–12 am. The Plaza at 300 Ashland is located at the intersection of Lafayette and Flatbush Avenues, a short walk from the B, Q, 2/3, and 4/5 subway lines at Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center, the G train at Fulton St, and the C train at Lafayette Ave., as well as numerous bus lines. There is also paid parking close by.

   #

   About Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong
   Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong is a New York-based artist and trained architect working at the intersection of art, architecture and the public realm. Wong’s work investigates the transformation of space over time and seeks to challenge social and political boundaries through sculpture, installation, performance, and site-specific architectural interventions. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Cheryl received her B.A. in Art and Italian at the University of California at Berkeley, studied sculpture at Brera Academy in Milan, Italy and earned her Master of Architecture from Columbia University GSAPP. She has completed public art commissions with various institutions to activate underused public spaces, including: New York State Thruway Authority, New York City Parks, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, City of Calgary, City of Inglewood and Washington DC Public Schools.

   About Downtown Brooklyn Partnership:
   The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that serves as the primary champion for Downtown Brooklyn as a world-class business, cultural, educational, residential, and retail destination. Managing three Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) that cover Downtown Brooklyn — the MetroTech BID, Fulton Mall Improvement Association, and Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID — the Partnership’s diverse activities include attracting new businesses and improving the environment for existing companies, facilitating the construction of public spaces and streetscapes that promote an active and cohesive community, supporting and promoting Downtown Brooklyn’s cultural assets, and encouraging a sense of place and an engaged civic community.

   About Van Alen Institute:
   Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through community-led inclusive design. In an equitable city, communities are engaged in the conception and creation of their built environment, regardless of income or personal circumstances. Community-driven decision-making builds resilience, social infrastructure, and ultimately, more just cities. For 129 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, arts and culture, community organizing, preservation, and public policy.

   About The Plaza at 300 Ashland:
   The Plaza at 300 Ashland sits at the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District, adjacent to the brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, and Park Slope. Managed, programmed, and maintained by DBP, the public plaza features a robust calendar of events presented in partnership with premier Brooklyn arts organizations such as BAM, BRIC, Brooklyn Public Library, Mark Morris Dance Group, MoCADA, 651 Arts, and Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA), offering free, high-quality programming for everyone. With ample stepped seating, bistro tables and chairs, and capacity for 2,000, the 15,000-sf plaza has regularly hosted large-scale festivals, markets, and community events since its opening in 2017. Programming at The Plaza at 300 Ashland is made possible by support from Two Trees Management Co.

10. Launching Neighborhoods Now: Forward

    March 17, 2022 9:06 am Comments Off on Launching Neighborhoods Now: Forward

    Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute Launch New Cycle of Neighborhoods Now, Pandemic Recovery Initiative

    Supported by a grant from Wells Fargo, seven community-based teams will lead long-term recovery at the neighborhood scale

    Contact: Alisha Kim Levin, Director of Communications, press@vanalen.org

    (New York City—March 17, 2022) — The Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute announce a new cycle of Neighborhoods Now, their initiative launched in spring 2020 to support local NYC organizations leading their communities’ pandemic recovery. Under the heading Neighborhoods Now: Forward, the initiative will extend through the end of 2022 and transition from rapid, tactical responses to long-term recovery strategies on a wider scale. Led by community organizations, seven interdisciplinary teams will enliven and program public space, provide technical support to small businesses, and strengthen cultural activities.

    Across four boroughs, teams are led by the 82nd Street Partnership; Asian Americans for Equality and Think!Chinatown; Bed-Stuy Gateway BID; Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; Community League of the Heights; FABnyc; and the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition. Building on the lasting partnerships forged over the past two years, these community partners will collaborate with architecture, design, economic development, legal, and planning firms. 14 firms are continuing their engagement with the initiative; firms new to the initiative include Barretto Consulting, Beyer Blinder Belle, BJH Advisors, Dash Marshall, HLW Architects, Gehl Studio, MA’AM, NHDM, Smart Design, and The Working Assembly.

    Neighborhoods Now: Forward is made possible through a grant from Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund. With yearlong funding in place, each team is developing projects to build long-term resiliency in neighborhood economies. To strengthen learnings across communities, teams will also meet up throughout the year to exchange their experiences and spark creativity.

    “Neighborhoods Now started as a design sprint, and it’s evolved — beyond our wildest expectations — into a platform for enduring partnerships and collective activism,” said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “We’re immensely grateful to Wells Fargo for making this level of strategic planning possible by recognizing that communities need to drive their own recovery and futures.”

    “Collaborating with our brilliant community partners has reassured me that the future of New York City is bright,” said Daniel McPhee, Executive Director, Urban Design Forum. “We are delighted that our members are continuing to help small businesses and cultural organizations recover from the pandemic and thrive.”

    “Working with Neighborhoods Now and the Wells Fargo team has been a great support and opportunity for Bed-Stuy Gateway BID,” said Ms. Dale Charles, Executive Director, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID. “These relationships have allowed us to engage, support, and give opportunities to the small businesses of our commercial corridors struggling because of COVID-19. This process has brought the community together in so many ways, culminating in our annual Winter Wonderland holiday market.”

    “Last year, through the process of developing our Vision Plan with the Neighborhoods Now team, FABnyc was able to think deeply about how we could bring together three goals — supporting local cultural organizations, activating public spaces, and advancing cultural equity — into a single vision,” said Ryan Gilliam, Executive Director, FABnyc. “I’m very excited this year to be creating tools with our team to move that plan forward, building our capacity to activate public space, collaborate with community partners, and engage local artists and cultural organizations.”

    “We are excited to embark on a new phase of Neighborhoods Now to build upon our Chinatown Nights festival to make it into a sustained cultural night market for Chinatown and beyond,” said Thomas Yu, Executive Director, Asian Americans for Equality.

    Added Yin Kong, Executive Director, Think!Chinatown, “Working together with neighboring organizations and designers has catalyzed rooted change that can be seen in our free cultural programming. The spirit of Neighborhoods Now shines at Chinatown Nights.”

    “New York’s small businesses and cultural organizations have been hit especially hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, and neighborhoods where many business owners, entrepreneurs and employees live and work have been severely affected,” said Catherine Domenech, Senior Social Impact & Sustainability Specialist at Wells Fargo. “Now more than ever, we are actively investing in the communities we serve and providing meaningful support and resources for the places that need it the most. Wells Fargo is proud to partner with the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute on the Neighborhoods Now initiative, which will help many New Yorkers get back on their feet and accelerate their communities’ pandemic recovery.”

    Neighborhoods Now: Forward Teams and Projects

    JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS

    Community lead: 82nd Street Partnership

    Team: n-architects; SO-IL; MA’AM; NHDM

    The Jackson Heights team will create a roadmap for the 82nd Street commercial corridor to rebuild from the pandemic. Jackson Heights’ Dunningham Triangle is at the center of this goal, envisioned as a safer, welcoming space for children and families that encourages foot traffic to nearby small businesses.

    CHINATOWN, MANHATTAN

    Community leads: Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) and Think!Chinatown (T!C)

    Team: Joseph J. Barretto, Barretto Consulting; di Domenico + Partners; Leroy Street Studio; The Working Assembly

    The Chinatown team will expand the night market Chinatown Nights — launched at Forsyth Plaza in 2021 with support of Neighborhoods Now — through new community outreach and a redesign to accommodate a wider array of food and arts vendors. They will also work with designers to transform a vacant storefront owned by AAFE into a cultural workshop space for T!C’s ongoing public programming, gathering and organizing work for the Chinatown community.

    BED-STUY, BROOKLYN

    Community lead: Bed-Stuy Gateway BID

    Team: Moody Nolan; Dash Marshall

    The Gateway BID team will build on Winter Wonderland, an open-air holiday market supporting local small businesses launched through Neighborhoods Now. After two successful pilot markets in 2020 and 2021, the BID hopes to build this event into a hallmark of holiday activities in Central Brooklyn that strengthens Bed-Stuy’s social cohesion.

    Community lead: Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration)

    Team: Farzana Gandhi Design Studio; James Corner Field Operations; KPF

    The Restoration team will develop new financial and spatial resources for the Brooklyn Business Center (BBC) at Restoration, in order to support small businesses in Brooklyn and build BBC’s capacity to share compelling success stories that inspire other local entrepreneurs.

    KINGSBRIDGE, BRONX

    Community lead: Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC)

    Team: Dattner Architects; Scalar Architecture

    The Kingsbridge team aims to complete a neighborhood assessment to understand the current challenges and long-term opportunities for small businesses and tenants along Kingsbridge Avenue & Jerome Avenue. The assessment will lead into an action plan to support the community and avoid displacement, centering the community at each phase of the process.

    LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    Community lead: FABnyc

    Team: DLR Group, Marvel, Smart Design

    Having completed FABnyc’s 20/20 Vision Plan through Neighborhoods Now, the Lower East Side team aims to strengthen existing and new sites for cultural activity. They aim to build on existing Open Streets programming, expand the Open Arts Lower East Side event to build sustainability, and create long-term strategic plans for new sites and platforms.

    WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, MANHATTAN

    Community lead: Community League of the Heights (CLOTH)

    Team: Beyer Blinder Belle, BJH Advisors, HLW

    The Washington Heights team will conduct a needs assessment of businesses to help create a thriving and vibrant commercial corridor. The team will also provide technical support for small businesses who need to update their facades and improve their interior layouts.

    WRAPAROUND EXPERTISE

    As needs arise, legal firm Fried Frank, community development and research firm Gehl Studio, and graphic design studio Pentagram will support each team.

    About Urban Design Forum

    Urban Design Forum mobilizes civic leaders to confront the defining issues facing New York City’s built environment. We are an independent membership organization that empowers professionals of diverse backgrounds, industries and perspectives to shape a better future for all New Yorkers. We investigate complex challenges in the built environment, study alternative approaches from cities around the world, and advance progressive strategies to build a more dynamic and democratic city.

    See all work at urbandesignforum.org.

    About Van Alen Institute

    Van Alen Institute helps create equitable cities through inclusive design. In an equitable city, every person is civically engaged, regardless of income or personal circumstances. To achieve that goal, inclusive design supports a community-driven public realm.

    For more than 125 years, our purposeful community engagement, convening capacity, and global interdisciplinary network have produced profound transformations in the public realm of New York City and beyond. With a core belief in an interdisciplinary approach to design, the Van Alen team has backgrounds in architecture, urban planning, public health, civic advocacy, community engagement, and arts and culture.

    See all work at vanalen.org.