Thank you to everyone who stopped by the 2023 Van Alen Block Party in Gowanus last Saturday! We were thrilled to meet Gowanus locals and to make connections with other institutions with a similar agenda to ours: Dancewave, Gowanus Mutual Aid, House of Speakeasy Bookmobile, Artichoke Dance Company, Gowanus Oversight Taskforce, and music by Los Herederos Sonicycle.
The Block Party invited the Gowanus community to connect, honor, and celebrate one another. During a period of immense change and development in the Gowanus area it is essential that locals actively support each other through connection and collective action.
We were also able to spread our mission to bring more local art into NYC homes and connect artists directly with audiences. Some of our artists’ prints are being hosted right now in homes in the Gowanus area.
We got to see a live performance from the Gowanus Wildcats, a vibrant steps outfit that gathers some talented, expressive teenagers. We also had the privilege of hearing the voices of local advocates for public housing, water management, and access to nature.
Despite the torrential rain and flooding that occurred the day before, the event brought together hundreds of locals, – and people from further away too, as the Van Alen Institute has many connections in the state. They work on a whole variety of projects that are inventive, innovative, and bring social justice to our cities. An inspiration to Gallery Particulier!
We are thankful to Shiloah Coley, Andrew Brown, Alisha Kim Levin, Deborah Marten and everyone at Van Alen for having us at the Block Party, and for organizing such an inviting and compelling event. And finally, we are deeply touched and grateful to the wonderful Gowanus community for welcoming us.
Contributed by Yasmin Antmann
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