Mapping Memory: Flood Lines & Storylines

Join us at Powerhouse Arts for the final public program of The Dear Neighbor Project. At this guided art workshop led by artist Tiffany Baker, co-create a large-scale community flood map of Gowanus based on your personal narratives.

With collage, drawings, or text, you'll create visual stories of where you've lived, witnessed change, or experienced flooding in Gowanus. On a community map, place your stories alongside narratives from the project's archive. Through live interview sessions during the workshop, you can also share your own oral stories of flooding for the archive. This workshop is best suited for adults and teens 15+.

Located a few blocks away from Van Alen Institute, Powerhouse Arts (PHA) is a not-for-profit organization committed to creative expression. Their lobby is currently hosting an immersive installation as part of The Dear Neighbor Project. Experience real measurements of flood levels in Gowanus during Hurricane Sandy and other flood events, paired with stories from locals about their experiences. The installation is on view during PHA's open hours, and will be available to view before the workshop.

About The Dear Neighbor Project

Created by Brooklyn-based artist Tiffany Baker, this multi-site mural installation turns the voices of Gowanus residents into public art and illustrates their experiences with flooding in the neighborhood.

To create The Dear Neighbor Project, Tiffany connected with community leaders, local organizations, business owners, and residents to learn more about the impact of flooding in Gowanus. She then organized interviews with residents about their personal experiences with flooding, ranging from long-time residents to newer arrivals, and middle schoolers to older adults.

Her murals illustrate and directly quote from these residents’ stories — sharing their experiences, advice, and stories of community support during flood events. An audio archive of their stories lives permanently at dearneighborproject.com.

The Dear Neighbor Project is produced by Van Alen Institute and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support was provided by Rebuild by Design and TYLin.

Installation photos: Cameron Blaylock

About Tiffany Baker

Tiffany Baker (she/her) is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based visual artist, working in oil, acrylic, pencil, digital media, and glass. Tiffany works in a unique style of realist portraiture marked by vibrant palettes and considered attention to her subject’s grooming, often merging somber, regal, and mundane themes, bringing forth her subject’s essence. In her portraiture, she transmutes life experiences into emotive visual expressions that reimagine trauma, embed messages of connection, and celebrate her identity as a Black woman.

Headshot: Jason Bailey