Monthly Archives: June 2023

#7 Washington Square Park

Covid-19 Oral History, ,
Going Green for Parkies, May 2021, Washington Square Arch.
Going Green for Parkies, May 2021, Washington Square Arch.

One of the most iconic parks in New York City is Washington Square Park, the jewel of Greenwich Village. During the COVID-19 outbreak, it was a focus for many, many visitors to the park. This was the scene of protests and big gatherings, but also continued to function as a much-needed place for respite. In this episode we go out of the studio and into the field to meet the Parkies who manage it, and listeners will be able to hear all of the Village sounds (and a thunderstorm) of a busy summer day in this beautiful spot.

Today our guests are both from Washington Square Park:

  • Deborah Hopkins, Playground Associate
  • Will Morrison, Park Administrator

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Park Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews conducted with Parkies.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

#6 Quarantine Ends and Parks Use Begins

Covid-19 Oral History, , ,
Queens
Beach 17th Street Performance Space, Far Rockaway, Queens

On this show we follow up on the use of parks and open space during the pandemic. From former Commissioner Mitchell Silver calling parks “sanctuaries of sanity” to veteran Chief Phil Sparacio recalling the increased use of outdoor space, we walk listeners through the era when NYC Parks were the only show in town.

Our interviews on episode #6:

  • Former NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver;
  • Senior Outreach Coordinator for Partnerships for Parks Sara Baral;
  • Deputy Commissioner for Urban Park Service and Public Programs Margaret Nelson;
  • Deputy Chief of Operations for Queens Phil Sparacio.

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Park Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews with Parkies.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

#5 Kiss the Bride & Hug a Tree

Covid-19 Oral History, , ,
Alley Pond Park
Alley Pond Park

This episode is about parks as spaces that restore all of us, how parks were used during the pandemic in new and sometimes unusual ways, and how important open space became to us in New York. Today we are going to talk about New Yorker’s relationships to parks and open space and how they reflect our social environment and our connections to each other.

Our interviews on episode #5:

  • First Deputy Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa;
  • Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Focht;
  • Parks Enforcement Patrol Inspector Asha Harris;
  • Chief-of-Staff Dan Dougherty;
  • Bronx Chief of Operations Lawrence Scoones;
  • Park Administrator William Morrison;
  • Public Engagement Coordinator Jennifer Graeff.

We record our shows in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at McCarren Play Center in the Media Education Lab. Our team is using the Media Lab and Parks volunteers to share our history with listeners, presenting some of the more than 100 oral history interviews with Parkies.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download