Earth Day at Downtown Brooklyn: Event Recap

Thank you to all who joined us on Saturday, April 23 for Downtown Brooklyn’s Earth Day celebration at Albee Square. A community event, Earth Day featured drop-in workshops, games, a free book table, and more environment-themed activities.

The event drew inspiration from BEACON, the physical centerpiece of Albee Square at the time. BEACON was designed by artist Shervone Neckles and built by Beam Center youth as part of our Fellows program. The piece is a public art installation inspired by American Inventor Lewis H. Latimer and his 1881 patent for the electric lamp and 1882 patent for processing carbon filament in the incandescent light bulb. BEACON is a replication of Latimer’s mechanical drawing of the incandescent light bulb and carbon filament.

Beam Center, in collaboration with the Lewis Latimer House Museum, hosted an Earth Day workshop where participants could create their own mini BEACON. Materials included a battery, an LED light, an alligator clip, some paper, and a few sizes of stickers. Participants of all ages stopped by the table throughout the event, creating their own mini replica of the public artwork. With the table’s position right next to BEACON, participants got to compare their mini BEACON to the original and light them both up.

To learn more about Lewis Latimer and his impact on Brooklyn, watch the recording from Illuminating Lewis Latimer’s Brooklyn Story, a panel discussion cohosted by Beam Center, the Lewis Latimer House Museum, and Downtown Brooklyn.

To learn more about BEACON, artist Shervone Neckles, and the Beam Center Fellows, watch the video below. Today, April 26, is the final day to see BEACON at Albee Square in downtown Brooklyn - check it out before it moves to its next location!