Hundreds of Seneca Village artifacts available to view online
BY GABE HERMAN
Seneca Village, located in what would become part of
Central Park, was a mid-19th century community of
free African American property owners. It was the
largest such community in the city, and little was known
about it until scholarly research began in the 1990s, and
was helped by the Seneca Village Project, an archaeological
project that in 2011 unearthed hundreds of artifacts
from that time.
Now, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
(LPC) has launched an online exhibit of the artifacts,
nearly 300 in all, for the public to view for the first time.
Called “Seneca Village Unearthed,” the site gives history
about Seneca Village and efforts to learn and study
the community. It includes photos of artifacts of everyday
life belonging to the Charlotte and William Godfrey Wilson
family, including dishes and personal objects. The
Seneca Village Project in 2011 also discovered the stone
foundation of the Wilson house, along with the original
ground surface walked on by Seneca Villagers.
“We are delighted that for the first time members of
the public will have access to this highly significant archaeological
collection, which unearths the stories of the
people who lived in this once vibrant African-American
community,” said LPC Chair Sarah Carroll in a statement.
“LPC is seeking to share the story of all New Yorkers in
Natural artist opens pop-up show to celebrate bag ban
BY BETH DEDMAN
Pressed flowers and paint intermingle
on the canvas to form a collage of
colors and textures, resulting in a fish
wearing a life preserver.
This piece is one of 11 works by mixedmedia
artist Amanda McCauley appearing in
her pop-up show “Warning Signs!,” which
opens Feb. 29 in the Flower District.
McCauley partnered with the Plastic
Pollution Coalition to exhibit a new series
that highlights craft, conservation and the
environment. She is best known for using
organic materials in her work, such as
preserved, pressed flowers as the palate for
original botanical collages.
“It’s an anti-plastic ocean conservation
message,” McCauley said. “The fish are
wearing life jackets and gas masks to convey
the message that our waters are in trouble.
We’re doing it this weekend because New
York is passing the plastic bag ban. Singleuse
plastic is the number one problem. That’s
what keeps winding up in our oceans.”
Warning Signs!seeks to offer a vision of a
plastic-free ocean and warn about the fragility
of the environment. The pop-up is open
Feb. 29 from 6-10 p.m. and March 1 from
12 to 4 p.m. at JRose Wholesale Flowers at
117 W. 28th St.
“I work with materials from the earth,”
McCauley said. “The further I got into it,
the more I became more aware of the environment.
With this show, the anti-plastic
(LPC)
Printed Gothic-Style Whiteware Teapot from
Seneca Village.
all aspects of our work, and by making resources like
these available we can ensure everyone can learn about
this significant part of our past.”
Seneca Village was founded in the 1820s, in the area
now between 82nd to 89th Streets from Seventh to
Eighth Avenues, according to LPC, which was at the
time a rural area above the city center. An 1821 New
message came about because I realized I was
part of the problem.”
McCauley has been creating this natural
art for 10 years, before which she was in
graphic design. She also uses fabric, gold
leaf, paint and different materials incorporated
into the college, which she seals with
York State amendment required African American men
to own property in order to vote, however they were
prevented from buying land by restrictive housing codes
and laws.
These restrictions didn’t exist in Seneca Village, which
became a middle class community of over 220 residents
by the mid-1850s, and included three churches, a school
and orchards. New York City would acquire the land in
1857 through eminent domain for the creation of Central
Park, thus displacing the community.
“The story of our City cannot be told without the
African-American community, and a historically significant
part of that is Seneca Village and the forced
removal of families from this entire neighborhood,” said
Council Member I. Daneek Miller, Co-Chair of the Black,
Latino/a, and Asian Caucus, after the online collection
was launched.
“This online exhibit will illustrate the lives of New York
City’s first community of free African-Americans in a way
that is accessible to all and targets a vast audience,” Miller
added. “It also serves as an important reminder of the
struggles they faced as their homes were destroyed, and
their entire community was displaced. We are thankful
for the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s work in
this important effort.”
The artifacts are at archaeology.cityofnewyork.us/
collection/search/site/seneca-village.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA MCCAULEY
Encaustic wax.
“My work is all natural,” McCauley said.
“I make it with flower petals and materials
from the natural environment. Generally my
work is about strength in the face of fragility.
It’s basically about how we can revere
the natural world and preserve some of its
essence and understand that the natural
world is something we shouldn’t take for
granted. It’s about preserving what we have
because everything on this earth is disappearing
at a rapid rate.”
McCauley splits her time between New
York and her studio at Lopez Island,
Washington where she participates in the
community’s sustainable art practices, locally
sourced materials, farm communities,
composting and recycling.
The artist continually strives to create
outside the limits of any one genre.
Through workshops, she seeks to empower
community-members to be more hands-on
with their surroundings. She is inspired by
her community at Lopez Island that takes
environmental conservation to an elevated
level.
By partnering with the Plastic Pollution
Coalition, McCauley invites viewers to learn
how plastic poisons our food chain, affects
our health and how every piece of plastic
ever created still exists on our planet. “Warning
Signs!” is conceived as a warning about
the harmful effects of plastic not only in our
oceans but throughout every facet of modern
life, especially with the ongoing realities of
climate change.
McCauley’s next show after this pop-up is
already in development. The pieces from this
pop-up will appear at a local artist theater
show at Lopez Island this summer.
More information about McCauley’s work
is available at amandamccauley.com.
14 February 27,2020 Schneps Media
/archaeology.cityofnewyork.us
/amandamccauley.com
