Beam Center

Our block is HOT! We’re excited for Spring so we’re celebrating with our #SpringThing block party at Red Hook. Experience Beam Center at its best and meet the young people behind the work as you engage in workshops, performances, live dj sets, local vendors, food and more. RSVP TODAY WITH THE LINK IN OUR BIO & WE’LL SEE YOU THERE!🧡

We invite you to our FIFTH annual Beam Center Benefit Brunch @thirdsbk on May 30th from 11:30-2:30! Support our youth, community and special honorees Juliette & Aaron Adams in celebrating #building & #belonging in youth development and learning. Purchase tickets from the link in our bio

Thank you @brooklynpaper for this great article on Hurly Whirly! Read all about it #linkinbio Read more details about the work of artist David Barthold @davidfbarthold and Beam center @beamcenter youth apprentices, including quotes and new photos. Special thanks to all our partners in this project: @nyc_dotart @artsgowanus @fofa_brooklyn @exploregowanus @oldstonehousebklyn and the Gowanus Neighborhood Art Advisory Committee (GNAAC)

Rooted in memory. Built for gathering. Shaped by community. We’re honored to unveil the evolving design for “Osisi Obodo — The Community Shade Tree” at Weeksville. Inspired by the social and spiritual role of the village tree across Igbo communities, the structure reimagines shade as cultural infrastructure: a place to rest, reflect, learn, heal, and connect. The canopy draws from textile traditions, quilting, and hand-dyed patterns that speak to lineage, storytelling, and collective memory. Branch-like shade panels extend outward as an invitation — creating space for conversation, intergenerational gathering, and everyday belonging. From early mockups in the workshop to final renderings in the landscape, this project has been a process of making culture visible in public space. Osisi Obodo (Igbo) is not simply a pavilion. It is a living marker of community stewardship, resilience, and joy. Designed for Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn. Created in collaboration with community, residents of Kingsborough Houses and @beamcenter (fabrication) @cua_design design + engagement team Design: Ximena Diaz Velasco @hee_men_ah , Research + Engagement : Ruth Pedro @rxu_t and Jennifer Weiss #OsisiObodo #TheCommunityTree #Weeksville #WeeksvilleHeritageCenter CreativeUrbanAlchemy PublicSpaceDesign BlackLandscape CommunityDesign CulturalInfrastructure UrbanDesign SocialPractice DesignJustice AfricanDiaspora BrooklynDesign ShadeStructure PublicArt Placekeeping RegenerativeDesign SpatialStorytelling

Join us THIS SATURDAY from 11-2 for @cws.nyc Arts & Science Fair. We’ll be holding #workshops learning how to make your own race ready #BUGBOT using simple circuit, brushes and other crafts to make your critter ~MOVEEEEE~ We’ll see you there!🧡

We are grateful to have hosted the second session for @nycschools teachers in the @unitedwaynyc Read Write & Code Fellowship program last month! It has been great opportunity for teachers to ideate and share knowledge about responsibly incorporating AI into their curriculum to help youth be better prepared for the future. Join in celebrating these teachers’ dedication to education on Governors Island June 4th 11:30AM-4PM. DM if interested in joining!

We are proud to have partnered with @artsgowanus @fofa_brooklyn @gowanuscanalconservancy @whynotartnyc and artist #DavidBarthold to bring the public art piece ‘Hurly Whirly’ to life located on 4th Ave. & 2nd St in Brooklyn. ‘Hurly Whirly’ is a large scale whimsical spinning sculpture fabricated and crafted by artist David and Beam Center youth staff. The goal of this piece is to bring joy to passerby and increase the sense of place for those people in surrounding neighborhoods. Catch ‘Hurly Whirly’ on display from today-Fall 2026 with a celebration of the piece’s installation happening THIS SATURDAY May 2nd at the Park Slope Picnic Announcement Party! We’ll see you there!🧡

Installed today!! We are thrilled to announce Hurly-Whirly lands on 4th Ave in Brooklyn! Enjoy these pics of the Beam Center @beamcenter team, including 2 youth apprentices, installing this large-scale work that they fabricated. It stands 11ft tall in the median at 4th Ave and 2nd St in Brooklyn. The artist David Barthold and some of our partners were able to stop by to celebrate. Special thanks to @nyc_dotart for their support of this project! Hurly Whirly, designed by Gowanus-based artist David Barthold davidfbarthold and fabricated by Beam Center @beamcenter teen apprentices and staff is a colorful whimsical sculpture that will be on view for several months as part of the NYC DOT Art program. Get in touch for more details or click #linkinbio This new public artwork is a collaboration of many community partners and we hope it will kick-off many more public art projects on 4th Ave and nearby Gowanus. Partners include: Arts Gowanus @artsgowanus Beam Center @beamcenter Forth on Fourth Ave (FOFA) @fofa_brooklyn the Gowanus BID Formation Committee @exploregowanus Gowanus Neighborhood Arts Advisory Committee (GNAAC), Old Stone House @oldstonehousebklyn and Why Not Art @whynotartnyc . Funding sponsorship is from Why Not Art and supporters of Beam Center, including the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Altman Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York Community Trust. Thank you @michaeljamesfreedman for photos! 📸

Sneak Peek of a new 4th Ave public art work! Hurly-Whirly lands on 4th Ave in Brooklyn next week! Designed by Gowanus-based artist David Barthold davidfbarthold and fabricated by Beam Center @beamcenter teen apprentices and staff, this large-scale, colorful whimsical sculpture will be installed and on view for several months as part of the NYC DOT Art program. Get in touch for more details or click #linkinbio This new public artwork is a collaboration of many community partners and we hope it will kick-off many more public art projects on 4th Ave and nearby Gowanus. Partners include: Arts Gowanus @artsgowanus Beam Center @beamcenter Forth on Fourth Ave (FOFA) @fofa_brooklyn the Gowanus BID Formation Committee @exploregowanus Gowanus Neighborhood Arts Advisory Committee (GNAAC), Old Stone House @oldstonehousebklyn and Why Not Art @whynotartnyc . Funding sponsorship is from Why Not Art and supporters of Beam Center, including the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Altman Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York Community Trust. NYC DOT Art provided support and permitted the project through the Art Partners initiative, which invites organizations to partner with professional artists to permit art on NYC DOT property throughout the five boroughs.

Sign up for Beam Day camp TODAY! This August, experience our New Hampshire sleep away camp right here in NYC. Campers will learn introduction to technical skills like woodworking and collaborative building at our Beam Center spaces from Red Hook to Govenors Island during 1, 2 or 3 week sessions. Enrollment is open now! Multiple week discounts are available. Curious to learn more, visit the link in our bio or our website. We’ll see you there 🧡

Book your tickets for Play Club night 1 at the link in our bio TODAY! Lehica & Tamara and Beam Center staff are excited to share their skills and knowledge with you on April 15th.

Come build Bug Bots! We are SO excited to host a Beam Camp try it for a day workshop on Sunday, April 19th, 1-3 PM. Creative kids will love building buzzing bots that they can take home when they are done. Meet other creative kids and learn about Beam Camp's incredible sleep away and day camp opportunities. This event is for ages 7+. Please sign up in advance as space is limited. Link in bio or use the QR code.