named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Artists Talks
Educational talks led by Vinnie Bagwell and collaborators including Ty Gray-El, Leslie Jean Bart, and Leonard Epps, connecting working artists with students to promote youth development and cultural literacy
Community Forums
Public forums and open-studio previews engaging the community in the creative process, allowing input and celebration of project milestones
Enslaved Africans Rain Garden
Urban-heritage public art project featuring five life-sized bronze sculptures commemorating enslaved Africans manumitted in 1786, integrated into a sustainable rain garden design on the Hudson River shore in Yonkers
Traveling Exhibition
Exhibition of project concepts and historical context hosted at venues including ArtsWestchester, Hudson River Museum, Philipse Manor Hall, and Sarah Lawrence College
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Community-Engaged Public Art Projects 2 activities
- Create public art installations honoring enslaved Africans and their legacyDesigns and installs permanent public art, including life-sized bronze sculptures and symbolic figures, to commemorate the lives, resilience, and historical experiences of enslaved Africans, particularly those legally freed in 1786 in Yonkers. Projects include tactile elements such as Braille and global maps to enhance accessibility and convey themes of freedom, memory, and cultural heritage.
- Develop and implement the Enslaved Africans Rain Garden public art projectLeads the planning, design, and community engagement for the Enslaved Africans Rain Garden, an urban-heritage public art project in Yonkers featuring five life-sized bronze sculptures. Includes securing land designation, creating maquettes and site plans, and conducting community meetings and open studios to involve the public in the project’s development.
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Historic Site Public Programming 1 activity
- Host public forums, exhibitions, and educational programs on local history and public artOrganizes public forums, traveling exhibitions, artist talks, and open-studio previews at institutions such as the Hudson River Museum and Sarah Lawrence College to educate the public about the history of enslaved Africans and the creative process behind the Rain Garden. Includes community engagement and historical context sharing since at least 2012.
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Youth Photography Education 1 activity
- Provide arts education and capacity-building workshops for studentsConducts workshops and studio visits for students from Yonkers Public Schools and Sarah Lawrence College, including training in documentary filmmaking and collaborative site planning, to build skills in visual arts, photography, and film while fostering cultural and social development.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2020
revenue
Total revenue$49K
Contributions & grants$49K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$49K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$5K
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$1
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$1
1 years on record · 2020–2020
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2020
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| VINNIE BAGWELL | VICE-PRESIDENT | 5 | $5K |
board members · 3
- FLOYD MYERS — DIRECTOR
- JUDITH SCHWARTZSTEIN — DIRECTOR
- LAMONT BLACKSTONE — DIRECTOR
relationships · 27
Who they work with
- ArtsWestchester Partner — Partnering in the development of the Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden as part of a community-driven public art initiative.
- ArtsWestchester Partner — Project’s fiscal administrator for the Enslaved Africans Rain Garden.
- City of Memphis Government — Commissioned the public art project "Legacies" at Chickasaw Heritage Park.
- City of Yonkers Government — Commissioned "The Enslaved Africans Rain Garden" and "The First Lady of Jazz Ella Fitzgerald" public artworks.
- City of Yonkers Partner — Collaborated with the City of Yonkers to debut a permanent public art exhibit for Juneteenth.
- City of Yonkers Partner — Collaborating on the development of the Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden and has designated land for the project.
- Con Edison Funder — Funded the premiere exhibition of the Enslaved Africans' Rain Garden concept at ArtsWestchester’s Arts Exchange Gallery in 2010.
- District of Columbia Department of General Services Government — Commissioned the public artwork "What’s Going On! Marvin Gaye."
- Freedom Rides Museum Partner — Featured "Liberté," a 22' high bronze sculpture, in the inaugural year-long exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides.
- Hofstra University Partner — Commissioned "Frederick Douglass Circle," with the maquette serving as centerpiece for the Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center.
- Hudson River Museum Partner — Hosted the traveling exhibition of the Enslaved Africans' Rain Garden project in 2012.
- New York Manumission Society Partner — Founded and led by John Jay to advance abolition through legal and economic actions.
- New York Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Partner — Provided interpretive-text boards on the history of slavery in New York for the EARG traveling exhibition.
- New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Government — Involved in the collaborative development of the Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden.
- New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Government — Commissioned the 7' bronze sculpture of Sojourner Truth for the Walkway Over the Hudson.
- Nicholas Cartegna Partner — Referenced as a historical figure associated with the maritime ventures involving enslaved Africans.
- Philipse Manor Hall Partner — Site in Yonkers where enslaved Africans were first liberated under the 1786 law, now a museum commemorating early emancipation.
- Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site Partner — Hosted the traveling exhibition of the Enslaved Africans' Rain Garden project in 2014.
- Sarah Lawrence College Partner — Hosted the traveling exhibition of the Enslaved Africans' Rain Garden project in 2017 and participated in student engagement activities.
- Signature Theatre Partner — Commissioned Vinnie Bagwell to create piano artwork for the Off-Broadway production of August Wilson’s "The Piano Lesson."
- Vinnie Bagwell Partner — Artist and visionary for the Enslaved Africans Rain Garden.
- Vinnie Bagwell Partner — Local artist collaborating on the creation of the Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden.
- Vinnie Bagwell Partner — Local artist leading the conceptual direction and design of the Enslaved Africans Rain Garden.
- Vinnie Bagwell Partner — Yonkers-based artist and creator of The Enslaved Africans Rain Garden, responsible for the sculptural vision and community storytelling.
- Yonkers African-American Heritage Committee Partner — Managed in-kind service contributions for the Enslaved Africans Rain Garden project.
- Yonkers Public Schools Partner — Collaborated by sending students to participate in studio visits and educational programs related to the Rain Garden initiative.
- Yonkers Public Schools Partner — Collaborating in the development of the Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Arts-Based Civic and Educational Engagementmethodology: arts-based_civic_engagementBy engaging students and artists through project-based learning and role modeling, the project cultivates socially conscious citizens and uplifts underrepresented talent, because exposure to advanced artistic practice and civic-themed art fosters self-efficacy, imagination, and community responsibility.
- Cultural Reclamation Through Public Artmethodology: public-art-memorializationBy using public art—such as bronze sculptures, indigenous languages, and traditional storytelling techniques—to represent enslaved Africans in dignified, everyday contexts, the project restores historical visibility and humanity, because reclaiming cultural identity disrupts dominant narratives of victimhood and fosters collective memory and emotional engagement.
- Integrated Cultural-Ecological Commemorationmethodology: culture-nature-integrationBy combining cultural remembrance with sustainable landscape design—specifically through a rain garden—the project honors the legacy of enslaved Africans while modeling environmental stewardship, because integrating ecological function with memorialization reinforces the ongoing relevance of historical justice in contemporary sustainability practices.