Archive

1. Photos: Creatures from the Canal block party

   June 20, 2026 1:13 pm Comments Off on Photos: Creatures from the Canal block party

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Well, we did it! When artist duo Mookntaka first responded to our open call for a public design project in Gowanus, they envisioned their Friends from the Canal on the water at some point. We all agreed: this had to happen.

   On Saturday, April 20, we pulled together with our neighbors Arts Gowanus, Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, The Shop BK, and Council Member Shahana Hanif’s office to host the Creatures of the Canal block party. This day of cross-canal connections celebrated the reopening of the Carroll Street Bridge. Built in 1899 and closed for repairs since 2021, the Carroll Street Bridge is one of the city’s oldest, and one of only four retractable bridges remaining in the US. We marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Council Member Hanif, art activities, a costume contest, and much more fun.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   And to close out the event, Mookntaka and the Dredgers paddled the Friends along the Gowanus Canal, to everyone’s absolute delight. We’re so grateful to the Dredgers for their willingness to help and ingenuity to make it work, and to everyone to participated, stopped by, and contributed to the festivities.

   Learn more

   Related Projects

   

   Common Build

   Ongoing

   Friends from the Canal

   On view through August, these inflatable, illuminated sculptures by artist duo Mookntaka are a playful welcome to Gowanus.

   See Project

   

   Ongoing

   Common Build

   Surfacing the work of emerging designers and testing new strategies to bring people together in public space.

   See Project

2. Creatures of the Canal

   June 10, 2026 2:24 pm Comments Off on Creatures of the Canal

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Creatures of the Canal

   Saturday, June 20, 4–10 pm (rain date: July 25)
   420 Carroll Street, Brooklyn

   This day of cross-canal connections celebrates the reopening of the Carroll Street Bridge. Built in 1899 and closed for repairs since 2021, the Carroll Street Bridge is one of the city’s oldest, and one of only four retractable bridges remaining in the US. Celebrate with family-friendly activities that span the Gowanus Canal, including a block party, costume-making, canoeing, and refreshments from local businesses.

   As part of our project Friends from the Canal, artist duo Mookntaka creates a floating art installation. In collaboration with the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, their inflatable, illuminated characters Loofa, Shelby, and Pebbles will float down the Gowanus Canal. Join us at 8 pm on the Carroll Street Bridge to view this one-night-only activation!

   Free and open to the public. RSVP and get event updates at luma.com/creatures.

   RSVP

   Event Schedule

   11–3 pm: Free Canoeing & Art Activities @ Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse
   162 2nd St, Brooklyn

   Hop into a Gowanus Dredgers canoe and paddle at your own pace inside the protected Gowanus Canal. Experience the changing neighborhood from a new perspective, practice your paddling skills, or take a guided audio tour and learn more about the history, cleanup and revitalization of our favorite urban waterway. Pop inside the boathouse for costume making, an art exhibit, and other activities.

   4–9 pm: Block Party @ 420 Carroll
   420 Carroll St, Brooklyn

   Hosted by The Shop BK, this festive afternoon features art-making demonstrations by local artists, games, and other family-friendly activities from local organizations including Brooklyn Builders, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Hey Clay, and Leroy’s Place, who will feature their newest large-scale puppet. Refreshments will be for sale from local businesses.

   4–7 pm: Creature Costume-Making
   420 Carroll St

   With materials provided by Arts Gowanus, create your own Creatures of the Canal costume or tote bag. Bioluminescent, fluorescent, and light-up costumes are highly encouraged! Transform yourself into an edgy egret, a harried heron, a crabby crab, a jaunty jellyfish, a yummy mummichog, a poised porpoise, a radioactive rat, a rabid raccoon, the legendary Sludgie the Whale, or any fantastical canal creature you fancy. Adorn yourself in faux fur, feathers, flippers, scales, sequins… Create your most wondrous and bizarre creations to life, then wear them at the party! If you’d prefer to make your costume in advance, you’re still welcome to join the party and costume contest.

   7 pm: Costume Contest
   420 Carroll St

   The costume-making fun culminates with a contest open to all. Strut your bioluminescent stuff before a panel of local judges, and celebrate the immense creativity of Gowanus residents!

   8 pm: Mookntaka’s Friends from the Canal… ON the Canal
   Carroll Street Bridge and 420 Carroll St promenade

   Have you spotted Mookntaka’s three Friends from the Canal around Gowanus? This multi-site public art installation imagines gentle creatures — known as Loofa, Shelby, and Pebbles — emerging from the Gowanus Canal to meet their neighbors. For this one-night-only return to the water, gather on the newly-reopened Carroll Street Bridge or 420 Carroll’s promenade to watch the Friends float down the canal with the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club.

   9 pm: Afterparty @ Gowanus Dredgers Boat House
   165 2nd St

   Wind down the night with some good old-fashioned canal-side socializing.

   Schedule is subject to change. RSVP for latest event updates.

   RSVP

   Related Project

   

   Common Build

   Ongoing

   Friends from the Canal

   On view through August, these inflatable, illuminated sculptures by artist duo Mookntaka are a playful welcome to Gowanus.

   See Project

   Related Press

   Press

   NYCHA Journal

   Temporary Art Installation at Wyckoff Gardens That Will Make You Smile

   Read More

   Press

   Art Hag NYC

   Mookntaka | Friends of the Canal

   Read More

3. Temporary Art Installation at Wyckoff Gardens That Will Make You Smile

   April 30, 2026 11:23 am Comments Off on Temporary Art Installation at Wyckoff Gardens That Will Make You Smile

4. Photos: Unveiling of Friends from the Canal

   April 22, 2026 4:13 pm Comments Off on Photos: Unveiling of Friends from the Canal

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   On April 22, we had such a magical evening celebrating Mookntaka and their Friends from the Canal. We visited each Friend to watch them officially emerge into the neighborhood, and toasted this wonderful project back at Van Alen HQ. (Special shout out to the custom colorful monkey bread from Cafe Mars – so on theme!)

   Created by Mookntaka, Friends from the Canal responds to Gowanus’ state of flux. As the area transforms, this installation imagines friendly, curious creatures emerging from the Gowanus Canal to investigate the commotion and meet their neighbors. Be sure to visit each Friend the next time you’re nearby:

   • Cafe Mars, 272 3rd Ave at President St (map)
   • Union Channel at Gowanus Wharf, 240 3rd Ave at Union St (map)
   • Wyckoff Gardens, 1987 Nevins St at Warren St (map)

   Learn more

   In the News

   Press

   NYCHA Journal

   Temporary Art Installation at Wyckoff Gardens That Will Make You Smile

   Read More

   Press

   Art Hag NYC

   Mookntaka | Friends of the Canal

   Read More

   Related Projects

   

   Common Build

   Ongoing

   Friends from the Canal

   On view through August, these inflatable, illuminated sculptures by artist duo Mookntaka are a playful welcome to Gowanus.

   See Project

   

   Ongoing

   Common Build

   Surfacing the work of emerging designers and testing new strategies to bring people together in public space.

   See Project

5. New Project

   3:28 pm Comments Off on New Project

   New Project is a custom fabrication studio and design services firm specializing in creative build projects. They provide fabrication, design engineering, and installation services, in addition to conceptual design support, technical problem-solving, technology integration, art handling, and project management.

   New Project’s team of creative and highly experienced carpenters, metal smiths, artisans, designers, project managers, and support staff merge diverse backgrounds to deliver innovative design solutions. Rooted in robust skillsets built by decades of working with some of the most talented creative professionals in the industry, their team works across typologies and complexities, always striving to enhance the creative vision of our clients.

6. Mookntaka | Friends of the Canal

   2:27 pm Comments Off on Mookntaka | Friends of the Canal

7. Powerhouse Arts Community Day

   1:42 pm Comments Off on Powerhouse Arts Community Day

   Powerhouse Arts Community Day

   Saturday, May 16, 11 am–5 pm
   Powerhouse Arts
   322 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn

   Join Mookntaka and their playful inflatable sculptures at Powerhouse Arts Community Day. Creators of our public art project Friends from the Canal, Mookntaka (MOO-kin-tah-kah) is a Brooklyn-based artist duo by Mark Zlotsky and Karyn Lao. They believe in art that encourages people of all ages to connect through play.  Meet the artists, learn more about the process of making Friends from the Canal, and join the project’s scavenger hunt.

   Friends from the Canal is produced by Van Alen Institute and made possible by a Public Realm Grant for Commercial District Lighting awarded through the NYC Department of Small Business Services; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

   Learn more and RSVP

   Related Projects

   

   Common Build

   Ongoing

   Friends from the Canal

   On view through August, these inflatable, illuminated sculptures by artist duo Mookntaka are a playful welcome to Gowanus.

   See Project

8. Unveiling: Friends from the Canal

   April 2, 2026 11:00 am Comments Off on Unveiling: Friends from the Canal

   Unveiling: Friends from the Canal

   Tuesday, April 21, 7–9 pm
   Gowanus, Brooklyn

   ​Join us for the debut of Friends from the Canal, the latest public design project for our Common Build initiative.

   ​Created by artist duo Mookntaka, this multi-site installation features three inflatable, illuminated sculptures that serve as a friendly welcome to Gowanus. These three “cheerful mutants” — known as Loofa, Pebbles, and Shelby — are inspired by the canal’s aquatic fauna. Placed outside at three locations in Gowanus, the Friends create moments of play in unexpected places.

   Join us for a walking tour and lighting ceremony of the Friends, followed by a reception at Van Alen Institute. We encourage you to embrace your sense of play with colorful attire!

   RSVP

   ​Event Schedule

   • ​7 pm: Remarks and first lighting ceremony
   • ​7:40 pm: Walking tour
   • ​8:20 pm: Reception at Van Alen Institute

   About Mookntaka

   ​Mookntaka (MOO-kin-tah-kah) is a Brooklyn-based artist duo by Mark Zlotsky and Karyn Lao. The moniker is a combination of their names through the voice of their then two-year-old niece: Uncle Mark and Auntie Karyn. Mookntaka believes in art that encourages people of all ages to connect through play. Utilizing mediums associated with arts-and-crafts, rudimentary shapes, and lively colors, Mookntaka designs interactive moments that bring people together. Mookntaka embodies the wonder and whimsical lens we investigate our surroundings with. It serves as a reminder to themselves and others to find joy in unexpected places and embrace the silliness and curiosity of our inner child. ​Learn more at mookntaka.com.

   RSVP

   ​Friends from the Canal is produced by Van Alen Institute and made possible by a Public Realm Grant for Commercial District Lighting awarded through the NYC Department of Small Business Services; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

9. Pratt Institute Research Open House 2026

   March 25, 2026 10:42 am Comments Off on Pratt Institute Research Open House 2026

   Pratt Institute Research Open House 2026
   Friday, April 17, 1–5 pm
   Brooklyn Navy Yard, Building 3, 7th Floor
   63 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn

   This flagship event showcases faculty and student research, highlighting collaborations with industry, community, and university partners. Explore the latest in creative technologies, innovations, and experiential environments, and discover the breadth of research at Pratt. As a community partner, Van Alen will showcase our public design projects Design Sprints and Friends from the Canal.

   RSVP

   Related Projects

   

   Common Build

   Ongoing

   Friends from the Canal

   On view through August, these inflatable, illuminated sculptures by artist duo Mookntaka are a playful welcome to Gowanus.

   See Project

   

   Design Sprints

   Archive

   Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity

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

   See Project

10. POSTPONED: Gowanus Community Festival

    January 29, 2026 11:07 am Comments Off on POSTPONED: Gowanus Community Festival

    

    Gowanus Community Festival

    Saturday, April 25, 12–4 pm
    Thomas Greene Playground
    Gowanus, Brooklyn

     

    Update 4/24/26: Due to forecasted rain this weekend, this event has been postponed and a new date is pending. Please stay tuned for an announcement on a new date!

     

    Van Alen joins the annual Gowanus Community Festival at Thomas Greene Playground. Meet the artists and designers creating Friends from the Canal and Gowanus Yearbook, and participate in family-friendly activities, including live music and face painting. Drop-in, no RSVP needed.