Listen to the text of this chapter:

Benedetta Piantella (*This Is Not A Drill* Faculty Fellow), Syeda Anjum, Haddie Hill, Anjali Shi-yam-saran, Aala Masood Siddiqi, Weiran (Erin) Tao, Bella Vicens, Community Tech NY (CTNY),Kendra Krueger, Katy Burgio, Pete Gamlin, Brittany Hodges, Yoo Jin Lee, gil lopez

Resist, Reclaim, Restore, 2023

Printed Media, Wood, Photovoltaic Cells, Motors, Markers, Repurposed Eggshells

Resist, Reclaim, Restore is a curated reading space focused on exploring aspects of individual and community resilience such as food justice, energy transitions, community-owned infrastructure, digital equity, and citizen science. The reading space was made through contributions from NYU undergraduate and graduate students as well as dedicated educators, community organizers, and social technologists whose practice and rich body of knowledge and experiences inspired the students' creative processes, bridging academia and grassroots efforts.

Originating from the experimental NYU course "Reuse, Rethink, Resilience," students ventured beyond the classroom, embracing the chance to engage directly with communities. By venturing beyond the confines of the academic environment, this initiative seeks to continue to foster meaningful dialogues between the academic realm and the doers on the ground. The intention is to forge connections that fuel collaboration and synergies among diverse communities of practice.

The aspiration of Resist, Reclaim, Restore is to expand these conversations into a journey of brainstorming and co-creation, leading to a series of public workshops blending together art, technology, and environmental education in Community Gardens across the five boroughs. The colorful butterflies adorning the grid wall are vivid examples of this overall mission as they were created during a workshop that intertwined the Sun's energy, native insect species, and electronic circuits in partnership with the Moore Jackson Community Garden in Queens. This collaboration resonates as a microcosm of the larger vision.

The artist extends heartfelt gratitude to the NYU students who took a chance on the experimental "Reuse, Rethink, Resilience" course and the guests and partners who came to share their knowledge and who guided the students' thinking and projects: Prof. Ahmed Ansari, Samuel S.T. Pressman and Samuel's Food Gardens, Luis Munive and El Puente's Digital Stewards; Raul Enriquez and Community Tech NY (CTNY), Kendra Krueger and Zahra Hassan as well as the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, gil lopez and Big Reuse, the people at Interference Archive, Josh MacPhee and the Justseeds Artists' Cooperative, Monica Johnson, Jan Descartes and Marshall Weber as well as Booklyn, Yemi Amu and Oko Urban Farms, the Moore Jackson Community Garden and the kids (and adults) that participated in the Solar Bug workshops.

The work exhibited as well as the public pedagogy activities currently being developed would not have been possible without the support of Tisch Creative Research, Mona Sloane, Kristel F Baldoz and the team of the *This Is Not A Drill* program, the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, the Technology, Culture & Society (TCS) Department, and the Integrated Design & Media (IDM) Program.