Cemetery seeks fi rst of its kind artist-in-residence
BY BEN VERDE
Brooklyn’s biggest burial
ground is seeking applications
for its new artist-in-residence
program — the fi rst of its kind
at a New York City cemetery.
Green-Wood Cemetery is
looking for a local mid-career
artist for its new nine-month
residency program, which
will take place between January
and September of 2021.
“I’ve always thought it’s
such a great place to have an
artist come in and create a
project,” said Harry Weil, director
of public programs at
Green-Wood, who will oversee
the residence. “A lot of institutions
throughout the country
have an artist-in-residency
and I think as Green-Wood is
emerging as a cultural destination
in Brooklyn that having
an artist-in-residence is
the next part of our growth.”
The artist will have a studio
space in the cemetery’s
landmarked Fort Hamilton
Gatehouse and will have access
COURIER L 18 IFE, JULY 10-16, 2020
to Green-Wood’s vast archives,
which date back to its
1838 incorporation.
The collection includes archival
material such as administrative
paperwork and
correspondence between the
cemetery and the families of
its permanent residents, and a
historic assemblage of objects
related to those buried in the
cemetery, including personal
clothing, books, and paintings
belonging to 19th and 20th artists
— 400 of whom are buried
at Green-Wood, including
Jean-Michel Basquiat, George
Catlin, and Asher B. Durand.
The program is open to artists
of any medium within the
visual or performing arts, and
the sprawling 478-acre greenspace
has the potential to inspire
any number of creative
urges, which Weil says he
looks forward to looking over
as the applications start rolling
in.
“Whether it’s the art, the
monuments and the architecture,
the beautiful landscape,
or the history of the residents
that are buried here and the
history of Green-Wood itself,
I’m excited to see what they’re
going to focus on,” he said,
adding that he expects artists
working in different mediums
to be inspired by different aspects
of the historic greenspace.
“I’d be curious to see how
a painter could be inspired
by this space versus someone
who does a participatory
project, or someone who does
dance,” he said.
The chosen artist will receive
a $7,500 stipend and will
work with cemetery staff to put
together a fi nal work, which,
depending on the medium of
the creator, may be an art installation
or performance on
Green-Wood’s grounds. The
artist will also present at least
one lecture and host at least
QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD: The chosen artist will have a studio space in
the historic Fort Hamilton gatehouse.
Photo by Shannon Taggart/Green-Wood Cemetery
one open studio in connection
to the work.
The cemetery has become a
haven for Brooklynites during
the coronavirus crisis, offering
a green solace during the
worst days of the pandemic,
and has inspired Brooklyn
artists for generations, noted
the cemetery’s president Richard
J. Moylan.
“I believe Green-Wood will
be a great source of inspiration
to our new artist-in-residence,”
said Moylan. “I look
forward to watching the creative
process unfold and seeing
great art come to life.”
Applications are being accepted
until September 2. Artists
can apply at www.greenwood.
slideroom.com/
BY ROSE ADAMS
The Brooklyn Historical
Society is seeking urgent
funds after a massive water
leak damaged several 19th
century artifacts and soaked
through the museum’s fl oorboards
and light fi xtures, said
the organization’s director.
“Some damage was to 19th
century documents, some
property deeds — things that
weren’t important parts of the
collection, but still 19th century
documents,” said Deborah
Schwartz, the president of
the Historical Society.
The educational center’s
HVAC system, which helps
preserve the artifacts by keeping
them cool, sprouted a leak
the morning of June 11, seeping
through the fl oor and dripping
onto several old property
deeds stored in the Othmer
Library on Pierrepont Street,
Schwartz said.
Other items — such as
props used in the museum’s
exhibits and the documents’
archival boxes and fi les —
were also soaked by the broken
AC unit, which had been
dangerously corroded over
years of use.
The leak was caught
quickly by the Society’s building
manager, who monitors
the collections daily while the
center remains closed amid
the COVID-19 outbreak. The
papers were stored securely
enough to prevent further
damage, Schwartz said.
Since mid-June, staffers
have begun the process of replacing
all the documents’
archival boxes, the damaged
light fi xtures, and the HVAC
unit. They’ve also hired a paper
conservator to remove the
moisture from the affected
documents, which will prevent
the pages from curling,
and are fi nding ways to remove
the moisture from the
storage space to prevent mold
or mildew from growing,
Schwartz said.
“Whenever you have water
near collections, you need to
make sure that you don’t get
an outbreak of mold or mildew,”
she said. “So that’s been
our main focus, to make sure
nothing gets worse as a result
of the dampness.”
Insurance will cover the repairs
to the documents and the
replacement of some archival
boxes, but it won’t pay for infrastructural
fi xes — leaving
the society with a $100,000 budget
shortfall, Schwartz said.
“We have designated funds
set aside for emergencies, and
are fortunate to have been
able to take the fi rst and immediate
steps to protect the
collections,” she wrote in a
statement. “Unfortunately, the
damage done far exceeds what
is available in this fund, and
the cost to effectively secure
the collections into the future
is quite signifi cant.”
To pay for the $100,000 restoration,
the Society started an
emergency fund in late June,
which has already raised more
than $63,000, mostly from
small donors.
“The number of $10 and $20
gifts that we got was really
was extraordinary,” Schwartz
said. “I was really moved by it
because it means people really
understand the importance of
these historical documents.”
At the current rate,
Schwartz said she hopes that
the Society will reach its goals
soon.
“It’s heartening,” she said.
“We still have a little ways to
go, but people have been very
generous.”
Those who would like to donate
can do so at www.donate.
brooklynhistory.org/
Grave inspiration
Historical Society starts emergency
fund aft er water damages archives
BROOKLYN
Dripping disaster
A recent leak at the Brooklyn Historical Society damaged a number of
19th century property deeds. Photo by Brooklyn Historical Society
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