Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity

This work is part of Design Sprints, an umbrella initiative; learn more about it here.

Contents

    In Spring 2025, our third Design Sprints cohort is partnering with NYC's Department of Small Business Services to activate vacant storefronts.

    About

    Design Sprints Grand Street BID team. Photo: Alisha Kim Levin

    In Spring 2025, our Design Sprints program is partnering with New York City’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to explore the intersection between arts programming and economic development, with a focus on areas with high storefront vacancy.

    Storefront vacancy is a nuanced issue impacting many commercial districts’ quality of life, public realm, and small business engagement. While addressing storefront vacancy requires a long-term strategy for investment and intervention, in the short term, immediate services are needed to address the impact the perception of vacancy has on commercial districts. Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity will provide community-based organizations with capacity building and design support, including project design and strategic planning, to understand and address storefront vacancy in creative ways.

    Learn more about our Spring 2025 cohort and their projects below!

    This initiative is supported by the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

    Cooper Square Committee

    As the oldest anti-displacement organization in the United States, Cooper Square Committee works with residents to preserve and develop affordable, environmentally-healthy housing and community and cultural spaces on the Lower East Side. They’re collaborating with artist Delphine Le Goff and graphic designer Scott Kelly to activate their storefront window on East 4th Street and two vacant storefronts located in a Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) cooperative — a type of affordable housing co-op that’s collectively owned and operated by residents. Together, they will highlight the history of HDFCs and the small businesses situated in them, and create a digital map showcasing local businesses.

    Abigail Ellman

    Director of Planning and Development,

    Cooper Square Committee

    Scott Kelly

    Graphic Designer

    Grand Street BID

    The Grand Street Business Improvement District (BID) is a nonprofit community development organization creating a vibrant commercial district along Grand Street in Brooklyn through advocacy, beautification, and sanitation efforts. They’re collaborating with branding and digital designers L&L Studio and ReFrame Architecture to transform a large vacant corner storefront in Brooklyn. Their storefront window activation will feature an interactive art project highlighting the East Williamsburg community.

    Francesca Fernandez Bruce

    Executive Director, Grand Street BID

    Yazan Mansi

    Community Engagement Manager, Grand Street BID

    Yalda Keramati

    Founder, ReFrame Architecture

    Program Advisors

    Throughout the sprint, a team of designers provide strategic vision and guidance for both teams. MOS Architects is advising on the cohort’s long-term plans to address storefront vacancy, with graphic design support from American Design Language. Fabricator Pink Sparrow is conducting ongoing feasibility review and cost assessments, while Farzana Gandhi Design Studio is helping the teams prepare public programs and community engagement activities.

    Cat Garcia-Menocal

    Creative Director, Pink Sparrow

    Stacey Geller

    Founder & Creative Director,

    American Design Language

    Farzana Gandhi

    Founder, Farzana Gandhi Design Studio

    Hilary Sample

    Co-Founder, MOS

    Program Managers

    Through the sprint and storefront activations, Van Alen Institute and SBS provide the cohort with hands-on guidance, facilitation and relationship-building techniques, and connections to design resources.

    René Cuenca

    Senior Program Manager of Capacity Building,

    NYC Department of Small Business Services

    Timeline

    Dec 2024 – Jan 2025

    Teams Formed

    Van Alen and SBS connect community partners with design professionals.

    Feb – Mar 2025

    Sprint: Design and Strategy

    Teams collaborate for eight weeks, with facilitation provided by Van Alen and SBS.

    Apr 2025

    Fabrication and Installation

    Teams fabricate and realize their projects.

    May 2025

    Unveilings and Share Out

    Teams unveil their storefront activations, organize public programming, and present their work at Van Alen Institute.

    Resources

    In this virtual workshop presented by SBS and Van Alen, community-based development organizations  learned about low-cost, easy-to-use design tools to create and improve their brand identity. They also discovered how design can amplify the impact of their work and how to collaborate with artists to create projects that respond to neighborhood needs.

    Speakers:
    Diana Araujo, Architect and Preservationist
    Rosa Chang, Co-Founder and President, Gotham Park
    BD Feliz, Design Strategist
    Martha Hall, Illustrator
    Scott Kelly, Graphic Designer

    This workshop was funded by the New York City Small Business Services’ Organizational Development Avenue NYC grant.

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