Buffalo, NY - On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, all are welcome to join Mayor Byron W. Brown, the Buffalo Arts Commission, the Buffalo Quarters Historical Society and the Friends of Broderick Park for a community conversation about the exciting public art installations planned for Broderick Park. These installations will further celebrate the park’s Underground Railroad heritage. This town hall will be a virtual format, with Mayor Brown in attendance. It will begin at 6:00 PM. To access the meeting:
Log in to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86520809796 Meeting ID: 865 2080 9796/Passcode: 661267
Dial-in: (646) 558-8656
Mayor Brown secured $400,000 in funding for this important public art project at Broderick Park, which continues his plan for the continued beautification of the parks system and the master plan for Broderick Park. Mayor Brown said, “My Administration has consistently recognized the need for enhancing public art in the City of Buffalo. I encourage as many people as possible to join us for this virtual Town Hall meeting. Public input is critical as we put a plan in place for a series of public art installations that will further celebrate Broderick Park’s Underground Railroad heritage.”
Catherine Gillespie, Chair of the Buffalo Arts Commission, will facilitate the Zoom Webinar. She emphasized that, “We want as much input from the community about how to incorporate public art in this very important legacy park. Mayor Brown is offering a wonderful opportunity to further commemorate the individuals and community who helped with the Underground Railroad, as well as those who were able to flee to Canada from this spot."
A recent public survey on what people envision for Broderick Park, as well as their preferences for art installations, produced exciting results. Over 170 park users and residents took part in the survey. Three highlights from the results included:
- The importance of history to the community and park users
- The signifcance of nature
- The educational aspects of the park
The data collected, the comments and ideas of those who participated in the survey are being consolidated and include thoughts about different artistic mediums that might be used and some possible themes for the installations. Graphs and tables from the survey data will be presented as part of the conversation of the town hall.
We encourage people to submit questions in advance of the town hall meeting to ebarr@city-buffalo.com. These questions will be answered live during the question and answer portion of the meeting as well as questions submitted that evening.