PARKS, POOLS, & THE PEOPLE 

The Swimmer, 1968
Frank and Eleanor Perry 

Two 1968 films set the stage for discussion about conflicting visions of the American Commons, with a focus on Seneca Village, a thriving 19th-century neighborhood of property-owning African-Americans that was tragically demolished to make way for Central Park. 

Speakers: 

Nan A. Rothschild, Seneca Village archaeologist, director of the Museum Studies Program and professor of anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University. 

Kazembe Balagun, cultural historian and activist 

Marie Warsh, Central Park Conservancy historian 

Andrew McNeely, Independent curator (Moderator) 

Amanda Trager, PTP founder/director (Introductory remarks) 

Partner and Site: Le Petit Versailles — a GreenThumb/NYC Parks Department Garden — is a pocket-park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is managed by Allied Productions, a not-for-profit arts umbrella organization founded in 1980 that fosters community building through the collective process.

See more about the event and Allied Productions.