New Youth Art Exhibit at Brownsville Houses

On April 28, a new youth-designed public art exhibit, “Testify,” was unveiled on a sidewalk shed at Brownsville Houses in Brooklyn. Testify features audio and photographs that explore the challenges and triumphs of New Yorkers as they recount experiences with immigration, violence, mental health, and COVID-19.  

The youth artists, ages 16-21, are NYCHA residents from across the five boroughs who participated in a nine-month youth leadership group from the Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) to explore self-narratives, group identity, and social justice issues through multimedia. The exhibit’s design and installation was led by artist Sophia Dawson through her year-long artist-in-residence partnership with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ). 

Testify is part of a series of temporary art installations in NYCHA communities through City Canvas, a pilot initiative of DCLA to transform temporary protective structures into places for community-centered art. City Canvas is a partnership between DCLA, NYCHA, NYC Department of Buildings, and ArtBridge, and the installation is made possible in part by funding from the American Rescue Plan via the City Artist Corps.