Harlem Grown Announces Open Calls and RFP for Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative at Marcus Garvey Park
(Harlem, NYC — 04/19/2023) — Harlem Grown announced today that the open calls and request for proposals (RFP) from artists, performers, instructors, organizations, and community members are now open for the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative. This is a two-year project that will center on historic Marcus Garvey Park and amplify Harlem’s rich history and culture for a diverse audience of community members and visitors. Within the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Initiative, the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative project will focus on fostering creativity and care in this essential public space at the heart of New York’s Harlem community.
Marcus Garvey Park has been a vibrant community resource since 1840 [then named Mt. Morris Park] and hosts a wide array of formal and informal public programming, including at its 1600-seat amphitheater, the largest in all of NYC Parks. As an organization that honors its deep connections to the culture and people of Harlem, Harlem Grown looks forward to partnering with and supporting local organizations to advance the park’s legacy of visual arts, performing arts, food, and liberal arts programming. Through the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative, Harlem Grown will administer a series of open calls and an RFP for activations in summer 2023 and summer 2024.
Harlem Grown will feature its Mobile Teaching Kitchen — a place for hands-on cooking workshops featuring recipes that reflect the diverse backgrounds of Harlem and produce grown in the neighborhood — throughout the length of this initiative. It will also fund local artists, individuals, and organizations to create temporary artist activations, multi-use outdoor art installations, public performances, and programming focused on Harlem and its Black, Latinx, and Indigenous histories and cultures.
Artists, performers, instructors, organizations, and community members are encouraged to reply to the Visual Art or Cultural Activation Open Call, submit a proposal, or join the Selection Committee. Projects should be aligned with the goal of creating a space where people can come together to celebrate their community, enhance storytelling, and appreciate the multifaceted narratives, histories, and creativity of Harlem and Marcus Garvey Park.
Open Calls for Summer 2023 Visual Art, Performances, and Cultural Activations:
Jerome Haferd of BRANDT : HAFERD, a Harlem-based architecture and design studio, facilitated workshops with Harlem residents to co-imagine a temporary art installation that will be installed by the studio in June 2023. The structure has been designed to be an inviting gathering space and also allow for events like visual art exhibitions, artist showcases, soapbox performances, open mics, and writing workshops to take place. The open calls for visual art, performances, and cultural activations aim to activate the art installation as a venue requesting completed works by local artists, collectives, and organizations. Applications will be accepted until May 14, 2023 and will be reviewed by a committee of community members.
Request for Proposals for Summer 2024 Projects:
For the summer of 2024, the RFP supports the shared goal to support events and activities at Marcus Garvey Park to reflect the best of what Harlem has to offer that activates various parts of the Park. The RFP is open for submissions from individuals, collectives, or organizations regardless of tax exempt status. Harlem Grown seeks proposals for both completed works as well as new projects and programs to be planned for summer 2024. Interested applicants have the opportunity to submit an application until October 1, 2023, for grants up to $50,000. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of community members. Those selected will work closely with the Harlem Grown Culture Creativity and Care Initiative team during planning and implementation.
The Culture Creativity and Care Initiative team will be hosting information sessions throughout the summer about these exciting opportunities.
To learn more, RSVP for the first information session on April 24th at 6:30pm. Individuals seeking funding, partnerships, and/or participation in selection committees are welcome to attend.
To learn more, visit the Harlem Grown Culture Creativity and Care Initiative website or email us at MarcusGarveyParkCCCI@harlemgrown.org with any questions.
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at www.mellon.org.