The "Ship of Tolerance" New York by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov on the Brooklyn Waterfront

Ship of Tolerance is a conceptual art installation which aims to educate and connect youth of different continents, cultures and identities through the language of art. The ship's sails are stitched together from paintings by hundreds of schoolchildren from different ethnic and social backgrounds to convey a message of tolerance and hope. Originally modeled after an ancient Egyptian sailing vessel, the Ship is constructed with a wood frame and measures approximately 66-feet long by 23-feet wide. The ship is now on view on the Brooklyn waterfront, docked on the East River between Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge until October 8th. It was part of this year's DUMBO Arts Festival last weekend.

Under the direction of Russian artists, Emilia and Ilya Kabakov and project director, Yulia Dultsina, the Studio in a School art instructors led workshops for hundreds of students, ages 5 through 13, in public schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. 150 student paintings were sewn together to create the sail for The Ship of Tolerance. 

“Children understand tolerance amazingly well. They are mostly unspoiled by the prejudice often carried by the adults. If we listen to them, perhaps, we can alleviate some of the oppression we witness everyday,” commented Emilia and Ilya Kabakov.

Daisuke Kiyomiya's "Macaron" at the DUMBO Arts Festival in Brooklyn

Daisuke Kiyomiya's "Macaron" sculpture is one of the many artworks featured in this year's DUMBO Arts Festival, a three-day celebration of art on the waterfront. Now in its 17th year, the festival features art for all in every discipline in the streets, parks, lobbies, loading docks and studios of DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood of Brooklyn. The sculpture is probably one of the most photographed piece of art during the festival.

DUMBO Walls Project Featuring New Street Art By Shepard Fairey And Other Artists

Shepard Fairey, the graphic designer/illustrator and street artist behind the iconic Obama Hope poster created a mural by the York Street F stop in DUMBO (District Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) in Brooklyn as part of the DUMBO Walls Project. The project is a series of eight outdoor murals packed within a four-block stretch of DUMBO along the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway). It is sponsored by the DUMBO Improvement District and Two Trees Management Co in partnership with the NYC DOT Urban Art Program and Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Fairey's new piece (pictured above) is a large mural with "Peace" on the left and "Justice" on the right. Other artists participating in DUMBO Walls include Eltono, Stefan Sagmeister, Yuko Shizimu, CAM, DALeast, Faith47 and MOMO. Below are two other vibrant murals featured in DUMBO Walls.

A Tribute To The Iconic Rooftop Water Towers

"Watertower" (Sculpture by Tom Fruin)

Water towers are distinctive structures that have become part of the New York City skyline. They are elevated structures supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water supply system for domestic uses and fire supply for a building. In the 19th century, New York City required that all buildings higher than six stories be equipped with a rooftop water tower. While some of the newer buildings incorporate the rustic structures into the architectural design, most buildings make no effort to hide the tanks. Most of these water towers are made of wood that isn't painted or chemically treated, making them look old.

As a tribute to the iconic New York City water tower, Brooklyn-based artist, Tom Fruin installed his sculpture called Watertower (20012) atop a building in DUMBO, Brooklyn. The colorful piece is made of salvaged steel, bolts and roughly a thousand pieces of plexiglass. It includes interior and exterior access ladders and an operable roof hatch. The locally-sourced plexi came from all over New York City—from the floors of Chinatown sign shops, to the closed DUMBO studio of artist Dennis Oppenheim, to Astoria’s demolition salvage warehouse Build It Green!NYC. The sculpture is illuminated by the sun during the day and by Ardunio-controlled light sequences designed by Ryan Holsopple at night. 

Manhattan Bridge

This is the Manhattan Bridge, a suspension bridge that crosses the East River connecting Lower Manhattan (at Canal Street) with Brooklyn (at Flatbush Avenue Extension). It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges. The bridge was opened to traffic in 1909. Designed by Leon Moisseiff, the bridge has four vehicle lanes on the upper level, while the lower level has three lanes, four subway tracks, a walkway and a bikeway. The upper level was originally used for streetcars. These images were made in DUMBO (an acronym for down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass) neighborhood of  Brooklyn at sunset.