The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association

Neighbors united to improve the quality of life in Harlem

Tag: Studio Museum of Harlem

New Majority NYC Endorses Inez Dickens to Represent Harlem in City Council

Posted on by Harlem Shill

City and State has an article on New Majority NYC formerly known as 21 in ‘21, a women-in-elected office advocacy group that played a key role in bolstering the number of women represented in the City Council. Since its founding in 2017 the group has surpassed its initial goal two years ago when voters elected 31 women to the body – the majority of whom were women of color. Members’ work has since shifted into a new stage of sustaining the majority of women in the city’s political leadership for years to come. The group’s endorsements for the 2023 City Council elections were staked around that premise.

“We’re thrilled to see so many women who are stepping up and saying that they want to represent their communities,” said Yvette Buckner, executive board chair for the New Majority NYC. “It’s so critical and important because they are seeing what’s happening on the ground from very different perspectives.” 

That’s not the case in District 9 in Harlem, where the New Majority NYC endorsed Assembly Member Inez Dickens over Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan. Richardson Jordan got the group’s second-ranked endorsement two years ago, but the socialist has courted controversy in her first year, voting against Adrienne Adams as speaker, tweeting apparent justifications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and opposing a controversial rezoning that would have created some affordable housing units. The Democratic primary has already taken on a fairly competitive tone, and Richardson Jordan is likely to lose other mainstream endorsements that some incumbents take for granted. 

Richard Jordan’s racially divisive and nationalist rhetoric has also alienated many Harlem residents who have noted (for example) that she did not attend a vigil for Yao Pan Ma, a 61-year-old from China, was murdered in 2021 while collecting cans on busy 125th Street, and has failed to attend any of the Upper Manhattan Asian American Alliance cultural events.

The Studio Museum Grows

Facade work continues to climb on the new Studio Museum of Harlem building.

Columbia Journalism Student Wants to Hear From You

My name is Morgan Desfosses, I am a staff writer at Columbia Daily Spectator’s long-form magazine The Eye. In case you are unfamiliar with us, we are the branch of Spectator that focuses on nuanced, in-depth, human-centered reporting.

I am currently working on an article about Columbia University and New York City’s overdose prevention efforts including the new overdose prevention centers provided by OnPoint.

…

I have met with several leading researchers in this field and will be meeting with a NYC DOH commissioner and OnPoint themselves. As residents and community stakeholders in these neighborhoods, your voice is necessary to understanding the complexity and nuance of these issues, and as such I am eager to hear your perspective.

…

Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you!
Morgan DesfossesStaff Writer | 

Columbia Daily SpectatorB.A. Candidate, Sociology & Creative Writing, Columbia University ’25

[email protected]

Ph: +1 (917) 868-6343

Congress Member Espaillat’s Record in Congress

Posted on by Harlem Shill

If you’ve ever wanted to get a summary of the bills that Congress Member Espaillat has worked on, promoted, pushed, and signed, here’s your link:

https://www.congress.gov/member/adriano-espaillat/E000297?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22ESPAILLAT%22%2C%22ESPAILLAT%22%5D%7D&s=4&r=1

And to get information on how to Congress Member Espaillat, or any other city/state/federal representative, my go-to site is:

Who Represents Me NYC

https://www.mygovnyc.org/

The Studio Museum Rises

Santa At The Apollo

Saturday, December 10, 2022 @ 6:00pm
Apollo Theater, New York

Coca-Cola is sponsoring Santa at the Apollo. Head over to the famous marquee for family holiday-themed activities including picture-taking with Santa, a book and toy drive and amazing performances.

This event is hosted by the Apollo Theater’s Tour Director and Ambassador, Billy Mitchell.

James Van Der Zee

Posted on by Harlem Shill

The Studio Museum in Harlem holds a 50,000 item plus archive of negatives and prints of James Van Der Zee

Having held the archive for decades, the Studio Museum will now partner with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to manage the prints and negatives by the Van Der Zee, as well as his ephemera and photo equipment.

In a statement, the artist’s widow Donna Van Der Zee said, “That The Met’s acquisition will allow the public to witness, learn from, and be moved by the beauty and diversity captured in Van’s photographs gives me tremendous joy. The collection has found an ideal permanent home.”

Thelma Golden, the Studio Museum’s director, praised the partnership as a vital attempt to bring the archive “under one roof, where the technical challenges of conservation and digitization will be expertly managed, and our ongoing work in advancing knowledge of Van Der Zee will be supported and amplified by a great partner.”

James Van Der Zee, who died in 1983, created what are now considered some of the most important documents of Harlem during the first half of the 20th century. But his work was not known widely until 1969, when the Met mounted “Harlem on My Mind,” an exhibition about the New York neighborhood that faced controversy because it was organized by a white man, largely without community involvement, and because it featured no paintings or sculptures by artists living there.

Not everything about the Van Der Zee archive has proven so easy, however. In 1981, Van Der Zee himself sued the Studio Museum, claiming that he was never totally compensated when the institution agreed to become the custodian of his archive in 1976. In 1984, the suit was settled, with Van Der Zee’s estate regaining half the 50,000-work collection signed over to the Studio Museum.

Seen on West 127th Street

A hopeful message for 2022.

Studio Museum of Harlem Raises

Posted on by Harlem Shill

The Studio Museum in Harlem on West 125th Street, across from the Adam Clayton Powell state office building, is currently a hole in the ground. For over a year now, the site of the museum has been silent as fundraising has been going on behind the scenes.

And, that fundraising, has been extremely successful. Raising $210m for the construction, endowment and operating fund for its new building.

The proposed David Adjaye-designed building (the architect who designed the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum building – pictured below):

will total 82,000 sq. ft and will feature a site-specific commission by the celebrated artist Theaster Gates. The work by Gates will include building materials extracted from the former museum, symbolizing the legacy of the old building and keeping alive the hand of J. Max Bond Jr, the influential Black architect who designed the original building.

The museum’s celebrated director/curator, Thelma Golden, says the building “will be a physical manifestation of our mission, supporting and enabling everything we do for artists of African descent, for our beloved community of Harlem and for New York City and our visitors from around the world”.

The new building is expected to open in 2024. The new building will include expanded outdoor, educational and office spaces. There will also be a roof terrace and spaces for artists in residence.

The museum holds more than 2,000 works in storage, awaiting the new building.

The current fundraising goal is $250,000,000.

Discussion on Democratic Process & Role of the County Committee

Tuesday, December 7th, 2021 (7pm to 8pm)

ZOOM Registration Link

Hosted by State Committee Members Tamika Mapp & Ben YeeDistrict Leader William Smith