PRESENT

GROWHOUSE AT THE FLATBUSH AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND

As part of the inaugural cohort of Urban Design Forum’s Local Center, we’ll be working until the end of 2024 to create an art installation at the Flatbush African Burial Ground that builds on the work we’ve been doing over the past 3 years.

With thoughtful community engagement and creative, collaborative design, we’ll use the sacred space as a way to spark radical imaginings about the future of the Flatbush African Burial Ground.

MEET OUR DEDICATED DESIGN TEAM

Ifeoma Ebo

PROJECT LEAD
Ifeoma is a Nigerian American award winning artist, architect and planner transforming urban spaces into platforms for equity and design excellence. She is an Assistant Professor of Design & Sustainability at the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. As the founding Principal of Creative Urban Alchemy LLC, she consults on equitable design, regenerative placemaking and sustainable development strategy for city governments and civic institutions internationally.
Emanuel Oni

Oni is the Creative Director for Liminal sp, 501c3; an artist, organizer, and design collective working at the intersection of art, unity, and space. His work explores loss and its deep connection with space. He uses visual storytelling to envision and reclaim spaces for healing ranging from trauma to celebration.
Michael Lenihan

Mike Lenihan is CEO & Founder of Public Sentiment. Mike's mission is building trust in the world by helping people on differing sides of big issues better understand each other. He has a background in grassroots organizing, strategic communications, and conflict resolution, and enjoys spending time at NYC’s Three Lives Bookstore when he’s not clocking laps at the pool.
Alicia Ajayi

Studio aoa is an emerging interdisciplinary design practice led by Alicia Olushola Ajayi. Trained as an architectural designer and social worker, Alicia has extensive experience working at the intersection of storytelling, community development, and design exploring the layered complexity of people, place-making, and power.
Jeffrey Schumaker

Jeffrey Shumaker is a Founding Principal of Partners in Public Design and has been working as an urban designer/planner for more than twenty-five years, in both the public and private sectors. He served the City of New York as its Chief Urban Designer and held leadership roles in some of the world’s top architecture, urban planning and design firms.

What else we’ve been up to:

Since Juneteenth 2021, GrowHouse spearheaded a movement using a cultural strategy that included art making/fence weaving, history walking tours and teach-ins that brought the various organizing groups and hundreds of community members together to learn, heal, strategize, and build.

Kinfolk Tech - augmented reality archive of important yet unknown Brooklynites whose legacy we inhabit.
Brooklyn Hi-Art Machine - fence weaving technique as part of Global Fence Weaving Project
Laundromat Project - redesign of walking tour collateral and postcards
Parsons Transdisciplinary Program - branding guidelines for Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition
The fence weaving is part of the Global Fence Weaving Project - a partnership between the Brooklyn Hi-Art Machine, A Blade of Grass, and Yvonne Mpwo.

Art + Technology Partnerships

Using our ethos of working across disciplines and at the intersection of art + technology, history + healing, GrowHouse has engaged over 1000 allies and supporters through:

Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition formation + Descendant Leadership Recruitment
Sankofa Walking Tour (in person + audio/virtual)
Event documentation + archival work
Teach-ins + College partnerships
Community Days of Action + Remembrance
Press Kit development
Domain name purchase, initial site construction
Local Partner Recruitment and Engagement
Elected Official Engagement