This June, Prospect Park Alliance and Brooklyn Public Library present University Open Air, a free, three-week series of classes from June 11 through June 30, in Prospect Park’s former Rose Garden.  University Open Air brings immigrant teachers and professors outdoors to be a part of a pop-up university with lectures on topics ranging from Urban Anthropology to Data Science to Contemporary Taiwanese Poetry.

Featuring courses and workshops from mathematicians, social scientists, urban planners, an actor, and historians from more than 15 countries across the globe, University Open Air will span from urban anthropology to Islamic history, gender equality, data science research, LGBTQI and gender studies, linguistic preservation in Tajikistan, and more. Courses will take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, expanding the Library’s role as a catalyst for civic engagement for the borough’s 2.6 million residents, and the Alliance’s mission to provide innovative programs in the park for its more than 10 million annual patrons of all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

For a full schedule of courses and to register, please visit bklynlibrary.org/university-open-air. Courses will be accessible and open to all levels of knowledge. Please check the website for the most current schedule. Walk-ins will be welcome.

“Prospect Park’s former Rose Garden is the next area of focus for Prospect Park Alliance in terms of our mission to restore the park and provide spaces where the public can interact and enjoy nature,” said Maria Carrasco, Vice President of Programs at Prospect Park Alliance. “University Open Air directly addresses many of the qualities that the public has voiced for public programming through our community outreach efforts. We serve so many immigrant communities in the park, so to bring together such a diverse roster of faculty makes this program quite special; while the areas of focus are ambitious, the courses will be accessible to all members of our community no matter their level of knowledge on the topic at hand, so we welcome everyone to register and enjoy.”

As part of University Open Air, Prospect Park Alliance Horticultural Supervisor and artist, Ronen Gamil, has created a site-specific installation, Threshold. Extended paths lead visitors through meditative, immersive environments offering a reflection on the hurdles, anxieties, unknowns, promises, opportunities and dreams of migration and education. Threshold hints at the challenges migrants face through interactions with a State Apparatus. The space within evokes State control and monitoring while its colors, patterns and textures celebrate the beauty and richness of ethnic diversity. The horizontality of the installation echoes a broadening and expansion of horizons intellectually, culturally and geographically, while participants are exposed to glimpses of the interior beyond– an obstructed view layered with complexity and unknowns. 

The program will take place in the former Rose Garden, located in the northeast corner of Prospect Park, an area that has been the focus of community visioning sessions as part of Prospect Park Alliance’s plans for restoration of this area of the park. 

Following the open call, the Library and the Alliance worked closely with the Library’s robust immigration and outreach services team, along with Upwardly Global, Emma’s Torch, and World Education Services to bring together a diverse range of professorial candidates. In advance of the lectures, professors will participate in a teacher’s training session to help structure the classes. All professors will be compensated for their work. University Open Air will continue with an indoor winter semester and will return to Prospect Park again for a summer semester in 2020, expanding the opportunities for potential professors to share their knowledge with the New York Community. Following last summer’s Democracy Lab, the collaboration between the Library and the Alliance broadens both organizations outreach to engage with citizens, as well as serve as a vital resource for Brooklyn’s diverse immigrant communities. 

Learn more and RSVP.

Celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month in Prospect Park with caribBEING and Prospect Park Alliance. Brooklyn’s Backyard will be home to a month of workshops, art installations and other special events. Enjoy Caribbean art, music, dance, food, wellness and much more during this cultural celebration for Brooklynites of all ages. All participating artists and vendors are based in Brooklyn, and hail from Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad, Panama, Barbados, Dominican Republic and Guyana.

Learn More and RSVP at prospectpark.org/caribbeing!
Please note all events are subject to change.

Media Partner

Art Installation: Gallery
June 1–30, 2019
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 6, 4–6 pm
All ages, Free​
Lefferts Historic House
Caribbean-American artists Devin Osorio and Tania L. Balan-Gaubert’s Gallery transforms the Lefferts Historic House front porch into a Caribbean veranda with a multimedia installation featuring Osorio’s tropical-patterned Dracaena Cane Coil Curtain, comprised of hanging coiled balls, and Balan-Gaubert’s salvaged furniture sculptures, Somewhere in the Unfinished. Says Osorio: “I am referencing the plants and types of objects that my grandmother decorated her own patio at her home in the Dominican Republic. This was my favorite place to be when I visited, and I want to bring that same joy and sense of island summer ease to Lefferts Historic House.” Says Balan-Gaubert: “Chairs placed in front of homes in a way that suggests continued use are evocative of the lives inside who come outdoors to enjoy the weather or be in the company of others, and can be visual representations of a city… Stoop life… porch sitting… block parties and barbecues signal the aesthetics of community.”

Mind, Body + Soul
June 2, 2–4 pm
All ages, Free​, RSVP!
Lefferts Historic House
Discover traditional Caribbean herbs used as a means of holistic healing for the mind, body and soul with Brooklyn’s own Golden Flourish; tea made from herbs in the Lefferts garden will be served. Then  join our pop-up wellness stations, powered by Minka Brooklyn, including yoga, Reiki and more (please bring your own mat, but mats are not required).

Soca Skate Party with Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco
Thursday, June 13, 7:30–10 pm
Ages 21+
Tickets: $20+
This event sells out! Advance tickets recommended at prospectpark.org/socaskate; tickets will go on sale Friday, May 17.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside
Join this hi-energy Soca-themed skate party with Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Disco at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, featuring a DJ spinning the hottest Soca dance floor grooves from the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and today; plus live entertainment, a skate dance competition, costume contest and more exciting surprises!

Smorgasburg Prospect Park Jerk Festival
Sunday, June 16, 11 am–6 pm
All Ages, Free Admission, Food Prices Vary, RSVP!
Breeze Hill
Love spice? Dig into Brooklyn’s finest Flatbush aka “Little Caribbean” eateries Peppa’s and Creme and Cocoa Creamery alongside Smorgasburg vendor Excell’s Kingston Eatery.  Enjoy live music and Caribpolitan packaged goods by Breukelen Rub and Shaquanda Can Feed You.

Prospect Park Soiree
Saturday, June 22, 5–10 pm
Ages 21+
Tickets: $45+ This event sells out! Get advance tickets at prospectpark.org/soiree
Prospect Park Peninsula
Join caribBEING and Prospect Park Alliance for the Alliance’s annual pop-up dinner party in the park, and enjoy a tropical tableau photo booth installation by artist Tiffany Smith. New to the Soiree? Join thousands of friends and park lovers for dining and dancing under the stars: you bring the food, wine, beer and table decor, and the Alliance provides live entertainment and the spectacular setting!

Wukkout!
June 23, 2–4 pm
All ages, Free​, RSVP!
Lefferts Historic House
Learn how to juk, wuk-up, and wine in this high-energy Caribbean movement workshop led by Brooklyn-based professional choreographer and founder of Wukkout!, Krista Martins.  

Textile Circle
June 30, 2–4 pm
All ages, Free, RSVP!​
Lefferts Historic House
Relax and join our guided textile circles with Caribbean teaching artists led by artist Devin Osorio, to create textile ornaments and embellish our exhibition installation Gallery, inspired by a traditional Caribbean porch. 

Sponsor:​
caribBEING Prospect Park is presented in part by the Kings Theatre.

Art Credit:
Caribopolitan illustration by the artist Andrea Pippins for Caribbeing.

Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue joined NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver and City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo to celebrate the opening of the restored Stroud Playground in Crown Heights. The design of the playground was undertaken by Prospect Park Alliance pro bono as part of the City’s Community Parks Initiative (CPI). The Alliance also contributed designs for two additional CPI projects: Epiphany Playground and Penn Triangle, both in Williamsburg.

“Prospect Park Alliance has an award-winning team of landscape architects and designers, and were pleased to be able to share our expertise to help create this playground in the Crown Heights community,” said Sue Donoghue, President of Prospect Park Alliance. “Stroud Playground features many of the amenities desired by the community, and also improves the environment by adding more trees and absorbing stormwater runoff. We hope it will serve as a model for future New York City playgrounds.”

The renovated playground features new play equipment for children of all ages and abilities; an interactive spray shower; a synthetic turf area for open play; basketball and handball courts; and a walking track and fitness equipment. The landscape was enhanced with a number of additional trees and plantings that provide shade for new seating areas and, with new lighting and lower fencing, beautify the space. A garden serves as an area for relaxation and an outdoor classroom for PS 316 and MS 383 students.

“Stroud Playground was one of the original five sites in Brooklyn announced as part of the Community Parks Initiative, and it is rewarding to finally see the community enjoying the very space they dreamed up,” said Commissioner Silver. “The transformation of Stroud Playground is remarkable, and we could not have done it without our partners at the Prospect Park Alliance, City Council Member Laurie Cumbo, and of course, the many passionate community members who supported the project and contributed to its design.”

Learn more about Prospect Park Alliance’s award-winning landscape architecture and design office.

Ready to ring in spring? On May 17–19, Prospect Park Alliance celebrates the season in Prospect Park with Spring Fling, a full weekend of special events and activities that brings together the entire community—and you’re invited! 

Check out the full line up + RSVP at prospectpark.org/springfling

Not sure what to hit up? We put together a checklist of some of the events you won’t want to miss:

• Brooklyn Atlantics 1860s Ballgame, Saturday, May 18, 11 am–2 pm, Long Meadow Ball Field 1: take me out to the ballgame at this 1860s exhibition “base ball” game, played as it was in 1864, the year of Brooklyn’s first undefeated championship season. The Brooklyn Atlantics will take on the Monmouth NJ Furnaces in historic uniforms and gear. Come see the ghosts of history come to life and don’t forget to root for the home team, the Atlantics! 
   
• Harvesting Color + Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Saturday, May 18, 1–4 pm, Lefferts Historic House: Join Prospect Park Alliance on an exploration of color from the natural world in workshops from 2-4 pm. Learn how to use natural ingredients such as flowers, berries and food scraps to naturally dye fabrics. Bring one natural fiber item (cotton, linen, canvas, or silk) to dye. Space is limited, and is on a first-come, first-served basis. At 1 pm, enjoy a performance by the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre of Bessie’s Big Shot, about a cow dreaming of joining the circus (45 minute performance).
   
• Spring Fling Fair, Sunday, May 19, 12–3 pm, Prospect Park Children’s Corner: Join the Alliance and community partners for music, activities and food the whole family will enjoy. At this year’s fair, among many fun activities, families can get moving with Bend + Bloom Yoga (12:30-1:30 pm), celebrate National Scooter Day with a Micro Kickboard scooter giveaway, enjoy a pop-up soccer clinic with Super Soccer Stars, and a performance by the Brooklyn Conservatory Bluegrass Jam Ensemble at Lefferts Historic House (2-3 pm). Plus, stop by the Brooklyn Public Library Bookmobile; learn about renewable energy from Green Mountain Energy; make giant bubbles with Park Slope Parents, enjoy performing and visual arts fun with BAX, nature games at the Alliance’s Pop-Up Audubon, stained glass artmaking and subway history fun with the New York Transit Museum, face painting with Prospect Park YMCA, breakfast tacos from King David Tacos, and much more! 
   
• Art + Architecture Tour of Prospect Park, Sunday, May 19, 10:30 am–12:30 pm, $20, advance registration required: For over 150 years, Prospect Park has been a showcase for beautiful public buildings and artwork, with representations from eras including Beaux-Arts, City Beautiful, the New Deal Modernism and contemporary LEED-certified projects. This tour, presented by Turnstile Tours in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance, will examine some of the fine architectural details and current restoration work, from the era of Vaux and Olmsted to the present day. 
   
• Trail Run, Sunday, May 19, 10–11:30 am, Prospect Park Wellhouse: Enjoy a relaxed pace five-mile route through the park’s trails with the Prospect Park Track Club, incorporating historic points of interest along the way.
   
• Molière in the Park, The Misanthrope, May 19 + 20, 7 pm, LeFrak Center at Lakeside: You’re invited to watch a staged reading of Molière’s masterpiece, The Misanthrope, with original music by Tony and two-time Obie Award winner STEW, presented by Molière in the Park in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance. In a time of fake news, fake politicians and the increasing normalization of hypocrisy, Molière’s classic comedy is a refreshing, timely, biting satire and love story with humor tailor-made for a contemporary Twitter account. A second reading will take place Monday, May 20, at 7 pm, and both are free and open to the public. For reserved seating visit www.moliereinthepark.org, or bring a blanket and grab a patch of grass! Refreshments will be available at Lakeside’s Bluestone Cafe.

Plus, many more activities including It’s My Park Day, Smorgasburg, a themed ’90s roller disco, bird walks, sheep shearing demonstrations at the zoo and much more. 

Take a look at all the Spring Fling events and RSVP. We’ll see you there!