“From Roots to Arts” Showcases Creative Power of NYCHA Communities at City Hall

After nearly two years of workshops, collaboration, and performances across the five boroughs, NYCHA’s first artist-in-residence program, From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage, was celebrated with a special culmination ceremony in March at City Hall. 

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg welcomed NYCHA residents, artists, and community partners to celebrate From Roots to Arts, a 20-month initiative that embedded artists within public housing community Cornerstones in the five boroughs. 

“The artistry of NYCHA residents reflects the full, vibrant tapestry of New York,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “I’m honored to welcome these artists into City Hall, as leaders whose voices and visions must shape our future.” 

From Roots to Arts launched in 2024 through a partnership with NYCHA, the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF), the New York City Public Design Commission (PDC), and the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). The program was built in partnership with the DYCD Cornerstone Programs, which provided dedicated spaces within each development’s community center for art programming. Cornerstone partners included Children’s Arts & Science Workshops, Inc., SCAN-Harbor, Grand Street Settlement, HANAC Inc., and the JCC of Staten Island. 

The artists and communities served include Dominique Robinson at Bronx River Houses in the Bronx, Corey Harrison at King Towers in Manhattan, Crystal Clarity at Bushwick Houses in Brooklyn, Tamra Cosby at Astoria Houses in Queens, and Tina Thompson-Pope at Richmond Terrace in Staten Island. Their work culminated in five site-specific public art installations or performances, and a short documentary film that debuted at City Hall and featured highlights from each of the five sites as documented by Kemi Karim, PHCF’s Senior Manager of Art and Culture, and the African Peach Arts Coalition.  

“From Roots to Arts is a groundbreaking program, empowering residents to express their creativity while shaping their own stories and the narratives of their communities,” said Public Housing Community Fund Executive Director Alex Zablocki. “The program connected incredible artistic talent with cultural vibrancy to uplift the voices of residents and allow creative expression to flourish. Art comes in many forms, and in each borough, artists and the community thoughtfully approached ways that art can bring them together, tell a story, and leave a lasting legacy. From Roots to Arts showcases the ability to use art in community, not just to transform space but to change lives. Congratulations to the five artists, thousands of residents, and community partners for your incredible passion and creativity!” 

The program was guided over two years by NYCHA residents, who served on stakeholder advisory groups and provided input on programming and direction for each artist. Thousands of residents participated in art programming weekly over the last 20 months. Artists were selected through an open call process that residents co-designed with PHCF and PDC, exploring art mediums specific to each community’s interests. Applicants included residents and art professionals, and each artist approached their residency with an emphasis on community engagement alongside artistic achievement. 

Each residency took on a distinct form, and the work produced and developed through months of collaboration between artists and residents will remain a lasting public asset that reflects the culture, stories, and creative vision of the communities that shaped it.  

• At Astoria Houses in Queens, spoken word poet Tamra Cosby led weekly writing workshops that encouraged residents to reflect on their lived experiences. A resident of the development herself, she described the program as an opportunity to “arise and serve” her community. Her work is culminating in both a public installation planned for the Astoria waterfront and a planned anthology that preserves residents’ stories through poetry and visual art. The physical installation is expected to break ground this month. 
  
  Excerpt from poem by Tamra Cosby:
  
  Welcome to AQ 
  Where resilient people meet.  
  Astoria Houses is an evolving place.  
  We are more than bricks. 
  We represent family, legacy,  
  Hope for the next generation.  
  The energy, creativity, the pride,  
  Make this place special. 

• At Brooklyn’s Bushwick Houses, visual artist Crystal Clarity worked with residents to reimagine shared spaces through murals developed from community-led workshops. The artist hoped to leave the development with “more vibrant surroundings that support a lovely community life.” 
  
  We hold onto our roots.  
  We carry our culture forward.  
  We are family.  
  Bushwick rooted.  
  Rooted in community.
  
  – Text from the Bushwick Houses installation

• At Bronx River Houses, dancer and choreographer Dominique Robinson focused on intergenerational programming, blending youth ballet, musical theater, and community storytelling. Stories shared by older residents informed visual art projects, while younger participants helped expand the scope of performances. Through her work, Ms. Robinson hoped that she was “creating spaces where residents can see their stories reflected, celebrated, and preserved through dance, music, and visual art.” 

• At King Towers in Manhattan, Corey Harrison approached the residency through environmental and hands-on creative practices. As a King Towers resident himself, Mr. Harrison wanted to be more involved in the community; he “saw an artistic approach that had not been introduced to my community and wanted to fill that space.” Residents participated in gardening workshops and a community-led fashion design program that culminated in a fashion show; they also contributed to plans for an indoor “food forest” alongside a public installation honoring longtime residents, which is currently in final design and expected to be completed this summer.  

• At Richmond Terrace in Staten Island, Tina Thompson-Pope brought a holistic approach that merged dance, fitness, and storytelling. Drawing on her own experience of growing up in public housing, she said that working with Richmond Terrace residents fostered her growth as an artist because “their resilience, creativity, and cultural heritage have inspired me to incorporate more authentic and meaningful elements in my work.” Ms. Pope and her dance troupe, Skin Dance Company, led a culminating show with Richmond Terrace Houses residents, I AM, which reflected on her life and the Black experience in America. Ms. Pope also performed with her dance troupe at the City Hall reception in March. 

“As an artist and former resident of Bushwick Houses, witnessing the impact of the From Roots to Arts program has been a true gift – an answered prayer for creatives and visionaries across New York City,” said Kemi Karim, PHCF’s Senior Manager of Art and Culture. “This residency helped lay the groundwork for deeper collaboration with residents through public art and civic engagement, while exploring new ways to sustain community, culture, and collective care within NYCHA communities.” 

From Roots to Arts was part of NYCHA’s Connected Communities program, which focuses on transforming open and community spaces through public-private partnerships. The program’s efforts were based on participatory planning and design, aiming to enhance physical and social connections between residents and their communities. 

“The From Roots to Arts program provided NYCHA residents with a unique and positive outlet for artistic expression for nearly two years,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “The program’s first-of-its-kind artist-in-residence opportunity gave residents access to an amazing platform to showcase their artwork in ways that enriched the campuses and communities that they call home. We are very thankful to the Public Housing Community Fund and our City partners for helping to bring this spectacular program into the lives of NYCHA residents and showcasing the depth of creativity and cultural expression inherent in NYCHA communities.” 

See past NYCHA Journal stories about From Roots to Arts by clicking here.