Jamel Shabazz
Across 41 years of photographing in Prospect Park, Jamel Shabazz has captured reunion picnics, musicians, races, dog walks, and so much more in the beloved park he calls his “Oasis in Brooklyn.”
Presenters: Jamel Shabazz
Location: Lefferts House, Prospect Park
Number 45 on the official photoville map
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Our Sessions are proudly supported by our partners PhotoWings.
Join legendary photographer Jamel Shabazz as he shares his memories and stories behind the images in his exhibition “My Oasis in Brooklyn,” a collection of snapshots of Prospect Park spanning over 40 years.
The exhibition, celebrating the start of the restoration process for the Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park, showcases Shabazz’s vision of his “Oasis in Brooklyn.” Across 41 years of photographing in Prospect Park, Shabazz has captured reunion picnics, musicians, races, dog walks, and so much more. Exhibited along the construction fence surrounding the historic house, the community of Brooklyn will be able to discover new stories, and recognize old friends.
A partnership between Prospect Park Alliance, Photoville and the Brooklyn Public Library as part of the Photoville 2021 Festival.
https://photoville.com/projects/prospect-park-my-oasis-in-brooklyn/
Jamel Shabazz was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. At 15, he picked up his first camera and started to document his peers. In 1980, he embarked on a mission to extensively document New York City, from youth culture to a wide range of social conditions.
Shabazz says his goal is to contribute to the preservation of world history and culture. He has worked with a wide range of organizations centered on inspiring young people in the field of photography and social responsibility. He has been a teaching artist with the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, the Bronx Museum’s Teen Council youth program, the International Center of Photography, Friends of the Island Academy, and the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Expanding the Walls Project.
Shabazz is the author of 5 monographs. He is presently working on a new book, The Book of Life.
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the mid-19th century, Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s flagship park — welcoming more than 10 million visits each year.
Prospect Park Alliance is the non-profit organization that sustains “Brooklyn’s Backyard,” working in partnership with the city of New York. The Alliance was founded in 1987 to help restore the park after a long period of deterioration and decline. Today, the Alliance provides critical staff and resources that keep the park green and vibrant for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home. The Alliance cares for the woodlands and natural areas, restores the park’s buildings and landscapes, creates innovative park destinations, and provides free or low-cost volunteer, education, and recreation programs.
Today, Prospect Park is an international model for the care of urban parks, and one of the premier green spaces in the United States.
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
Brooklyn Public Library is among the borough’s most democratic civic institutions, serving patrons in every neighborhood and from every walk of life. Established in 1896, BPL is one of the nation’s largest public library systems and currently has nearly 700,000 active cardholders. With a branch library within a half-mile of the majority of Brooklyn’s 2.6 million residents, BPL is a recognized leader in cultural offerings, literacy, out-of-school-time services, workforce development programs, and digital literacy. In a borough of wide economic disparity, where the costs of basic necessities often take priority over spending on cultural enrichment opportunities, BPL provides a democratic space where patrons of all economic standings can avail themselves and their children of cultural and educational programs in a broad range of disciplines.
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