Institution: Van Alen Institute
Event Title: The Accidental Archive: A Community Workshop with Divya Mehra
Location: Van Alen Institute, 303 Bond Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Event Format: In-Person Tour and Panel Discussion
Event Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Event Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Van Alen Institute has spent more than 130 years at the intersection of design ambition and civic life. Its archive of thousands of competition boards, jury records, travel logs, and correspondence is one of the most extensive records of American architectural history.
Opening October 8 thru November 13, 2026, Van Alen will present an exhibition titled Open Access: Exploring 130 Years of American Design inviting five artists and designers to respond to our extensive archive. But an archive is never neutral. It reflects the priorities, blind spots, and values of those who built it: who was invited in, whose ideas were resourced, and whose were left out entirely.
To further celebrate during this exhibition, we will present a series of public programs and will host one event on October 22 during New York Archives Week. The Accidental Archive: A Community Workshop with Divya Mehra, this interactive workshop led by writer and artist Divya Mehra, will glean through our own personal archives and ask questions about value, the mundane, and what it means to choose to embrace our own archival practice. During the event, you will have the opportunity to view the exhibition and question what open access means and who does it serve. This event is free and open to the public, but ask people to RSVP at the link provided so we can accommodate as many people as the space allows.
Please visit our website at www.vanalen.org for more information regarding this program and the others being held during the exhibition. We look forward to welcoming you to Van Alen for one of our many public events this Fall!!
Registration Note: Please RSVP to the event using this Luma link: https://luma.com/egvpkebz
Public Contact: Janeen Schiff, jschiff@vanalen.org
