"After I retired from teaching, I wanted to get involved with bringing beauty to blighted areas through children's art. I live close by and have a friend who works with the Binghampton Development Corporation, so I talked to him about the idea, and he offered us this property on Carpenter Street. We started the Carpenter Art Garden in 2012 with just an empty lot and some picnic tables, and it's grown quite a bit since then. It's right across from Lester School and near Cornerstone Prep, so we have kids coming here from both campuses, and we do art both indoors and outdoors now. The kids do mosaics, paint murals in the neighborhood, and make art with repurposed wood and other materials. Some of the art they take home, other pieces stay in the Art Garden. We were able to purchase the house next door to the original lot, but it was in such disrepair that it had to be torn down and a new one built. People in the neighborhood helped, and we painted it purple like the original house. Now we have not only the house and art garden, but a vegetable garden a couple of doors down which is open to the community. We provide the seeds and help people learn to grow their own food. We've just expanded to another empty lot across the street, so we'll be able to offer more space for gardening. We hope to grow enough vegetables to have a mobile produce stand that can be used to get fresh food to more people. There's not much access to that in this area---just corner stores.
"We want to purchase another house on the street to turn into a workshop for furniture restoration and bike repair. We're very close to the Greenline, so if kids learn how to repair and maintain bikes, some of them will be prepared to apprentice in bicycle shops when they're older. In addition to these projects, we also offer tutoring after school. In the summer, there will be activities here all day every day, including tutoring, art, and field trips. I am just overwhelmed and amazed at how everything has fallen into place. We've been able to get what we've needed when we've needed it.
"On Friday evening, March 27, there will be a fundraiser / art show for the Carpenter Art Garden at Flicker Street Studio (74 Flicker St.) from 5:30 to 8:00. There will be children's art for sale as well as pieces by some of the artists who have conducted classes here for both kids and adults. Melissa Dunn, Danny Broadway, and others will have work for purchase. We hope people will come out and support these kids and this community."
"We want to purchase another house on the street to turn into a workshop for furniture restoration and bike repair. We're very close to the Greenline, so if kids learn how to repair and maintain bikes, some of them will be prepared to apprentice in bicycle shops when they're older. In addition to these projects, we also offer tutoring after school. In the summer, there will be activities here all day every day, including tutoring, art, and field trips. I am just overwhelmed and amazed at how everything has fallen into place. We've been able to get what we've needed when we've needed it.
"On Friday evening, March 27, there will be a fundraiser / art show for the Carpenter Art Garden at Flicker Street Studio (74 Flicker St.) from 5:30 to 8:00. There will be children's art for sale as well as pieces by some of the artists who have conducted classes here for both kids and adults. Melissa Dunn, Danny Broadway, and others will have work for purchase. We hope people will come out and support these kids and this community."
The Carpenter Art Garden is located at 295 Carpenter Street in Binghampton.
Website: http://www.carpenterartgarden.com
Website: http://www.carpenterartgarden.com
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