Hunter F. Armstrong
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| School children displaying ideas they created for the Reimagining The Waterfront exhibition. Courtesy of Elizabeth Hamby and EY Zipris. |
The Museum of the City of New York’s Frederick A.O. Schwarz Children’s Center staff developed an educational curriculum to accompany the Reimagining the Waterfront exhibition. Since June, over 1,000 children visited the exhibition, and many participated in the museum’s curriculum. In the two-session program, the students, many of whom were East Harlem residents, visited the waterfront and viewed the exhibition. They then developed their ideas for the Esplanade’s future by creating their own design competition submissions.
“The students really enjoyed seeing the different visions displayed in the exhibition and debating the pros and cons. They also greatly enjoyed coming up with their own responses,” stated EY Zipris, a MCNY educator. “Students tended to suggest community and recreational areas such as picnic tables, barbecue areas and basketball courts. One concern was making sure shaded areas were included for the comfort of all who visit this spot.”
In Fall 2012, the museum educator Elizabeth Hamby will teach the curriculum as part of the Neighborhood Explorers program for middle-school students at the East Harlem School, an independent school affiliated with Exodus House. Their recommendations for the Esplanade and waterfront will be presented at a community meeting in December.
The Neighborhood Explorers produced this terrific video on their waterfront work. http://vimeo.com/55775862
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