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Brooklyn High School of the Arts 345 Dean Street The Brooklyn High School of the Arts (BHSA) is the first high school in the United States to include historic preservation as an academic theme. The first year for the school began in September 2000 when Principal Robert Finley welcomed 90 ninth grade students. BHSA has a special inter-disciplinary academic focus on Preservation Arts, fine arts, visual arts, and performing arts combined with an artisan skills training and internship component. The preservation based academic curriculum is shared by all the arts strands at BHSA while the Preservation Arts students go on to pursue artisan and applied preservation skills as well as participating in an internship program. This will be a local and national model for similar efforts. The curriculum is constructed to allow students to view traditional subjects through the lens of historic preservation by focusing on a specific historic structure or artifact to study the elements of its creation, preservation, and interpretation. Using this model, teachers can work together using a common architectural theme as an expression of the period under study through which they can integrate their respective disciplines. Through the curriculum the students will be prepared to meet the standards of the New York State Regents examinations using primary resource materials. The concept for a High School for the Preservation Arts was the result of a World Monuments Fund 1993 symposium. The symposium highlighted: the absence of nationwide standards for the craft skills used in historic preservation; the limited number of existing programs to train people in these highly specialized skills that are needed to maintain our rich architectural legacy; the fact that historic preservation revitalizes communities; the increasing success of the preservation movement leading to greater numbers of designated historic districts; and the resulting need for skilled restoration artisans. Since passage of the 1966 Historic Preservation Act, the number of sites on the National Historic Register has grown from 1,000 entries to 70,000. According to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, there are more than 1,000 individually designated landmarks and 73 historic districts in New York City. Many of these will need restoration in the future with few skilled crafts people to fill the anticipated need. The development of the Preservation Arts High School curriculum is a collaborative effort of the New Jersey Institute of Technology Center for Architecture and Building Science Research, World Monuments Fund (WMF), the New York City Board of Education, New York City Council Member Ken Fisher’s office and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. Students who graduate from the preservation arts program may contribute to the support of the preservation community in a variety of ways. Some may pursue post-secondary education and become architects, contractors, preservationists, civil engineers, or other preservation-related careers. Others may pursue professional careers in different areas while maintaining an appreciation and interest in preservation for themselves and their community. Some may become preservation crafts people who find there is a great demand for skilled Internships One of BHSA’s goals is to provide students with internship opportunities in the Preservation Arts. Providing students with internships in the preservation arts has also been a longstanding goal of the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Architecture and Building Science Research (NJIT/CABSR). Since 1997 Kate Burns Ottavino, Director of Preservation at NJIT Center has organized internship programs in the preservation arts for NYC high school students. Interns have worked at restoring statuary in Times Square and at the 1904 Peristyle in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY. On both occasions the interns worked under the direction of Kate Burns Ottavino with the artisan sponsor A. Ottavino Corporation. In spring 1998, NJIT and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, conducted Preservation Week - three days of activities for 30 specially selected high school students. The program included presentations by guest lecturers from leading preservation organizations and preservation-enriched interdisciplinary lessons prepared by four teachers in Art, English, History, and Science. In 2001 the internship program moved to BHSA. Through the efforts of Brooklyn Council member Ken Fisher, the Mayors Office for Youth Employment partnered with the high school to sponsor eleven interns during Summer 2001. The students interned at nine different sites that focus on historic preservation. The program has run continuously ever since. Additional Reading Preservation Arts & Technology Brochure Preservation Arts Career Development & Occupational Standards
The Preservation Arts and Technology Curriculum at Brooklyn High School of the Arts February 2003 BHSA Newsletter |
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