A talented African American artist and activist, Jerry Burrell was program director at the Hamilton Hill Arts Center in the 1970s. He loved African American art and taught others to love too. He even helped to bring the celebration of Kwanzaa to the Capital Region.
Jerry died tragically in 1978, a beloved son and respected member of the Hamilton Hill community.
Despite suffering from Appendicitis, an easily treatable condition in which the appendix becomes inflamed causing immense pain, hospital staff ignored his cries until a local African American doctor, Dr. James Cunningham, insisted on his being admitted. Unfortunately, it was too late. His appendix had ruptured.
Jerry Burrell died needlessly at age 36 as a victim of medical racism.
Being ignored by medical providers is still a common experience for African Americans.
Before he died, Hamilton Hill residents and organizations had successfully pushed for the creation of a proper park for the residents of Hamilton Hill since they experienced exclusion from other Schenectady parks. To honor his contributions, the park was renamed Jerry Burrell Park.
The Jerry Burrell Arts Collaborative consists of four community organizations including Mutual Design, Land Art Sudio, The Seat Center and The Hamilton Hill Arts Center. Our mission is to capture and tell the story of Jerry Burrell and the creation of Jerry Burrell Park. Jerry Burrell Park was created out of the Civil Rights movement as a space for people of color to feel welcome and to increase access to needed recreation opportunities. Local residents wrote letters, made calls, and protested to fight for the space to be made a park. Thanks to an $85,000 grant from The Schenectady Foundation and a $15,000 grant from the Carlilian Foundation, the Jerry Burrell Arts Collaborative has been funded to work with local students to research Jerry Burrell and the creation of Jerry Burrell Park and document this important story so that residents and visitors can learn and be inspired by it.
A learning path and portal with informational signage, learning games, and links to learn or share more about Jerry Burrell will be installed throughout the park. The learning path and portal is being created in collaboration with the Hamilton Hill community.
A basketball court mural: Raé Frasier. the lead artist on the Basketball court mural is a well known local artist who will design the mural with influences from Jerry Burrell's art and Life.
A mural series entitled "Through Our Mothers' Eyes" depicts 5 mothers with their beloved sons, whose contributions were cut short by acts of racial injustice. This includes Jerry Burrell. This mural series communicates that we are not who they say we are, we define ourselves for ourselves, we are loved family members making a contribution, defined by our mother's love. . The murals are being created by local artist Bianca Dilella.