By: Pamela Stern
On September 15th eleven residents of Spring Creek Towers (SCT) along with The Opportunity Hub’s Senior Director of Wellbeing, Nasima Abdulalim took a trip to The Brooklyn Museum. Participation in this trip was limited to only eleven attendees on a first come first serve basis.
On this trip attendees were given the opportunity to have a guided tour of the exhibition, Maria Magdalencia Campos Pons – Behold. This trip was provided free to the residents who signed up and registered to attend. This one hour privately guided tour was exclusively limited to twelve participants. Attendees were picked up in front of Boston Market at 10 am and returned there at 1:30pm (This location was selected because it is centrally located within Spring Creek Towers (SCT) and it is easier for participants to get on and off the bus without worrying about traffic or other buses on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Opportunity Hub provided everyone who went on the trip with water and some snacks.
Trip attendees were provided an intimate and private tour of the work and expressions through art of the artist, Maria Magdalencia Campos Pons. Participants were given history and the significance of many physical remnants of slavery including; the iron board, glass and crystal irons scattered on the floor. One attendee stated, “This trip is very exciting and provided historical information which is not often discussed.” There was also homage to slain citizen Brianna Taylor with a conversation piece describing the picture of her murdered by police in a pool of her own blood, but her eyes remained dark and fixated.
The theme included an acknowledgement of Black Americans being in a constant state of surveillance. The exhibit also paid homage to the artist’s Cuban and Asian ancestry seen in some of the photos. One of the younger attendees said,” I enjoyed this trip very much, I liked how the artist linked history and art with things that are still going on today.”
The tour ended by viewing a short film of the artist breaking the dishes in an exquisite white dress which was also showcased in the exhibit.
“I believe the trip went well, the participants seemed really appreciative of the tour,” said Nasima Abdulalim, The Opportunity Hub’s Senior Director of Wellbeing.
Photos courtesy of: The Opportunity Hub and attendees
