In uncertain times, one of the things Prospect Park Alliance can count on is our community to show the park some love—in wonderful and creative ways! We’re highlighting some of the park-inspired photos, poems and works of art that you’ve shared with us through our social media channels. They’ve brightened our days, and we hope they’ll lift your spirits, too.
Poems
April was National Poetry month, and we asked for your park-inspired haikus. Here are a few gems:
Saw friend from afar,
Together we breathe and laugh,
Is this heaven now?
-Instagram user @routinetheenemy
Two cooper hawks eat
Silently. The midwood shows
Life, and death, go on.
-Instagram user @malkombre
Trees wear pastel veils
of delicate buds and leaves
that bask in morning light
-Instagram user @ejgertz
Art
Prospect Park has always been a source of inspiration for artists, and these days we’ve been loving seeing the park through your eyes:
From Instagram user @johnparnellstudio
From Instagram user @judipheifferart
From Instagram user @bigskysafaris
From Instagram user @shogandrawings
Photography
There is never a shortage of excellent photography taken in Prospect Park. In recent weeks, our community has kept up the beautiful shots with poignant captions to match.
From Instagram user @flysi3000, “The world is still a beautiful place. Feeling very appreciative of the beauty that’s right outside my window.”
From Instagram user @virginial.s.freire, “In my life as a photographer, a mother, and a native Brooklynite, I have always been grateful to Prospect Park. But now more than ever the Park has been a touchstone that has bolstered me through this time, helped me find daily moments of beauty, and provided me with space to breathe. There at sunrise, the trails and ‘secret places’ in the Park offer respite and a place to reflect, find resolve, and overcome my own anxieties. I am eternally grateful.”
And from Instagram user @vali.bas, “there is light at the end of the path.”
Want to contribute? Show us your drawings, photos, poems, performance pieces and more on social media—tag @prospect_park or use #prospectpark.
c. Martin Seck
Looking to Summer in NYC Parks
May 12, 2020
What will this summer look like for New York City parks? A recent report issued by a coalition of 20 parks and open space partner groups anticipates a steep decline in funding that will impact the basic maintenance and upkeep of our parks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the findings from the 20 park partner groups:
An anticipated decrease in funding for parks groups of up to 68% for 2020, which will translate into at least $37 million fewer dollars invested into New York City’s public spaces.
A combination of staff cuts and social distancing measures will result in 40,000 lost hours of park maintenance and 110,000 lost hours of horticultural care citywide.
Approximately 542,000 trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals will not be planted in 2020 as a result of this diminished capacity.
“In these unprecedented times, our parks are one of the few places open to our community,” said Sue Donoghue, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “We all need to do our part to help keep up with increased usage in the face of significant challenges. It is critical for all New Yorkers to have access to safe, clean parks, today and in the challenging times ahead.”
During New York State on PAUSE, the city’s parks have become even more essential to New Yorkers for mental and physical health. This summer, the city’s parks anticipate a huge increase in patrons, especially with the closure of public pools and uncertainty of whether beaches will be open. Under normal circumstances, parks would be hiring seasonal workers for this high season to keep up with the influx of visitors. Unfortunately, without sufficient funding to offset the decline in its operating budgets, New York City’s parks will be negatively impacted this summer and for years to come.
NYC’s parks conservancies and nonprofits were originally formed to bridge a major gap of resources after the fiscal crisis in the 1970’s that left the city’s parks in a severely deteriorated and unsafe condition. Now, citywide, independent groups support the New York City’s Parks Department in managing 15,000+ acres of parkland and green space–50% of NYC’s public green space–and employ 500+ full-time staff, hundreds of seasonal workers, and 100,000+ volunteers to help care for the parks. Collectively, the partner groups invest private funds of over $150 million annually in public land. The groups also fund countless community programs each year and support local initiatives that encourage healthy living, an active space for children and families, and a respite for millions of New Yorkers.
The following organizations were surveyed for this report: Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Bronx River Alliance, City Parks Foundation, Freshkills Park Alliance, The Friends of Governors Island, Friends of the High Line, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Hudson River Park Friends, Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, Madison Square Park Conservancy, Natural Areas Conservancy, New Yorkers for Parks, New York Restoration Project, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, Prospect Park Alliance, Randall’s Island Park Alliance, Riverside Park Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, Washington Square Park Conservancy.
Looking to make a difference? Add your signature to the New Yorkers for Parks Play Fair campaign petition, which seeks to add $47 million to the city’s budget for parks and open spaces. Learn more on the New Yorkers for Parks website.
Prospect Park Alliance Celebrates Black History Month
February 19, 2020
Happy Black History Month! Prospect Park Alliance is celebrating this important awareness month by making a path through history in Prospect Park.
The Drummer’s Grove—A Prospect Park Tradition
In the 1960s, an Afro-Caribbean community emerged just east of Prospect Park in the neighborhoods of Flatbush, East Flatbush and Crown Heights. In 1968, some of these “Little Caribbean” residents began to meet weekly at the southeastern corner of Prospect Park for a drum circle. Calling themselves the Congo Square Drummers, they came together in Prospect Park “to rehearse, and just to play and rejoice,” says Abiodun McCray, one of the group’s founders. Recalling African ancestors who brought their musical traditions to the West Indies in the 17th century, this was a way for the Congo Square Drummers to celebrate community and remember home in the midst of the African Diaspora.
Over the years, the drum circle grew, and in 1997 Prospect Park Alliance added seating to the area and gave it the name of Drummer’s Grove as a part of a renovation of the Parkside and Ocean Avenue Entrance. Today the beat goes on in Drummer’s Grove, and it continues to be a place where anyone can stop by on a Sunday during the warmer months to play, dance, or simply enjoy the music.
The Sacred History of Gran Bwa
Did you know that Gran Bwa, a sacred Haitian gathering spot, is located next to Prospect Park Lake?
As a part of the 20th-century wave of West Indian immigrants to Brooklyn, many Haitians settled in the neighborhoods of Flatbush, East Flatbush and Crown Heights. Deenps Bazile, one of these Haitian immigrants, was walking through Prospect Park in the 1980s when he felt spirits instructing him to carve a tree trunk next to the Lake. Bazile sculpted a large human head, two small human faces, a lion and a legba (a Haitian Vodou spirit) in the tree stump. This sculpture sparked the use of the area by the Haitian community, and it came to be named after Gran Bwa, the Haitian Vodou spirit associated with trees, plants and herbs. Although the sculpture is no longer in the park, its site continues to be an important gathering spot for the Haitian community.
The largest celebration at Gran Bwa, called Bwa Kayiman, happens annually in August. At this ceremony, participants memorialize the Haitian revolution—which propelled it to become the first black nation to attain independence from their enslavers—and nourish Haitian Vodou spirits. Says Makini Armand, “Gran Bwa is a place to experience the healing power of nature and community, for us to restore ourselves through experiences that bond us with one another and with the natural community around us… it’s an important part of our cultural background to keep families together, and preserve the Haitian heritage and keep the culture alive.”
Shirley Chisholm, Brooklyn’s Hometown Hero
A local hero, Shirley Chisholm was born in Brooklyn to Barbadian parents. She spent her childhood in Barbados but returned to Brooklyn at age ten and lived much of her life in Crown Heights, to the northeast of Prospect Park and blocks away from the site of the historic Weeksville village. Chisholm was the first black Congresswoman in U.S. history, and both a leader and an advocate for residents of Brooklyn and the country at large. Her notable achievements in Congress included working to expand access to food stamps, helping to pass Title IX and extending minimum wage requirements to domestic workers. In 1972, Representative Chisholm became the first Black major-party candidate to run for President of the United States. True to her famous slogan, “unbought and unbossed,” Chisholm refused to abandon the interests of her constituents, no matter what establishment politicians did to intimidate her or mitigate her efforts.
In 2018, Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue joined First Lady Chirlane McCray to announce that a monument to Chisholm would grace the park’s Parkside entrance—a location where the Alliance is undertaking a significant restoration as part of the work to improve the park’s eastern perimeter. After an open call for submissions and public feedback, artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous were selected to design the park’s new monument—the first to be commissioned as part of the She Built NYC program, which seeks to expand representation of women in the City’s public art collection. The monument is in the design phase, and an important part of the upcoming restoration of the Parkside and Ocean perimeters.
Photo a still from “Chisholm ‘72” from Realside Productions.
Prospect Park Alliance Hosts Census Fair
January 22, 2020
On January 21, Prospect Park Alliance partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau, NYC Census 2020, the Brooklyn Borough President and community partners to host a Census Fair at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside. The Fair is part of a larger effort by Prospect Park Alliance to get out the word about the Census and its importance to our community ahead of the official count starting in March 2020.
“2020 is a significant year for our community and beyond,” said Sue Donoghue, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “The outcome of the upcoming Census will play a critical role in the funding of our parks and public spaces. Brooklyn is one of the most undercounted areas in the nation, and vital federal funding and government representation depends on our census count. The Alliance is playing a leadership role in supporting our community with this effort.”
The event brought together 15 community partners, and attracted more than 500 attendees. The event was one of the most successful for the U.S. Census on the job recruitment front, contributing significantly to the 1,000 applications registered on January 21 in Brooklyn.
Prospect Park Alliance has set up a census hub on its website, prospectpark.org/census, which has information on job and volunteer opportunities, upcoming census events and more information on completing the census.
Today, NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, and Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue celebrated the start of construction of new entrances to Prospect Park along Flatbush Avenue, the first new entrances to the park since the 1940s. With overwhelming support from the community, Prospect Park Alliance received $3.2 million in funding from Mayor Bill de Blasio for this project through NYC Parks’ Parks Without Borders initiative, which seeks to make parks more open by improving entrances, transforming underutilized areas and creating vibrant public spaces.
“For the first time in more than seven decades, we’re giving New Yorkers a new way to enter one of the City’s most beloved parks,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “Thanks to the Mayor’s investment in Parks Without Borders we are changing the way parks intersect with the communities, and increasing accessibility. Upon its completion, this new entrance into Prospect Park will be a gateway for generations of families to come in and explore everything this historic park has to offer.”
“Prospect Park Alliance is committed to making Prospect Park open and accessible to all communities it borders,” said Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “I want to thank Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Parks Commissioner Silver for their innovative Parks Without Borders initiative, and the many community members who came out in support of this project. These new entrances will serve as an important gateway to the park for our east side communities, and to the park’s northeast corner, a focal point of our future restoration efforts.”
From Left: City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, Borough Parks Commissioner Martin Maher, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, Alliance President Sue Donoghue, Alliance Landscape Architect Svetlana Raguliana, Alliance VP of Capital and Chief Landscape Architect Christian Zimmerman
“The Parks Without Borders project on Flatbush Avenue perfectly complements my administration’s multi-million dollar investment in revitalizing the eastern and southern borders of Prospect Park, the crown jewel of our borough’s open space,” said Borough President Eric L. Adams. I am excited to see us progress toward increased access for recreation and relaxation opportunities, which will offer a safe and welcome entrance for pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, and anyone who wants to enjoy the park.”
“After many years of advocacy by the community, we finally broke ground on the two new entrance ways for Prospect Park on Flatbush Avenue, and are looking forward to improvements of the park perimeter on Flatbush, Ocean, and Parkside Avenues,” said Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo. “For the first time in over 70 years, Prospect Park will be renovated with new entrances featuring welcoming sitting spaces, a rock-scrambling trail and much more. As a community dedicated to excellence and culture, our public spaces should reflect those high standards of upkeep, beauty, and community. We’re so excited to be a part of the preservation and beautification of Brooklyn’s flagship park! The crown jewel in the Borough of Kings. Looking forward to the opening in the summer of 2020! “
“Excited to see Prospect Park open its doors wider and create more welcoming spaces. I’m grateful to the Mayor’s office for investing in making the park more accessible and glad to contribute to preserving and strengthening the long tradition of horseback riding in the Prospect Park,” said Council Member Brad Lander.
“I want to commend the NYC Parks Department, the Prospect Park Alliance, and Mayor Bill de Blasio for their advocacy on behalf of Prospect Park,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene. “We are so privileged to have such a wonderful green space in our borough, and I am delighted that by working together, we are going to make Brooklyn’s Backyard even more vibrant and accessible for the next generation of New Yorkers. I am proud to support the Parks Without Borders initiative because it is an investment in the future of our city. We will be transforming the entrances of Prospect Park along Flatbush Avenue into new public spaces for all New Yorkers to use. It is my hope that through this initiative we will continue to improve Prospect Park for years to come.”
Background on the Project
A major entrance will be created in the northeast section of the park near the park’s former Rose Garden, the site of future restoration efforts by the Alliance, and a minor secondary entrance will be created just north of the Prospect Park Zoo. The entrances will feature new lighting, seating and trees, as well as new plantings. The major entrance will align with a future DOT traffic signal and pedestrian crosswalk, intersecting a berm retained by a three-foot-high granite wall. This will open onto a small public plaza with two levels of terraced seating that provides views of the surrounding woodlands. Stepping stones will lead to an informal running trail atop a berm. The plaza will also feature a rock scramble of boulders sourced from the building site of nearby NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Settees will be installed along the paths and between the boulders. The project is slated to be completed in Summer 2020.
Park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux did not intend for entrances to the park along Flatbush Avenue. Their original design included a footbridge crossing above Flatbush Avenue to a reservoir that is located in what is now Mount Prospect Park on Eastern Parkway. Their intent was that pedestrians approaching Prospect Park from the east could walk through the reservoir grounds and then cross by the footbridge over to the park. The connection appears in park plans until an 1874 update of the design, but it was never constructed.
Additional Park Improvements
The creation of these entrances is part of a comprehensive restoration of the Flatbush Avenue perimeter of Prospect Park, which is currently in construction. Through $2.4 million in funding from Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, Prospect Park Alliance will restore the Flatbush Avenue perimeter from Grand Army Plaza to the Prospect Park Zoo to its original grandeur. Formerly, the narrow, 20-foot-wide sidewalk had few functioning street lights, heavily cracked pavement, sparse and unhealthy street trees, and an incomplete and deteriorating iron fence along the park. Following the original design of the park’s creators Olmsted and Vaux, the sidewalk is being expanded into a 30-feet-wide promenade. The Alliance has removed invasive plants that have overtaken the area, and planted trees to create an allée reflecting Olmsted’s design. New decorative fencing, lighting and benches will provide a welcoming and inviting pedestrian experience.
Prospect Park Alliance also is undertaking a $9.4 million restoration of the Parkside and Ocean Avenue perimeters and entrance to the park, which is made possible through $6.4 million in funding by the New York City Department of Transportation; $2 million in funding from Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams; and $750,000 in funding from New York City Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene. This large-scale restoration will include new sidewalks and paving; new historic lighting and street furniture; new trees and landscaping; and the addition of a protected bike lane. A focal point of the entrance will be a new monument to Brooklyn political trailblazer U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, who was both the first black Congresswoman and the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. This project continues the Alliance’s work to restore the perimeter of the east side of the park, including the Flatbush Avenue perimeter, which is also being funded by the Borough President, as well as Council Member Laurie Cumbo.
Additional capital improvements slated for this area include $2 million in funding from the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio to enable the Alliance to restore approximately 1,200 linear feet of paths, replace park benches and add more lighting in the park’s northeast corner. In addition, Prospect Park Alliance is creating a covered horseback riding ring north of the Prospect Park Zoo for public and therapeutic riding. This $4.1 million project is funded through the support of former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and New York Council Member Brad Lander.
Meet Adam Odeh, a 16-year-old student at Sunset Park High School and a current member of the Woodlands Youth Crew. Along with other high school students, Adam has spent his summers alongside Prospect Park Alliance staff working to restore Prospect Park’s nearly 200 acres of fragile woodlands: Brooklyn’s only forest. We caught up with Adam at the end of his final season with the crew to learn about his experience in Prospect Park.
Hi Adam! How long have you been a part of the Woodland Youth Crew?
I’ve been working as a member of the Woodlands Youth Crew for two years, since early August of 2017.
What is your favorite part of being on the Woodland Youth Crew?
My favorite aspect of the job has to do with the community. We have a great organization behind us and a crew that honestly feels like family. We work hard together throughout the heat and intense physical work but no matter what, we always find ways to work together and get through tasks we otherwise find impossible.
Another aspect I find extremely enjoyable is the satisfaction of taking a step back after multiple days of hard work and being able to soak in the massive change we have created. Not only do we positively affect the environment, but also we improve the experience for visitors of the park by making the landscape even more inviting.
Do you have favorite projects that you’ve worked on?
My favorite project we’ve done in the park was cleaning areas of the watercourse of an invasive species called aquatic primrose. It rapidly spreads on top of lakes, and can destroy the ecosystem. The whole crew gets dressed up in waterproof waders, and goes into the lake with a mission to reduce the amount of primrose. It turned out to be an amazing experience.
Are there any skills you’ll take with you from the Woodlands Youth Crew?
I’ve learned a tremendous amount of skills throughout the two years I’ve been a part of the woodland youth crew. I plan to use the skills I learned by integrating it into my everyday life such as: never give up on tasks that may seem impossible, work smarter not harder because it’ll make life a lot less stressful, and don’t be scared to ask for help.
I can honestly go on and on about it and I’m grateful for it all.
Today, Prospect Park Alliance joined elected officials and community members for a “paw-some” occasion for Brooklyn’s Backyard’s four-legged friends. Alliance President Sue Donoghue, Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner Marty Maher, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Council Members Brad Lander and Dr. Mathieu Eugene broke ground on the new Kensington Dog Run at the Prospect Park Parade Ground.
The dog run, located in the Parade Ground along Coney Island Avenue, includes 7,000 square feet of fenced-in space, separated areas for large dogs and small dogs, and features an innovative canine-friendly turf, a first for a New York City park. The surface is low maintenance, and durable, and boasts superior drainage thanks to a porous backing which allows rainwater and dog waste to flow through the material. The turf also incorporates an antimicrobial agent woven into its fibers that reduces the need for detergents or deodorizers.
The dog run also will feature benches made of reclaimed wood from downed park trees. Additional enhancements include waste receptacles, water fountains, new trees and dog-waste-resistant shrubs. The $452,000 project was funded by Borough President Adams and City Council Members Eugene and Lander, and advocated by local groups Brooklyn FIDO and the Kensington Dog Run Association. The Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Ditmas Park, Flatbush and Midwood areas are home to about 20,000 canines, according to a 2015 report by the NYC Department of Health. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2020.
“Prospect Park Alliance is excited to create this new amenity for the benefit of our four-legged friends and our community,” said Sue Donoghue, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “As a dog parent myself, I look forward to having this great new space where dogs and neighbors can come to exercise and mingle.”
“This project is the culmination of several years of engagement and advocacy by the community, and we are thrilled to be breaking ground on this new amenity. I was proud to allocate funding for this project along with my colleagues Council Member Brad Lander and Council Member Mathieu Eugene, so that our canine companions can enjoy a new, state-of-the-art space. The forward-thinking sustainable design features incorporated into this project should serve as a model for future parks projects going forward. I want to thank Prospect Park Alliance for their steadfast partnership in this endeavor, and I know I speak for the entire surrounding community when I say that I eagerly await the grand opening of the new Kensington Dog Run,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams.
“I’m thrilled to be here celebrating the pawsome groundbreaking of Kensington’s Dog Run,” said Council Member Brad Lander. “We would like to thank Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Councilman Mathieu Eugene for helping fund this project. Also the Kensington Dog Run Association who worked their tails off advocating for the idea throughout the participatory budgeting process and made this all paw-sible. The dog run is a testament to participatory budgeting and we hope everyone and their pups are excited as we are for this to come to life!”
“I want to thank our community partners in the Prospect Park Alliance and members of the Kensington Dog Run Association for helping to make this day possible,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene. “Today’s groundbreaking is not only a significant upgrade to the Parade Ground, it is an important example of how, by working together, we are able to invest in the future of our borough. I am honored to allocate funding for this wonderful project, and it is my hope that through strong community partnerships we will continue to improve our green spaces.”
“Sometimes it’s Parks business to make sure dogs can do their business,” said Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Martin Maher. “This project is a great collaboration between community advocates including CB14, the Kensington Dog Run Association and FIDO, as well as our dedicated elected officials. This project is an example of great design and project management by the Prospect Park Alliance, and will be a fantastic asset to the community.”
In addition to the dog run, Prospect Park is a haven for dogs, offering acres of green space for off-leash hours (5 am–9 am and 9 pm–1 am) at the Long Meadow (except ballfields), Nethermead and the Peninsula. Dogs can also beat the heat and go for a swim at the beloved Dog Beach, which the Alliance restored in 2017. Learn more at prospectpark.org/dogs.
Celebrate Culture at Brooklyn Roots Festival
July 12, 2019
The Brooklyn Arts Council Folk Arts program and Prospect Park Alliance announce the second annual Brooklyn Roots Festival taking place on Sunday, July 28, in the Prospect Park Children’s Corner. The folk arts festival celebrates Brooklyn’s traditional artists and immigrant communities through a daylong schedule of performances, workshops, interactive family activities, and more. The free event serves as the culminating program of BAC’s Tracking Traditions Along the B/Q series of public programs, celebrating cultural and artistic traditions from communities along Brooklyn’s B and Q train lines.
“The Brooklyn Roots Festival hopes to help bridge the divides from geographic isolation that many of these communities face,” said BAC Folk Arts Director Christopher Mulé. “We look forward to celebrating these cultural traditions and bringing diverse groups together in the setting of Prospect Park, and to seeing what community connections we can help foster.”
“Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s Backyard, and a haven for the diverse communities of this borough,” said Prospect Park Alliance Vice President of Programs Maria Carrasco. “The Alliance is dedicated to providing free public programs that celebrate the history and traditions of Brooklyn, and we are thrilled to continue to partner with BAC on the Brooklyn Roots Festival.”
The festival’s Main Track Stage will feature performances from Dancing Crane Company, Diwas Gurung, and groups representing Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, Haitian communities and more.
In addition to the performance stage, a workshop station will engage audiences with activities led by groups and artists including tai chi group Qi Tao, Ukrainian Village Voices, and more. The Kids’ Caboose children’s area at Lefferts Historic House will present family-oriented performances and activities from Marvarid Uzbek Dance Group, Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope, and more.
Food trucks will be on-site with refreshments for purchase.
Programmatic partners for the festival include Endangered Language Alliance, the Center for Art, Tradition & Cultural Heritage, CityLore, and In Concert Productions.
Brooklyn Arts Council events and programs are made possible, in part, through public funds from: National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, and Humanities New York. Additional support is provided by Green Mountain Energy. Translation and captioning services made possible by the Theatre Development Fund.
c. Jordan Rathkopf
University Open Air Brings Free Lectures to the Rose Garden
June 10, 2019
This June, Prospect Park Alliance and Brooklyn Public Library present University Open Air, a free, three-week series of classes from June 11 through June 30, in Prospect Park’s former Rose Garden. University Open Air brings immigrant teachers and professors outdoors to be a part of a pop-up university with lectures on topics ranging from Urban Anthropology to Data Science to Contemporary Taiwanese Poetry.
Featuring courses and workshops from mathematicians, social scientists, urban planners, an actor, and historians from more than 15 countries across the globe, University Open Air will span from urban anthropology to Islamic history, gender equality, data science research, LGBTQI and gender studies, linguistic preservation in Tajikistan, and more. Courses will take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, expanding the Library’s role as a catalyst for civic engagement for the borough’s 2.6 million residents, and the Alliance’s mission to provide innovative programs in the park for its more than 10 million annual patrons of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
For a full schedule of courses and to register, please visit bklynlibrary.org/university-open-air. Courses will be accessible and open to all levels of knowledge. Please check the website for the most current schedule. Walk-ins will be welcome.
“Prospect Park’s former Rose Garden is the next area of focus for Prospect Park Alliance in terms of our mission to restore the park and provide spaces where the public can interact and enjoy nature,” said Maria Carrasco, Vice President of Programs at Prospect Park Alliance. “University Open Air directly addresses many of the qualities that the public has voiced for public programming through our community outreach efforts. We serve so many immigrant communities in the park, so to bring together such a diverse roster of faculty makes this program quite special; while the areas of focus are ambitious, the courses will be accessible to all members of our community no matter their level of knowledge on the topic at hand, so we welcome everyone to register and enjoy.”
As part of University Open Air, Prospect Park Alliance Horticultural Supervisor and artist, Ronen Gamil, has created a site-specific installation, Threshold. Extended paths lead visitors through meditative, immersive environments offering a reflection on the hurdles, anxieties, unknowns, promises, opportunities and dreams of migration and education. Threshold hints at the challenges migrants face through interactions with a State Apparatus. The space within evokes State control and monitoring while its colors, patterns and textures celebrate the beauty and richness of ethnic diversity. The horizontality of the installation echoes a broadening and expansion of horizons intellectually, culturally and geographically, while participants are exposed to glimpses of the interior beyond– an obstructed view layered with complexity and unknowns.
Following the open call, the Library and the Alliance worked closely with the Library’s robust immigration and outreach services team, along with Upwardly Global, Emma’s Torch, and World Education Services to bring together a diverse range of professorial candidates. In advance of the lectures, professors will participate in a teacher’s training session to help structure the classes. All professors will be compensated for their work. University Open Air will continue with an indoor winter semester and will return to Prospect Park again for a summer semester in 2020, expanding the opportunities for potential professors to share their knowledge with the New York Community. Following last summer’s Democracy Lab, the collaboration between the Library and the Alliance broadens both organizations outreach to engage with citizens, as well as serve as a vital resource for Brooklyn’s diverse immigrant communities.
Celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month in Prospect Park with caribBEING and Prospect Park Alliance. Brooklyn’s Backyard will be home to a month of workshops, art installations and other special events. Enjoy Caribbean art, music, dance, food, wellness and much more during this cultural celebration for Brooklynites of all ages. All participating artists and vendors are based in Brooklyn, and hail from Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad, Panama, Barbados, Dominican Republic and Guyana.
Learn More and RSVP at prospectpark.org/caribbeing! Please note all events are subject to change.
Media Partner
Art Installation: Gallery June 1–30, 2019
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 6, 4–6 pm
All ages, Free
Lefferts Historic House
Caribbean-American artists Devin Osorio and Tania L. Balan-Gaubert’s Gallery transforms the Lefferts Historic House front porch into a Caribbean veranda with a multimedia installation featuring Osorio’s tropical-patterned Dracaena Cane Coil Curtain, comprised of hanging coiled balls, and Balan-Gaubert’s salvaged furniture sculptures, Somewhere in the Unfinished. Says Osorio: “I am referencing the plants and types of objects that my grandmother decorated her own patio at her home in the Dominican Republic. This was my favorite place to be when I visited, and I want to bring that same joy and sense of island summer ease to Lefferts Historic House.” Says Balan-Gaubert: “Chairs placed in front of homes in a way that suggests continued use are evocative of the lives inside who come outdoors to enjoy the weather or be in the company of others, and can be visual representations of a city… Stoop life… porch sitting… block parties and barbecues signal the aesthetics of community.”
Mind, Body + Soul
June 2, 2–4 pm All ages, Free, RSVP!
Lefferts Historic House
Discover traditional Caribbean herbs used as a means of holistic healing for the mind, body and soul with Brooklyn’s own Golden Flourish; tea made from herbs in the Lefferts garden will be served. Then join our pop-up wellness stations, powered by Minka Brooklyn, including yoga, Reiki and more (please bring your own mat, but mats are not required).
Soca Skate Party with Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco
Thursday, June 13, 7:30–10 pm Ages 21+
Tickets: $20+ This event sells out! Advance tickets recommended at prospectpark.org/socaskate; tickets will go on sale Friday, May 17.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside
Join this hi-energy Soca-themed skate party with Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, featuring a DJ spinning the hottest Soca dance floor grooves from the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and today; plus live entertainment, a skate dance competition, costume contest and more exciting surprises!
Smorgasburg Prospect Park Jerk Festival
Sunday, June 16, 11 am–6 pm All Ages, Free Admission, Food Prices Vary, RSVP!
Breeze Hill
Love spice? Dig into Brooklyn’s finest Flatbush aka “Little Caribbean” eateries Peppa’s and Creme and Cocoa Creamery alongside Smorgasburg vendor Excell’s Kingston Eatery. Enjoy live music and Caribpolitan packaged goods by Breukelen Rub and Shaquanda Can Feed You.
Prospect Park Soiree
Saturday, June 22, 5–10 pm Ages 21+
Tickets: $45+ This event sells out! Get advance tickets at prospectpark.org/soiree
Prospect Park Peninsula Join caribBEING and Prospect Park Alliance for the Alliance’s annual pop-up dinner party in the park, and enjoy a tropical tableau photo booth installation by artist Tiffany Smith. New to the Soiree? Join thousands of friends and park lovers for dining and dancing under the stars: you bring the food, wine, beer and table decor, and the Alliance provides live entertainment and the spectacular setting!
Wukkout!
June 23, 2–4 pm All ages, Free, RSVP!
Lefferts Historic House
Learn how to juk, wuk-up, and wine in this high-energy Caribbean movement workshop led by Brooklyn-based professional choreographer and founder of Wukkout!, Krista Martins.
Textile Circle
June 30, 2–4 pm All ages, Free, RSVP!
Lefferts Historic House
Relax and join our guided textile circles with Caribbean teaching artists led by artist Devin Osorio, to create textile ornaments and embellish our exhibition installation Gallery, inspired by a traditional Caribbean porch.
Sponsor:
caribBEING Prospect Park is presented in part by the Kings Theatre.
Art Credit: Caribopolitan illustration by the artist Andrea Pippins for Caribbeing.
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