CALL CONNECTS - March2025
TIBBETT'S BROOK PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT
Dennis RedMoon Darkeem and the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center
On February 26th, CALL launched Dennis RedMoon Darkeem's after school workshops with the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) Teen Program. The program spans ten bi-weekly sessions. The teens are working on mixed-media art projects that integrate natural elements, video, photography, and recyclable materials. The goal of the project is to document their community, focusing on the environment, cultural identity, and personal connections to Kingsbridge Heights and Tibbetts Brook.
These workshops will lead to a final display of the students' work at KHCC.
Dennis RedMoon Darkeem is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of Native American and African American identity, cultural preservation, and environmental justice. RedMoon creates sculptures, installations, and mixed-media works that draw on both his Native heritage and urban experiences. His practice reflects a deep commitment to community engagement and a desire to connect people with the land and cultural memory. He has a history of collaborating with communities to create public artworks that on address environmental and social justice issues.
UPDATES
CALL Corona Conversations | Art as Action: Understanding Urban Waterways
On March 19th CALL hosted the second session of Corona Conversations: Art as Action: Understanding Urban WaterWays. This conversation, part of CALL's ongoing Cloudburst Project, brought together Rebecca Pryor and Cody Herrmann, moderated by Amy Motzny, to explore creative strategies for reimagining urban water systems.
Driven by the question -- How can art and advocacy reshape urban waterways and strengthen local communities? This discussion highlighted the role of artistic practice in environmental advocacy, focusing on community-driven projects at the intersection of public art and ecological restoration. Speakers shared their work in revitalizing local waterways, pushing for sustainable infrastructure, and inspiring collective action.
Read more about each of the panelists -- click below!
Cody Herrmann // Artist and community organizer based in Queens
Rebecca Pryor // Executive Director of Guardians of Flushing Bay
Amy Motzny // Section Lead, Climate & Equity at NYC Department of Environmental Protection
UP NEXT
NYC H2O Event at Hunter College with Mary Miss
Friday, April 25th from 6:30-7:30PM
Sometimes it just rains and rains. For many millennia the generally aquatic climate and low coastal position of New York City has been to our advantage, but with increasing intensity and duration of storms, living with water is becoming a fundamental part of what it means to be a New Yorker.
In this cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral presentation, the ecologist Eric Sanderson, artist Mary Miss, and city planner Amy Motzny will discuss their collaborations through the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Cloudburst Management program to reduce the worst effects of urban flooding in New York. Sanderson, will discuss how our landscape is pre-adapted to water and what lessons pertain; Miss will discuss how the artistic community can help us imagine new ways of living with water in the 21st century; and Motzny will discuss the DEP's efforts to reduce risk to life and property from sudden, drenching storms
CALL/ Conversations: Part Three
The conclusion of the CALL/ Conversation series will be held on Wednesday, April 16th.
The discussion will focus on our two urban scale projects, WaterMarks: An Atlas of Water for the City of Milwaukee and Waterways / Lay of the Land being developed in partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which is intended to engage New York City communities with DEP's Cloudburst initiative.
These projects support artists to work with scientists and local communities to address critical environmental challenges. This conversation series has been offered to share first-hand knowledge and wider perspectives on the impacts of CALL's work.
Our distinguished line-up for the third and final CALL/Conversation includes:
Plant ecologist, PhD & Coauthor of "Patch Atlas: Integrating Design Practices and Ecological Knowledge for Cities as Complex Systems"
Professor of Sociology, NYU & Research Director of Rebuild by Design
Founder and Director of Art in Public; Curator, Writer, and Consultant whose primary focus over some 30 years has been art in the public realm and the built environment
Grab a copy of the Pedestrian Observations map!
The Pedestrian Observations: Mapping Manhattan Chinatown's Public Realm pocket-sized resource map are still available!
In this pamphlet, you'll find an illustrated map by artists and designers Myles Zhang and Stephan Fan, along with extensive information and questions about the uses of public and private space.
We're more than happy to send a copy your way, just fill out the form through the button below.