Bedford-Stuyvesant Treasure Hunt
Brooklyn, NY
Children participating in Bedford-Stuyvesant Treasure Hunt recently led a Tour (Click to see the Brooklyn 12 News feature) celebrating the program in a scale model of the neighborhood at CPNYC.
In early 2017, Jay noticed the Mathematical Star on the Marcy Plaza at the nexus of Marcy, Fulton and MacDonough in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, just up the street from Children of Promise NYC (CPNYC). The work of internationally-recognized, Brooklyn-based artist, Ellen Harvey, funded by NYC Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Arts Program, celebrates eighteen historically significant sites in Bed-Stuy, selected in consultation with Community Board 3.
Jay conceived the 16-week program and recruited site participants, educational resources from the Brooklyn Collection at the Brooklyn Main Public Library and the Brooklyn Historical Collection as well as key partners like BlackSpace and the New York Coalition of Black Architects, National Organization of Minority Architects-New York City Chapter (nycoba|NOMA), who provided Professional Mentors to support research by the children.
Presentations included Siloam Presbyterian Church’s role in the underground railroad, Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s community development work, as well as Robert Kennedy’s legacy and Carnegie’s Macon Library, home to the African-American Heritage Center showcasing Brooklyn’s notable black residents – Jackie Robinson, Earl Graves, and Chris Rock, among others. The history of Bridge Street African Methodist Episcopal Church and Saratoga Park were presented as well.
Sponsors included Home Depot, Blick, Tarzian Hardware, Echod Graphics and BedStuyFly and funding is being pursued to continue the program for future years.
