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A photograph of the 2011 archaeological investigation of Seneca Village in Central Park, NYC. The crew is excavating test cuts and sifting the excavated soil through screens to find artifacts as a few park visitors ride by on bicycles. (Courtesy of the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History.)
A photograph of a few of the artifacts discovered during the 2011 archaeological investigation of Seneca Village in Central Park, NYC. Ashton holds fragments of ceramic dishes and glass bottles in his hands, while Ariane carefully looks through the excavated soil for other artifacts. (Courtesy of the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History.)


We invite you to attend a professional learning workshop about Seneca Village, the predominantly African American community that the city displaced in 1857 during the construction of Central Park. Educators of all disciplines and grades are welcome! Explore how object and place-based learning can engage young people to see deeply, think critically, and build freely. This workshop is especially useful for educators teaching African American history, New York City history, sociology, biology, and archaeology.


In the morning you will learn about the ongoing archaeological investigation of Seneca Village—what artifacts reveal about residents’ interactions with the Village environment. Cynthia Copeland, adjunct faculty member at New York University Steinhardt and co-director of the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History, will lead this session. Next, see place-based learning in practice with a historian-led walking tour of Central Park’s Seneca Village site and take away a clearer understanding of what life was like for those who called it home.

After lunch, join a dialogue between high school history teacher Lizzie Martin and one of her students from Bronx International High School to discuss the ways young people like to learn, including how to adapt this content into a lesson plan. Close the day with a social justice pedagogy workshop that presents principles you can apply to teaching about New York’s African American communities, led by Rajeeyah Finnie-Myers, director of professional development at the DreamYard Project. This workshop is curated by Carla Repice, senior manager of education, engagement and interpretation at Bard Graduate Center.

Bard Graduate Center is a certified CTLE sponsor with the New York State Department of Education. All eligible educators receive five CTLE credits for the workshop hours upon completion.

Bard Graduate Center requires full proof of vaccination and photo identification to enter its campus. Guests are required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.

The historian-led walking tour of Central Park’s Seneca Village site will be held rain or shine.

Attendees will be required to eat off campus and provide their own lunch. A map of nearby eateries will be provided.

This professional learning workshop series is held in conjunction with the Lab for Teen Thinkers public humanities program, the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History, and the Central Park Conservancy. Over the past thirty years, many scholars, students, and interested New Yorkers have worked to unearth the history of Seneca Village and the experiences of its residents from archives and artifacts. The Lab for Teen Thinkers builds upon that research and shares insights with community audiences through digital exhibitions and walking tours. See Seneca Village for yourself through the Central Park Conservancy’s virtual and guided walking tours, educational resources, field trips, oral histories and exhibitions. Visit the Park’s Seneca Village site to learn more.

The professional learning workshop about Seneca Village was made possible through the generous support of the Pinkerton Foundation.