HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORIC HARLEM PARKS

These initiatives link partners to maximize resources for the Historic Harlem Parks and across Central Harlem. The Catalyst Project has supported these initiatives by facilitating local partnerships, providing technical assistance, and helping to leverage resources.

The Historic Harlem Parks Coalition

For the past three years, Partnerships for Parks has facilitated the Historic Harlem Parks Coalition. The Coalition is a partnership between the four local park groups etc, who work together to share programming and resources that individual groups might not be able to secure on their own. The coalition also works to raise community awareness and involvement, and to increase the capacity and sustainability of the involved organizations.

Historic Harlem Parks Film Festival - 2007 This July and August, the Historic Harlem Parks Coalition will hold its 6th Annual Historic Harlem Parks Film Festival in all four Historic Harlem Parks and in Central Park's Harlem Meer. The festival will last ten nights, with two evenings in each park.

Since 2002, the Coalition has partnered with the African Film Festival, which presents live African dancing and drumming prior screening films. The National Black Programming Consortium joined the festival three years ago to screen African-American and African Diaspora documentaries.

This year's schedule is as follows:
July 11 & 12/Marcus Garvey Park
(amphitheater @ 122nd St. & Mount Morris Park)

July 18 & 19/Harlem Meer, Central Park
(110th St. & 5th Ave.)

July 25 & 26/St. Nicholas Park
(135th St. Plaza @ St. Nicholas Ave.)

Aug 1 & 2/Jackie Robinson Park
(149th St. BBall Courts @ Bradhurst Ave.)

Aug 8 & 9/Morningside Park
(113th St. & Morningside Dr.)

*Films will begin at 8:30pm, but come at 7:30pm for the pre-film show.

Get full details at www.HistoricHarlemParks.org.

In Addition, Catalyst Supports the Following Cross‑Park Initiatives:

City Life Is Moving Bodies
CLIMB is a collaboration of Northern Manhattan organizations coordinated by the Columbia University Community Research Group. Community members and local organizations are partnering to create walking trails along the historic Croton Aqueduct, which run through Jackie Robinson, St. Nicholas and Morningside Parks.

Hallelujah -- Harlem Public Art Fest
In 2006, West Harlem Art Fund (WHAF) installed public art across Harlem from July through September. WHAF placed sculpture in three Historic Harlem Parks, Jackie Robinson Park, Marcus Garvey Park and Morningside Park. Click here to see pictures!

To kick off the event, WHAF organized a fabulous summer kick-off in a fourth Historic Harlem Park, St. Nicholas Park, where Jazz at Lincoln Center performed for an audience of over 600.

Historic Harlem Parks Initiative
This initiative is a collaboration of the Central Park Conservancy, the Historic Harlem Parks Coalition and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Now in its second year, the project provides an extra maintenance crew and additional equipment dedicated solely to the Historic Harlem Parks. Head to your local Historic Harlem Park to see the beautiful results.

Shape Up New York in Harlem
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene sponsors "Shape Up New York," offering free family fitness programs at parks, community centers and housing sites across all five boroughs. Activities including step aerobics, fitness walking, dance and martial arts are open to all ages. The Harlem program now includes St. Nicholas Park, Marcus Garvey Park and Jackie Robinson Park.