BEACON is an interactive, 13’ tall steel and LED sculpture inspired by African American inventor Lewis H. Latimer’s 1880s patent drawings for the electric lamp and method for manufacturing carbon filament in incandescent bulbs. Beam Center artist, Shervone Neckles, and a collective of Fellows (ages 18-21) together built and will install BEACON. Project partner, Lewis Latimer House Museum, will develop an online educational component to accompany the public work. BEACON is designed as an intergenerational pedagogical tool bridging humanities and STEAM disciplines. It engages the public in local history and commemorates Latimer’s legacy as a Black inventor and his contributions to society and the electrical engineering field.

For complete information on the project, inclusive of events, updates, artist, fabricators, partners, Lewis Latimer, and educational materials for schools, please visit the BEACON Project Updates website and read the press release on its launch as part of the Downtown Brooklyn + Dumbo Art Fund.