Newburgh, NY:
Creating community, building resources.

Arts-based economic development that nurtures and inspires the whole community.

BFP Creative Inc. takes its inspiration from the City of Newburgh itself, which is vibrantly diverse and steeped in history. All of the projects we are involved in - Navigating Newburgh, the LIberty Street Caretakers, the recent Weigand’s Tavern Dig and upcoming Art Cart and Shack programming, to name a few - aim to involve community members through hands-on experiences that celebrate and explore Newburgh’s unique traits and offerings.


 

NEWBURGH, NY

Navigating Newburgh

In partnership with BFP Creative, Navigating Newburgh is a monthly community meeting which was created to inform first-time homebuyers about real estate opportunities in Newburgh. As the forum has matured, the topics of the meetings and the speakers who have led group conversations have addressed community issues beyond real estate. Members of city government, upper level management in the Newburgh police department, and local bank representatives have spoken at past meetings. At its core, Navigating Newburgh is about building community knowledge within a kind, open and accepting environment. Meetings will move to the P.S. 6 Center upon the facility’s completion.

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“The [Newburgh Community] Land Bank [sic] works with Habitat for Humanity, creating home-ownership programs that prioritize longtime Newburgh residents, and sponsors a residency called Artist in Vacancy, which lets artists make use of empty buildings before they become homes again.”

— NY Magazine, Sept. 20, 2018

 

 

NEWburgh, nY

DIG IT!
Weigands Tavern Archaeological Dig

If only these walls could talk. Weigand’s Tavern, located on Liberty Street on the northwest corner of the Old Town Cemetery, traces its origins back to the American Revolution, when the tavern was the center of political life. Eventually, the tavern became just another home with an interesting history until the structure fell on hard times in the 1960s. RipRap LLC is currently overseeing the rehabilitation of the building, which has revealed numerous artifacts - pottery, oyster shells, medicine vials - buried in the soil beneath and around the structure. BFP Creative, partnering with local historians, organized DIG IT, a supervised archeological soil sifting session, in order to share history, exploration and career opportunities with Newburgh residents.

“I think this story, especially in a city so rich with Revolutionary War connections, is important to remember. We weren’t only the place where Washington headquartered, we are also the place that pioneered the historic preservation of sites associated with the founding era. The tavern reminds us that if not for the local militias and committees of safety (the men who rose up from the community to take a stand against the monarchy), Washington’s army would not have come into existence.”

—Orange County Historian Johanna Yaun

 

Community members hard at working uncovering all sorts of treasures.

 

 

NEWburgh, nY

Liberty Street Caretakers

BFP Creative partnered with a group of Newburgh residents, the Liberty Street Caretakers, to bring art and community action to local children. The program provided art supplies, artistic inspiration, and outdoor space for a project aimed at beautifying the surrounding neighborhood with signage that would instill appreciation and respect for the community’s shared streets.

 

The kids take center stage, proudly displaying the results of their efforts.