Every lot in New York City holds endless potential as evidenced by the community gardens that act as urban oases throughout the five boroughs. Taking advantage of an era of economic downturn and disinvestment in the 1970s, guerilla community gardeners imagined a different future for vacant and long underutilized lots in their neighborhoods. Out of this reclamation of urban space by-and-for residents, a network of community gardens was born. As New Yok City changes and challenges to quality-of-life mount what does it take to maintain these havens for the residents who live there, have lived there, and will live there?
Please join the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) on Wednesday, September 10th at La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden from 5:30pm-7:00pm for an Enduring Culture Spotlight Event to learn more about how these spaces are created and maintained. Together we will take a guided tour of the most sustainable garden in NYC after a short discussion with Brandon Ruiz of Yucayake Farms, Mallory Craig, Education Center Manager of The Horticultural Society of New York, and Time’s Up Environmental Organization founder and Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space Director Bill DiPaola. Refreshments will be provided.
This event is part of MAS’ Enduring Culture Initiative, a multi-year effort that aims to expand New York City’s approach to preservation; to protect and celebrate more of the places, cultural activities, and histories that make our neighborhoods and communities unique.
This event is SOLD OUT but the waitlist is open.
Questions? Email us at events@mas.org.
La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden
La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden was founded in 1976 by residents and activists who took over a series of vacant city lots piled high with rubble and trash. This effort to reclaim this space was an act of great care, bringing together the Latino group CHARAS who cleared the space, Buckminster Fuller who built a geodesic dome in the plaza, Green Guerillas pioneer Liz Christy who seeded the turf, and artist Gordon Matta-Clark who helped construct La Plaza’s amphitheater using railroad ties and materials reclaimed from abandoned buildings. Today the space still stages cultural events and has two composting sites, a children’s play area, a solar pavilion which provides electricity to the garden, a medicinal plot area, and lots of water catchment systems including a Hugel bed which wraps around the whole garden. Learn more >
The Horticulture Society of New York
The Horticulture Society of New York provides New Yorkers with free, hands-on opportunities to experience the benefits of the people-plant connection through programming and maintenance of Public Plazas, Open Streets, and the Denny Farrell Greenhouse and Education Center. Learn more >
Yucayeke Farms
Yucayeke Farms is a farming and herbalism project by Brandon Ruiz focused on supplying the surrounding community with culturally relevant foods. His work focuses on providing accessible medicines and educational opportunities, particularly to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Brandon’s roots are in Puerto Rico, and he works with traditional medicines from the Caribbean and Appalachia. Learn more >
Enduring Culture is supported by the New York Community Trust and the Mellon Foundation.
