Last year, Bed-Stuy residents honored over 20 everyday heroes with a year-long public art installation. Now just a year later, the community gathered again to listen to each community hero, reports The Brooklyn Eagle.
The public art installation entitled "Community Heroes," came to a close last Wednesday at the St. Andrew's Playground in Bedford Stuyvesant. The work was created by both The Partnerships for Parks, a community development program and Photoville, a Brooklyn-based group that works to amplify visual storytellers through public activations.
The collaborative effort between the two organizations not only celebrated the work of local heroes but also allowed local creatives to have the opportunity to create work for public display.
One community hero, Wilma Maynard drew a crowd to her banner as she told the group about her time protesting for the installation of a new traffic light at Marcy Avenue and Fulton Street after 2 children attending P.S. 93 were tragically killed by a vehicle.
Maynard, along with one of her five children and another community hero, Helena Crump, are now focused o improving the state of the St. Andrews Playground. The two along with many others who attended the event formed the FOSAP, Friends of St. Andrews Playground, in 2017.
"We have lived in this neighborhood forever, right around the corner," stated Crump. "My brothers and cousins used to run activities and trips from this park. It is amazing to see the kids I took care of in this neighborhood group up with their own kids here."
The event ended on Wednesday as each local hero took home their banner that lined the playground walls all year. And even without the banners, the Bed-Stuy community continues to not only be aware and grateful of the tireless work of their neighbors but also switch their focus to fulfilling new community goals.
