See Inside Brooklyn Navy Yard Studios That Rarely Open

Most days the Brooklyn Navy Yard simply goes to work, as it has from its founding in 1801, first building ships on the waterfront and now housing hundreds of artists, designers and engineers. On Saturday, October 17, from 12 PM to 5 PM, about two dozen of those studios open for the Annual Open House. Inside places like Brooklyn Clay Industries and Terreform ONE, makers show their work and talk through how it gets made, a kind of access the organizers themselves call rare.

There is no wrong way in. A visitor who lingers over a canvas will find the painters, photographers and jewelers ready to talk about process and what keeps them working here. A visitor happier around machines can trace a line from the Yard's shipbuilding years to the labs now working on green energy and robotics. Between studios, keep an eye on the timed extras, a coffee session in Building 102 or the 3 PM artist talk from Millie Benson Studios, both with limited spots.

Every visitor needs an RSVP, and same-day registration is still open. Bring a photo ID to check in at Building 77, 141 Flushing Avenue. Most timed programs are handed out at registration, first come, first served, while Kings County Distillery tours take a separate sign-up at its Gatehouse on Sands Street. The last tour leaves at 5 PM, right as the Open House closes, and an earlier one is the calmer choice. Nobody needs a partner here, the studios can be visited in any order, and food is sold on site.