Brooklyn Navy Yard Unveils Public Art Commissions Celebrating Brooklyn’s Creativity, Industry and Future

The Brooklyn Navy Development Corporation (BNYDC) announced its 2026 Public Art Commissions, a trio of temporary installations that will transform Flushing Avenue from mid-May through early November 2026. Anchored by the theme of Brooklyn as a place shaped by creativity, industry, entrepreneurship and community, the commissions – BUILD THE FUTURE, Brooklyn: Layered Lenses and Brooklyn Becomes – advance BNYDC’s Public Art Program mission to activate public space, create welcoming entry points to the Yard and support the development of creative talent across multiple career stages. On June 4, BNYDC celebrated the art installations with an event that brought together local artists, visitors, entrepreneurs and community members.

“Brooklyn has always been defined by the ingenuity of its people, from makers and entrepreneurs to artists and innovators,” said Lindsay Greene, President and CEO of BNYDC. “Through our Public Art Program, we are creating opportunities for artists at every stage of their careers to engage with the public realm while celebrating the creativity, industry and entrepreneurial spirit that continue to shape Brooklyn’s future. These installations enhance Flushing Avenue, while reinforcing the Navy Yard’s role as a place where creativity and innovation thrive.”

BNYDC’s Public Art Program builds on a series of successful public-facing art initiatives launched over the past six years. Beginning in 2020 with temporary installations in Buildings 77 and 92 and followed by the 2021 Atmosphere for Invention photo mesh installation stretching nearly three-quarters of a mile along Flushing Avenue, these projects laid the groundwork for the formal launch of the Public Art Program in 2023.

Now in its third year, BNYDC’s Public Art Program reflects Brooklyn’s unique creative and industrial identity while positioning the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a hub for innovation, artistic expression and creative placemaking. The 2026 commissions support artists ranging from high school students and graduate-level practitioners to established professional artists, creating opportunities for artistic growth, public visibility and community engagement. Art installations at the Navy Yard include:

BUILD THE FUTURE, by Peter Miller

Selected through Brooklyn Forged, an open call inviting Brooklyn-based artists to examine how labor, material innovation, and entrepreneurial drive have shaped the borough’s industrial and cultural identity, BUILD THE FUTURE spans 350 feet along the fence line in front of Building 3 between Clermont Avenue and Adelphi Street.

Following a competitive review involving public art and public space experts from the Center for Brooklyn History/Brooklyn Public Library, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC Department of Transportation and Recess, artist and architect Peter Miller was selected from sixteen submissions.

Miller’s installation transforms hand-woven strips of colored aluminum into a dynamic three-dimensional composition. Yellow, green, orange and blue elements shift with the viewer’s movement, evoking transformation, growth and momentum.

BROOKLYN: LAYERED LENSES, by Tanvi Shaha and Joris Van Helmond

Developed through a partnership with Pratt Institute and the graduate course Project in the Public Realm, taught by Adjunct Professor Jean Shin, Brooklyn Connects provided graduate students with hands-on experience in public art development and implementation.

Selected from six proposals, Brooklyn: Layered Lenses by Tanvi Shaha and Joris Van Helmond is installed at Building 92. Through layered imagery of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Prospect Park, and Coney Island, the work explores Brooklyn’s interconnected systems of production, commons, and spectacle. Colored vinyl and clear acrylic create shifting interactions of light, color, and perspective, encouraging viewers to consider the connections between distinct places, communities, and ways of seeing.

Fabrication and installation support for participating students was provided by Brooklyn artist and longtime BNYDC collaborator Amy Lemaire.

BROOKLYN BECOMES, by McKinney Secondary School of the Arts Students

Brooklyn Becomes reflects a partnership between BNYDC and McKinney Secondary School of the Arts, located less than half a mile from the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Developed in collaboration with Eleanor Chung, Visual and Performing Arts Chair, the initiative invited students to imagine Brooklyn’s future with boldness, curiosity and creativity.

Thirty-three submissions were received, with nineteen works selected for a 100-foot photo mesh installation along the Flushing Avenue fence line between the Cumberland Gate and Wegmans. Organized around five themes: Journeys, Pathways & Discovery; The Power of Community & Connections; Vibrancy, Culture & Diversity; Proactive Policymaking for a Better Future; and Hi-Tech & Imagined Futures, the installation presents a collective vision of Brooklyn through the eyes of emerging young artists.