Flatbush Learns was created by Diane Bezucha as a part of her capstone project for the NYU Art, Education, and Community Practice program. She is a photographer, educator and, most importantly, a Flatbush resident. The purpose of the project was to gather community input about what education means to Flatbush residents and how we can reactivate the historic Erasmus Academy as a community learning space.
Diane engaged Flatbush students and residents by using artistic methods to explore what education means in their community. Through methods such as photography, drawing, mapping, sound investigation, questions were explored such as: Where do you learn? How do you learn? Why do you learn? What does education look and sound like in Flatbush? What is the relationship between a school and its neighborhood?
Using artistic methods made the process more engaging and accessible and also helped reimagine what education is and how spaces like the Erasmus Academy can be used. Ultimately, this artistic research will inform a community-written proposal for reactivating Erasmus Academy as a community learning space that meets the needs of Flatbush students and residents while strengthening the ties between a public school and its neighborhood.
For more information visit the official website: Flatbush Learns
