In timing with Prospect Park's 150th Anniversary, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Prospect Park Alliance present The Witness Tree Project, an exhibition of designed objects by RISD students created from a 150-year-old fallen elm tree in the Prospect Park Parade Ground.

The exhibition is on view Thursdays through Sundays, 12-5 pm, from September 9-30, with a closing reception from 3-5 pm on September 30.

Witness Trees, as designated by the National Park Service, are long-standing trees that have "witnessed" key events in history. In a joint spring 2017 RISD furniture studio and history seminar called The Politics of Belonging: Race, Diversity and the Immigrant Experience in Brooklyn and Beyond, student designers researched Prospect Park’s significance in American history, visited the site and built fully informed objects reflecting on what they learned, using the wood to create objects inspired by the rich cultural history surrounding the tree.

The range of projects represents the wide range of immigrant experiences, and include a series of wooden kaleidoscopes through which viewers can observe the text of President Trump’s proposed travel ban, to a wooden replica of the turntable used by seminal immigrant musician Grand Master Flash in the 1970s.

Register online or call (718) 287-3400 for more information

The Alliance’s Thursday Corps volunteers perform a multitude of different projects throughout the Park. The group meets at a different location every week helping in a variety of landscape and horticultural projects. Regardless of physical ability, there's something for everyone to do.

Join the Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation.

• Discovery Pack, 12–3 pm: The Prospect Park Alliance invites you to get inspired by nature with our new Discovery Packs, a ready-to-go kits filled with nature activities for families.
• Bird Nerd Game Hour 1–2 pm: Learn about birds and nature in this fun, mildly competitive hour of puzzles, Bingo, card games, and more!
• Nature on the Go! 2–3 pm: An Alliance Naturalist will lead children and families to areas near the Audubon Center, where you can learn about the nature that is all around us. This program leaves promptly at 2 pm. 
• Animal Encounter 3–4 pm: Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection.

On view through March 2019

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Prospect Park, Brooklyn Historical Society and Prospect Park Alliance present an exhibition that celebrates the founding vision of the Park, traces its social and historical trajectories, and examines the important role that Prospect Park has played as “Brooklyn’s Backyard” for 150 years. 

The Brooklyn Historical Society is closed on major holidays. 

Visit the Brooklyn Historical Society website for hours of operation.