After a hiatus, Awesome NYC is springing back with our April grant to 596 Acres. Here they are in their own words: 596 Acres distributes information about publicly owned vacant land in Brooklyn by publishing print maps, creating and hosting an interactive map, holding land use visioning sessions, and providing advocacy and support for community-based groups all over Brooklyn as they negotiate with city agencies for permission to use currently vacant and fenced-off lots for community-determined projects. Since we tested our tactics in a pilot project in June 2011, three vacant and warehoused lots in Brooklyn have become official sites of community projects: 462 Halsey Street, Feedback Farms, and the Java Street Garden Collaborative; Myrtle Village Green and Patchen Community Square are nearly official, too. Twenty-seven other communities are organizing for control of different pieces of Brooklyn using our tools. The April 2012 Awesome Foundation grant will be used to fund a dramatic extension to our current project by adding the publicly owned vacant lots in the other four boroughs to our site. This will give the communities in the rest of the city an idea of which vacant lots are owned by the city. It’s extra Awesome that this part of… read more →

Announcing Awesome NYC’s October grant: Bushwick City Farms: Bushwick City Farms is a network of open spaces run by neighborhood volunteers that provides free food, clothing and educational programs for the community. BCF farms create a unique opportunity to experience active models of responsible food production in the city. In addition to producing free organic vegetables and eggs at the farm’s main locations, we host school field trips and youth service groups, hold free beginner’s English classes for speakers of other languages, and coordinate with local businesses to distribute bread and fresh produce donations. Every Sunday free food and clothing is distributed at the farms main location at 897 Broadway. We collaborate with property-owners for the free availability of their vacant, often neglected lots and turn these spaces into beautiful productive community farms that are safe for the community to enjoy. With the help of local community residents BCF cleans out the lots, constructs raised vegetable beds, chicken coops and ranges, community compost systems and greenhouses, all from recycled (dumpstered) materials. BCF transforms vacant lots into community green spaces which beautify the block, attract passersby, and serve as an educational, environmental and humanitarian resource for the entire neighborhood. BCF also… read more →

Here are a couple Rotobooth shots from tonight’s Awesome Foundation NYC Party at Babycastles.  Babycastles, an independent video game arcade, were the co-hosts of the party and the recipients of the latest $1000 grant from Awesome NYC.  Rotobooth, a project by fellow ITP alum Mike Kelberman, is an automated photo booth that uploads pictures directly to Flickr. Above: Posing with fellow Awesome NYC trustee Catherine White and friends from Purpose. Below: Awesome Foundation NYC trustees: Catherine White, Jesse Chan-Norris, and myself More photos on Flickr

Awesome Foundation NYC’s next party will be at Babycastles in Brooklyn (285 Kent Avenue) on June 27th, 8 pm-10 pm-ish. Babycastles, an independent video games arcade, is both the co-host of the party and the recipient of the latest Awesome NYC grant. Free entry, and cash bar. There will be arcade games, fun, and some awesome surprises. See you tonight! RSVP on Facebook Babycastles 285 Kent Avenue Brooklyn, NY

Awesome Foundation NYC’s next party will be at Babycastles in Brooklyn (285 Kent Avenue) on June 27th, 8 pm. Details coming soon! RSVP on Facebook to get updates