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Prof. Haferd Creates New Public Art for Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park

07. 03. 2023
  • Jerome Haferd Marcus Garvey Park 3

    From left to right: (unknown), Charles Maher (Harlem Grown), Madlyn Stokley (president, MMPCIA), Connie Lee (ART LIVES HERE), Saundra Heath (Heath Gallery), NY State Senator Cordell Cleare, Valerie Jo Bradley (president, MGPA), Jerome Haferd (CCNY, lead designer), Gabriel Moyer Perez (CCNY, project manager)

  • Jerome Haferd Marcus Garvey Park 1

  • Jerome Haferd Marcus Garvey Park 2

  • Jerome Haferd Marcus Garvey Park 4

Professor Jerome Haferd has designed a new installation for the nearby Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, New York. The interactive work entitled “Sankofa” will be up until October 2023 and reopen in spring 2024.

“Sankofa” is the first of several installations and a multi-year, multi-structure vision plan designed by Haferd and funded by the Mellon Foundation as a part of the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative at Marcus Garvey Park led by Harlem Grown, a nonprofit dedicated to educating youth on living healthy and sustainably. Haferd is the lead designer for the Initiative with plans to open more installations throughout the spring and summer of 2023 and 2024.

According to Haferd, “After 2024, ‘Sankofa’ will be repurposed for future potential uses, ideally in the Harlem community, for example in street dining, another park, or a Harlem grown-site. The design and materials were developed for it to be repurposed.”

Jerome Haferd / BRANDT : HAFERD, Haferd’s Black-led public art and architecture studio located in Harlem, designed the work with input from the local community. The name “Sankofa” is derived from Akan African folklore and translates to “in order to know our future we must look to our past.” Haferd conducted research with NYParks, NYPL, and local residents for archival material that is featured in the design. For more about the installation, see the recent The Architect’s Newspaper piece.

The design and installation team includes adjunct faculty member Pedro Cruz Cruz, M Arch ’22; Project Manager Gabriel Moyer Perez, a current B Arch student; M Arch students Suraya Babb and Shadeen Dixon; and B Arch class of  ’22 alumni Violet Greenberg and Tiffany Gonzalez.

The grand opening was held on Sunday, June 18, in Marcus Garvey Park. More than 200 people attended the opening, including New York State Senator Cordell Cleare.

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