Showcasing the Artwork of Kingsborough Houses Residents
On March 13, the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF), Fulton Art Fair (FAF), and Kingsborough Houses Resident Association celebrated the culmination of the Exodus and Dance artist-in-residency program at Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The program embedded four teaching artists in the local community and organized a series of visual arts programs with residents, working with media such as drawings on paper, paintings on canvas, collages, and stained-glass projects. Additionally, two artists created a mural alongside the community, unveiled earlier this year, titled From Weeksville to Kingsborough: Still We Rise. Curated by the FAF and PHCF, the program selected Brooklyn-based artists to collaborate with the Kingsborough resident stakeholder advisory group and the broader community to develop enriching arts activities and participatory art engagement over eighteen months. The final showcase featured the residents’ incredible artwork and their contributions to the creation of new art at Kingsborough Houses.
Commonly referred to as “The Wall” by Kingsborough residents, their artworks were inspired by and crafted with the multi-figured forms of the recently restored eighty-foot frieze, Exodus and Dance, by Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé (1901-1989). The frieze is the largest work by Barthé, who is widely recognized for his sculpture and among the first Black artists to be collected by the Whitney Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Through a unique blend of artistic production and community engagement, the program celebrates and reflects the rich cultural heritage of NYCHA residents and their storied histories in the city, fostering a deeper connection between the past and present. This gallery show brought together artwork made by the very people who live alongside Barthé’s frieze, reflecting on their shared experiences and connection to the people depicted in his monumental work.
“The voices and creativity of NYCHA residents deserve to be seen, celebrated, and shared,” said Public Housing Community Fund Executive Director Alex Zablocki. “Through this residency program, residents explored their own artistic expression while connecting with the powerful history of Richmond Barthé’s Exodus and Dance frieze. We are grateful to Fulton Art Fair and Weeksville Heritage Center for their partnership in making this program possible.”
“We are incredibly proud to see NYCHA residents drawing inspiration from Barthé’s iconic Exodus and Dance frieze and producing such vibrant works of art,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “We extend our sincere gratitude to the Public Housing Community Fund, Fulton Art Fair, Weeksville Heritage Center, and especially the residents of Kingsborough Houses for making this artist-in-residency program possible.”
“The past eighteen months working with Kingsborough residents have been deeply fulfilling for us; I truly believe that art is a powerful way to share who we are, connect with others, and open ourselves to new ways of thinking and seeing the world,” said Gerard Pefung, President of Fulton Art Fair. “One of the most rewarding parts of this process has been watching participants build confidence and begin to trust their own creative abilities — that’s exactly what happened here. We’re especially excited to showcase this work at the Weeksville Heritage Center and then at the Macon Library, because the exhibition celebrates and reflects the voices, stories, and creativity of people from our own community
“The Fulton Art Fair plays an important role in Brooklyn’s creative ecosystem; the exhibition’s works remind us of the significance of creativity, culture, and community in our lives,” said Dr. Raymond Codrington, President and CEO of Weeksville Heritage Center.
“This program gave our residents a chance to express themselves and tell their stories through art,” said Kingsborough Houses Resident Association President Angelina Whitaker. “Seeing the artwork displayed at Weeksville Heritage Center is a proud moment for our community. It shows the creativity, history, and spirit that live right here in Kingsborough Houses.”
The showcase featured a talented cohort of participating resident artists, including Ansonette, Annie G., Betty Y., Beverly T., Colleen M., Della, Eden W., Eunice W., Edith P., Helena E., Juana N., L. Wallace, M. Holder, Mary B., Mary D., Novelette, Olga K., Rosemary S., Teresa C., Sheila P., Sylvia F., Gloria W., and Wright A.W.
The showcase featured two muralists: Gerard Pefung and Greg Roberson.
The program is led by a distinguished group of Brooklyn-based teaching artists: Aleathea Sapp Jimenez, Gerard Pefung, Larry Weekes, and Valerie Williams.
The residency program is shaped by history, lifted by culture, and carried by hope, while using art to cultivate symbols, imagery, and words directly from Kingsborough residents and the local community. FAF credits the realization of the mural and the other phases of the Exodus and Dance project to former President and Artist-in-Residence at Kingsborough Houses Larry Weekes (1953 – 2025), who established partnerships with community stakeholders and residents that made this work possible.
Photos courtesy of Tameek Williams
