"Brooklyn, Then and Now" Exhibit....curated by teen interns.

Stop by the Brooklyn Collection to view our new exhibit, "Brooklyn, Then and Now."  This new exhibit was curated by our teen interns, Arelis and Eva, who joined us this summer through the Multicultural Internship Program.  

We were very lucky to have two eager interns help us with tasks throughout the collection. Their primary project was to create a series of "Then and Now" pairs, which match a historic image from our collection with a photograph taken from the exact same spot today.  From day one, Arelis and Eva helped us with this project by selecting the neighborhoods, examining our historic photographs of each neighborhood, charting a route and taking photographs with the Collection's digital cameras.  We were so impressed with their work that we asked them to share their findings in an exhibit.  The girls were completely hands-on in the exhibit process, from selecting their favorite images to mounting and arranging each pair on display. 

The story that Eva and Arelis tell through their exhibit is surprisingly optimistic.  Although some of the images show 19th century structures being torn down for modern high-rises, most of the pairs depict stability and improvement.  The staff all agreed that it was refreshing to see today's youth experiencing Brooklyn as moving in a positive direction, and as a great place to call home. 

We are very proud of our interns' accomplishments this summer and are thrilled to show off their hard work in this exhibit.  We hope it will inspire our visitors to consider the changes in their own neighborhoods, and to make positive contributions to those changes.  The exhibit is housed here in the Brooklyn Collection and runs through September 30.