Every time the National Weather Service forecasts heavy rain for New York City, residents and businesses in Gowanus brace themselves. The neighborhood sits in a flood zone, and torrential rainstorms often turn streets into rivers, flooding homes, businesses and subways — especially near the Gowanus Canal. The canal is notorious for overflowing during storms, inundating the area with polluted water.
“The Dear Neighbor Project,” a multi-site visual art exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Tiffany Baker in collaboration with the Van Alen Institute, aims to raise public awareness of flooding in Gowanus. The project captures residents’ experiences during flood events through murals and outdoor sculptures at eight locations throughout the neighborhood.
Each mural is paired with audio stories by longtime residents, students, small business owners and community leaders, who share what it’s like to live in a flood-prone neighborhood, the aftermath of storms and the emotional toll of disaster. Many installations feature QR codes linking to the project’s website, offering a deeper look at the stories and how the work came together.
Baker, who was born in Chicago and moved to Brooklyn in 2004, leveraged her degree in industrial design and passion for storytelling to create public art rooted in community narratives. The murals also highlight the effects of rezoning and airspace rights on neighborhood development, as well as the challenges local businesses face because of flooding.
One mural is a collaboration between Baker and students from M.S. 447 The Math and Science Exploratory School and Cheryl Grau, an educator at the school. Baker created an artistic video lesson for the students, who submitted sketches, drawings and stories about their experiences with flooding in the area.
“It was really beautiful just to hear the youth and their perspective on dealing with the same challenges and the same issues about flooding in their neighborhood [like the adults], but on an adolescent level,” Baker said.
Other interviewees included local business owners and residents, whom Baker said showed immense tenacity in navigating and overcoming the aftermath of floods.
“You can only be as resilient as there is support for you, and what I’ve learned from ‘The Dear Neighbor’ project is that the community supports each other when there are times of crisis. It’s your neighbors who stick their neck out for you and help you when things are uncertain, even when you don’t think that you have the wherewithal to continue going,” Baker told Brooklyn Paper. “It’s people who help people, and that’s been amazing to see and witness and hear about. People have gotten emotional, talking about how their neighbors have stepped up for them.”
One of the questions Baker asked interviewees was whether they would move to a flood-free area if they found a “beautiful house or apartment.”
Baker said she was “kind of shocked” when many said they wouldn’t.
“They would take what they’ve learned and they would make themselves more flood ready, and they would absolutely live in the flood zone again, saying, ‘I learned what I learned. And I’m gonna meet this head on,’” she said. “That was really inspiring to hear.”
Since relocating to Gowanus in 2020, Van Alen has worked to be a “good neighbor” in a historically industrial area undergoing major transformation. In 2021, 82 blocks surrounding the Gowanus Canal were rezoned to build more housing. In response, the nonprofit launched its “Points of Promise” initiative, using art and design to support civic engagement in the neighborhood. The initiative is part of Van Alen’s “Common Build: Gowanus.”
“We asked ourselves, what does it mean to be a good neighbor in Gowanus?” said Shiloah Coley, program manager at Van Alen. “How can we use our network of designers, artists and planners to support the community during such a pivotal time?”
“Points of Promise” is the second installment of the 126-year-old nonprofit’s programming in Gowanus. The organization focuses on building more equitable cities through inclusive design, and “The Dear Neighbor Project” serves as a centerpiece of that effort.
Baker’s project, Coley said, is more than a collection of stories — it’s a model for critical thinking around a pressing environmental issue.
“There was so much intention and care in how Tiffany collected stories — not just from people, but with people. And then she brought those stories back into the neighborhood in a beautiful, meaningful way,” Coley said. “It’s not every day you walk or drive through a neighborhood and see the words of people who live there. That’s something powerful — and something we need more of, not just in Gowanus, but everywhere.”
Van Alen currently has an open call for emerging designers and artists to apply for “Common Build: Gowanus.” The selected artist will create a temporary lighting installation that acts as a “gateway” to the neighborhood. The deadline to apply is Aug. 19 at 11:59 p.m.
