And here we thought New York couldn’t get any more diverse.
The much-debated community center Park 51 is opening it’s doors for the first time with a global exhibition.
“NY Children” by photographer Danny Goldfield showcases portraits of children from 169 countries. The project aims to capture the innocence and culture of a child from every country in the world and represent the growing diversity of New York.
Born in Mali, Toumani plays his djembe drum in the Bronx. Photo taken by Danny Goldfield for his "NY Children" photo project.
The youngest child Goldfield photographed for the project was was Bez, an Ethiopian girl who was only 34 days old.
Some of the photos from his project were exhibited in Copenhagen in 2009. But this is the first time these photos are being shown all together at once.
Waseem from Afghanistan cooling off in Central Park.
The story behind Goldfield’s “NY Children” begins after the terrible events of 9/11. While in Arizona in 2011, Goldfield met a man from India who’s brother was murdered in a hate crime four days after the World Trade Center attacks. A year later, the man’s second brother was also murdered.
From this unfortunate story, Goldfield was inspired to spend the last 7 years visiting immigrant service organizations, cultural organizations, religious centers, and other places all over the city to meet children and their families for a project that will bring neighbors together.
Park 51 generated much controversy back in 2010 for it’s proximity to Ground Zero. Opponents of the project argued that the construction of the center would lure in extermists who would initiate a new jihad and anti-American movement. According to its website, Park 51 welcomes all faiths and backgrounds.
Goldfield has listed the remaining countries for his project, including Benin, Kuwait, North Korea, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, and others.
Have any suggestions or ideas for the remaining photos? Or know anyone from the remaining countries? Click the link above and shoot a message to Goldfield who is encouraging help from others.
Check out this video of Toumani from Mali jamming out to his djembe drum!
NY Children will continue at Park 51until mid-December. Park 51 is located at 51 Park Place halfway between Church St. and West Broadway, on the north side of the street. The hours of the community center and exhibition could not be located on the website. Please contact Park 51 for hours of operation.
- Kulsoom
