The Ambrose Brook Trail Starts Here
a site specific installation by Jake Paron and Natalie Romero
For this installation, we used photographs and images of The Voice of the Children magazine, courtesy of the Rutgers’ Special Collections and University Archives; and excerpts from historical texts. We also collected objects, trash and foraged plants from the Ambrose Brook along with documentation from recent site visits.
We were inspired by the archival photographs, artworks and written stories of the anarchist North Stelton community from 1915-1953. The children and families of the Ferrer Modern School spent significant time playing, bathing and learning while enjoying the brook. We were also imagining the ways in which —before the Ferrer colony— the Leni Lenape may have interacted with the brook, living in harmony with nature. How can we continue making memories in the brook? What would it take to make a trail so that the current residents can enjoy the ecological beauty.
This work was created for the Present|Past Exhibition in School Street in Piscataway, NJ, and organized by Chat Travieso and Mason Gross School of the Arts.
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“A muddy stream, Ambrose Brook, was adjacent to the school, as were the woods and fields of the surrounding farmland and they provided nature study. Fishing, swimming, skating and boating were regular activities and children organized sporting games throughout the day.”
—Jon T. Scott’s “Freedom in Education”
