Letters to Harlem

Letters to 125th Street​



 

 

Letters to 125th Street is an ongoing interactive temporary public art installation that asks residents and visitors to share, stories they have

of 125th Street. It speaks to long-time local residents, visitors, and their personal stories, of the historic New York City neighborhood by highlighting the handwritten script, and the voice of the individual.  In 2010 the project received a grant from the West Harlem Art Fund to create what became the first iteration of the work. It took place in         

St. Nicholas Park in Harlem for 4 weeks during the summer of 2010. People walking through the park on their way to work or school were asked via free standing letter writing stations with mailboxes to share stories of spending time in the park. Over the course of the four-week installation the project received over 75 letters. Families, and local residents took time out to share personal anecdotes and memories in the form of letters addressed to the space of the park itself. The letters were later compiled into a zine and given out to the public. Many of the letters from that iteration of the project and another one in 2014 were printed and exhibited at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in West Harlem in 2018 as part of Public Room.

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The project is organized by artist Marcie Revens who has lived and worked in Harlem since 2004. The work is supported by West Harlem Art Fund, Art in Odd Places, NYC DOTArt, GOH Productions and  with grants from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) and by The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ). 

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Letters to 125th was part of the Art In Odd Places Festival Normal 

May 14th-16th, 2021. Letters written to 125th street were printed and posted along 14th street.

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Letters to 125th St was scheduled October 2020. Due to the pandemic it was installed May 1st- 23rd, 2021