For the Photoville Festival 2021, Abrons Arts Center and the digital storytelling platform My Projects Runway celebrate women residents of Lower East Side public housing who have contributed to transformative change in our neighborhood.
Portraits by Courtney D. Garvin will be installed in outdoor locations around the Henry Street Settlement Campus and on the My Projects Runway Instagram.
A video work by Christopher Currence, which will be available to view on Abrons Vimeo Channel and in our Center Lobby, will feature subjects reflecting on how their lives as public housing residents have impacted their commitment to public service.
Photos are on-view at the following locations:
• Exterior of Abrons Arts Center (466 Grand Street)
• Gates of Martin Luther King Jr. Park (Montgomery Street and Henry Street, adjacent to the Henry Street Settlement Headquarters at 265 Henry Street)
• Gates of Jacob Riis Cornerstone (80 Avenue D)
• Gates of Little Flower Playground (Madison and Jackson Streets)
ABOUT
Founded by Jayah Arnett in 2020, My Projects Runway is a storytelling platform that seeks to challenge stereotypes of New York City public housing residents by celebrating their distinct goals, dreams, and accomplishments. The platform highlights the people, culture, trends and deep history that originates from NYCHA by inviting residents to share photos, videos and personal archives that offer more expansive representations of life in public housing. Follow My Projects Runway on Instagram @my.projectsrunway.
The PHOTOVILLE Festival, New York City’s FREE premier photo destination, returns on September 18 for its 10th Anniversary year with a free community day, virtual online storytelling events, artist talks, workshops, demonstrations, educational programs, community programming, and open-air exhibitions across parks and public spaces throughout New York City.
This annual community festival provides an accessible venue for photographers and audiences from every walk of life to engage with each other, and experience thought-provoking photography from across the globe – with free access for all!
Photoville’s 70+ outdoor exhibitions will remain on view through December 1, 2021 so that communities can enjoy them while using these open spaces as a place to recharge, exercise, and relax.
Courtney D. Garvin is a visual artist born in South Carolina and currently based in New York City. She received her B.S. in Communications and Rhetoric with a minor in Art Photography from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. She is a Magnum Foundation 2018 Photography & Social Justice Fellow. Her work examines portrayal across various mediums. She also has a deep interest in family histories, memory, storytelling, and sex education.
Christopher Currence is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and photographer. Born in Macon, Georgia and raised in St. Thomas USVI, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
FUNDING
Community Matriarchs of NYCHA is commissioned by the Abrons Arts Center in partnership with Photoville, with support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation.