Awarded $500 grant at FEAST #10, February 26, 2011
HUSK proposes to plant broomcorn along the Gowanus Canal this spring. Broomcorn is a type of Sorghum that was once commonly used to make brooms. In fact Brooklyn was once home to something of a broom making industry. With the introduction of synthetic materials broomcorn cultivation declined and the broom making industry left Brooklyn. We will revisit this industrial/ agricultural history through the cultivation of this forgotten crop and by offering a broommaking workshop with the harvested plants. In doing so we will also draw attention to the proposed clean up and remediation of the environmentally degraded canal area.
With the help of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp. we have secured a spot to grow our crop along the canal. The proposed location is the park overlooking the canal at the edge of the Lowes parking lot on 9th Street. The garden will be open to the public and we will encourage participation in unique harvesting processes. All funding will go towards seeds, tools, irrigation, maintenance and supplies for the broommaking event.