This art activity started with a memory from last summer at my first Coney Island Mermaid Parade. If you’ve never been, it’s worth a trip down to the boardwalk. Since 1983, this parade has marked the unofficial start of NYC summer, drawing thousands of people in sea‑creature inventions that range from elegant to gloriously absurd. Each year, a King Neptune and Queen Mermaid lead the procession, and the whole thing feels like a living, glittering art piece. 

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Being there felt like stepping into a dream where everyone was free to be their most whimsically weird selves. It reminded me how powerful it is to create in public and celebrate the fantastical. That energy became the spark for Sea Creature Feature, where we invite makers to reimagine the Mermaid Parade flyer and fill it with their own marine beasts. Some drew elegant sirens, others invented creatures that defied classification entirely.