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Speeches and Testimonies

NYCHANow


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2024
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov | (212) 306-3322

Public Housing Community Fund, NYCHA, NYC Mayor’s Office, NYC Public Design Commission, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, NYCHA
Residents, and NYCHA’s Cornerstone Program Operators Launch First-of-its-Kind NYCHA Artist-in-Residence Program

Calling all artists: An artist open call seeks artist applications for the program

The Mellon Foundation awarded the Public Housing Community Fund a $3 million grant to launch From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage, a scalable citywide
artist-in-residence program

NEW YORK – The Public Housing Community Fund (Fund), an organization committed to
enhancing the lives of NYCHA residents, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the
New York City Mayor’s Office, NYC Public Design Commission, NYC Department of Youth
and Community Development (DYCD) and its funded Cornerstone programs, and NYCHA
residents are thrilled to announce a transformative partnership with the Mellon Foundation,
launching From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage. This groundbreaking
artist-in-residency program will activate public housing communities across New York City’s
five boroughs through the lens of public art programming.
Spanning 20 months, beginning in summer 2024 and running through 2026, From Roots to Arts
will feature five distinguished artists, each with a residency and program space at one NYCHA
development in each of the five boroughs. The selected sites include dynamic communities at
King Towers, Manhattan, Bushwick Houses, Brooklyn, Astoria Houses, Queens, Bronx River,
the Bronx, and Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, embracing a broad spectrum of cultural
expressions and community engagement, impacting over 12,000 public housing residents. Each
NYCHA community is supported by DYCD-funded Cornerstone operators, including SCANHarbor (Manhattan), Grand Street Settlement (Brooklyn), HANAC Inc. (Queens), Children’s Arts & Science Workshops, Inc. (Bronx), and Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island (Staten Island).
Residents were invited to participate in community days in March and April, offering a platform
to voice their preferences on the type of art and artists they wish to engage with. These events
were designed to be interactive and fun, providing a unique opportunity for residents to shape the
artistic direction of the program. In total, nearly 200 residents participated and provided feedback
for the artist open call, and over 160 community surveys were collected across all program sites.
From Roots to Arts is crafted to foster a vibrant, creative environment in the dedicated spaces of
NYCHA’s community centers. Artists will delve into the heart of these communities, working
closely with residents to create art and cultivate a deeper sense of community and personal
expression. The artist open call was released today and can be viewed at
https://www.communityfund.nyc/fromrootstoarts. Interested artists can apply to serve as an
artist-in-residence at one of the five participating communities. Applications are due by May 19,
2024. The artist selection process will be led by organization officials, representatives from the
city and art organizations, and NYCHA resident leaders, with a goal of selecting five artists to
begin their residency in July 2024. Artists will be provided $70,000 in compensation annually
($105,000 over the 20-month residency) plus benefits and other program support. Each NYCHA
community is allocated $155,000 for public art fabrication and program facilitation support.
This effort is a part of NYCHA’s Connected Communities program, which is focused on
transforming open and community spaces by implementing public-private partnerships. The
program’s efforts are based on participatory planning and design and strive to enhance physical
and social connections between residents and their communities.
"Today marks a significant milestone for the Public Housing Community Fund as we launch the
From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage initiative. Thanks to the generous
support from the Mellon Foundation, this initiative will foster a dynamic platform where art and
community intersect and thrive. Nearly 200 public housing residents joined with our partners for
community days, informing the type of public art programming they want to see in their
communities and what kinds of artists they would like to work with,” Public Housing
Community Fund Executive Director Alex Zablocki said. “We are excited to announce that
the artist call-out is live and accepting applications through May 19th. This is a clarion call to all
artists passionate about making a difference in our communities—your creativity has the power
to inspire and uplift. I encourage every interested artist to apply and join us in shaping a legacy
of cultural enrichment that echoes throughout our public housing and beyond."
“NYCHA is ecstatic to contribute to the From Roots to Arts program,” said NYCHA Chief
Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “It’s always exciting to provide residents with a positive
outlet for artistic expression and this truly unique artist-in-residency opportunity will give the
selected resident-artists an amazing platform to showcase their work in a way that enriches
NYCHA campuses and communities. We are very thankful to the Public Housing Community
Fund and our city partners for helping to bring this spectacular program to life for NYCHA
residents, and I, for one, cannot wait to see the amazing artwork that comes from it.”
“I’m eager to see the ways in which From Roots to Arts artists in residence contribute to
community and creativity at NYCHA community centers. Public art has the potential to bring us together, revitalize our communal spaces, and highlight the work of artists in our community, and this opportunity, driven by the input of nearly 200 residents, will do just that. I appreciate the many public and private partners who contributed to the development of this program, and the NYCHA residents whose feedback is shaping this work,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer.
The program is made possible thanks to a generous grant of $3 million from The Mellon
Foundation, Humanities in Place program area.
“As a cross-sector commitment to the unique value of the arts and cultural programming for all
communities, From Roots to Art presents opportunities foster community building and a sense of
pride and connection for NYCHA’s residents,” said Mellon Foundation Humanities in Place
Program Director, Justin Garrett Moore. “Artists and culture bearers will have the
opportunity to research, interpret, and create work in and with community based on the distinct
histories and cultures of our city’s public housing communities. This collective work promises to
better reflect and amplify the experiences, stories, and heritage of our great city.”
"Participatory Public Art has an extraordinary ability to vitalize, inspire and strengthen
communities,” says NYC Public Design Commission Executive Director Sreoshy Banerjea.
“The Public Design Commission is thrilled to partner on From Roots to Arts, an initiative that
harnesses this transformative power to empower, and uplift NYCHA communities. This
innovative artist -in-residency program aligns with the Commission's mission to champion
quality design that connects with communities and meaningfully engages residents in shaping
their environments to reflect their unique spirit and heritage. We are deeply grateful to the
Mellon Foundation for their visionary support in making this impactful program possible.”
“Whether providing jobs through the Summer Youth Employment Program or offering safe
spaces at Saturday Night Lights sites, DYCD is committed to Mayor Adams’ forward-thinking
vision for NYCHA residents at our Cornerstone Community Centers,” said NYC Department of
Youth and Community Development Commissioner Keith Howard. “From Roots to Arts is a
cross-agency, public-private collaboration that harnesses the power of art to beautify our public
realm and foster more vibrant communities. DYCD is excited to join the Public Housing
Community Fund and our partners to tap into the creative talents of New Yorkers.”
From Roots to Arts will be guided by a resident stakeholder advisory group in each community
that will collectively share their experiences and art throughout the program and amplify
NYCHA resident voices through public art programming. The program will be evaluated to
support scalability and will be supported by a newly created position at the Fund, a NYCHA Art
Liaison.
We invite all NYCHA residents and the broader public to join us in this exciting journey of
artistic discovery and community engagement. For more information about the From Roots to
Arts program, please visit https://www.communityfund.nyc/fromrootstoarts.

# # #

About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North
America, was created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate income New Yorkers. NYCHA is home to 1 in 17 New Yorkers, providing affordable housing to 528,105 authorized residents through public housing and Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) programs as well as Section 8 housing. NYCHA has 177,569 apartments in 2,411 buildings across 335 conventional public housing and PACT developments. In addition,
NYCHA connects residents to critical programs and services from external and internal partners,
with a focus on economic opportunity, youth, seniors, and social services. With a housing stock
that spans all five boroughs, NYCHA is a city within a city.
About the Public Housing Community Fund
Public Housing Community Fund is a nonprofit that forges partnerships to power transformative
programs that enhance the lives of over 500,000 residents across NYCHA communities. Our
goal is to engage people and partners to build a stronger, more equitable New York City by
investing in public housing communities. We invest in programs focused on leadership
development, financial empowerment, community health, and workforce training for residents of
the NYCHA community. Visit www.communityfund.nyc
About the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD)
The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) invests in a
network of community-based organizations and programs to alleviate the effects of poverty and
to provide opportunities for New Yorkers and communities to flourish. Since 1996, DYCD has
been committed to supporting New Yorkers of all ages through high quality initiatives such as
Beacon and Cornerstone Community Centers, COMPASS afterschool, the Summer Youth
Employment Program (SYEP), Adult Literacy and Immigrant Services, Runaway and Homeless
Youth, and the Office of Neighborhood Safety. Visit www.nyc.gov/dycd.
About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities.
Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are
essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are
where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence,
and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities
enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can
thrive. Learn more at mellon.org. Visit coned.com/energyefficiency.