Reclaim NYC, the grassroots organization established for post-Hurricane Sandy relief in the design community, will hold its second furniture exhibition and charity sale during New York Design Week from May 16 to 18 at 446 Broadway, a 5,000-square-foot gallery in the heart of Soho. All event proceeds will go to local communities affected by Hurricane Sandy via the Brooklyn Recovery Fund, a sub sect of the Brooklyn Community Foundation.

Founded in 2012 by Jennifer Krichels and Jean Lin, both design writers, editors, and enthusiasts, Krichels recalled her “ah-ha” moment in the aftermath of the storm recently for AN. “While running in Prospect Park I noticed all the [fallen] trees being chopped up, and had an idea to reuse some of the wood—there was so much!” Collaborating on the details with Lin, the duo said participation from the design community quickly gained momentum and the first Reclaim NYC event was orchestrated in approximately one month. The December 2012 show featured more than 30 designers’ work with reclaimed lumber and various interpretations of reused storm debris. “It turned into a way to represent something positive and return the proceeds raised [to those in need], some of whom were designers.”

Six months later, many parts of New York have rebounded from the storm’s damage—but not all of them. Many parts of southern Brooklyn and the Rockaways have yet to begin rebuilding after the storm and are still in need of substantial aid. There have been accounts that FEMA will need to spend at least five years in New York to oversee a full recovery, similar to efforts in New Orleans necessitated by Hurricane Katrina. “It’s no longer a hot topic but [aid] is still really important,” Lin said. “People are still affected by it everyday.”

For the second iteration of Reclaim NYC, Krichels and Lin called upon designers to create pieces inspired by the idea of collaboration. A roster of 25 teams was organized to arrange established designers with emerging voices, or group designers from varying backgrounds for an opportunity to share their areas of expertise in a new way.  One team that will show at Reclaim NYC is comprised of furniture designers, a biophysicist, and musicians. Together, they designed a wooden table treated with a wood-eating enzyme that etched a pattern into the table’s surface, guided by sound vibrations. “This collaboration encapsulates exactly what we hoped would happen at the show: To bring out real design,” Lin said.

With two exhibitions under their belts, Krichels and Lin hope Reclaim NYC is able to move beyond the realm of charity and evolve with the community’s needs to integrate design, education, and mentorship for younger designers, as well as foster opportunities for the design community as a whole. “[We hope] to build something not based in commerce but in collective opportunities to show what the design community can do when it works together.”

“Making Reclaim NYC into a charitable outlet and a charitable incubator has come out of conversations with friends and designers, to fit a sustainable model,” Lin added. “As editors and design lovers, we cherish what they’re bringing to the table.”

Reclaim NYC will open on May 16 at 12:00 pm and run through May 18, closing at 1:00 pm. A presale of featured items will launch on Monday, May 13 on shop.lin-morris.com, and at60inches.com, an event supporter. A complete list of featured design teams is as follows:

Lindsey Adelman x Nancy Callan
Brad Ascalon x Naula Workshop
Kevin Michael Burns x Adam Pellecchia
Colleen and Eric x Leo Hubbard x Benjamin Cameron
Dana D’Amico x KWH
Joe Doucet
e13 x Sciencewerk x Zach Klein x Ike Edeani
Egg Collective x Hangar Design Studios
Allison Goding x Jerry Nance
Grain x Emilie Baltz
Stéphane Hubert Design x Sean Brewer
Asher Israelow x Wyn Bauer
Ladies & Gentlemen Studio x Nicholas Nyland
smck studio x d’emploi
Daniel Moyer x FilzFelt x submaterial
Brendan Mullins x Kreh Mellick
Marius Myking x Vidar Koksvik
RUX x Stickbulb x David G. Flatt Ltd.
Scout Regalia x Reunion
Sit and Read x Noah Lambert
Souda x Sure We Can
Jonah Takagi x Mark Supik & Co.
Token x Uhuru
UM Project x Baggu
VOLK x Dressed in Yellow

To learn more about Reclaim NYC, visit reclaimnyc.org, or follow their Facebook page for the latest news.