BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN \u2014 In front of the Brownsville public housing \ncomplex of Langston Hughes Houses, there now stands an 8-foot-tall, \n300-foot-long outdoor art exhibit, popping with color and artistic \nstatement. The massive gallery, officially unveiled to the public last \nweek, features works of 11 East New York-area artists, each of which \ntell distinct stories about the artist’s relationship with the \nsurrounding community and culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The outdoor gallery along \nBelmont Avenue called Brownsville Matters arose out of a partnership \nwith New York Public Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Brownsville \nCommunity Justice Center, the Municipal Art Society of New York and \nArtBridge, an organization that transforms dilapidated areas into \nartistic spaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This project fit really well with the goal of \nNYCHA, which is connecting public housing with the fabric of the rest of\n the city,” said Rasmia Kirmani-Frye, Director of NYCHA’s office of \npublic and private partnerships. “Residents participated in every step \nof the process. Property management at Langston Hughes was excited to \ntake an area that didn’t have a lot of beauty, quite frankly, and \nactivate the exhibit.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stephen Pierson, executive director of ArtBridge, said ArtBridge focuses not only on beautifying streets but on building communities through its large-scale art exhibits. “From my perspective, Brownsville is generally only covered by the media when bad things happen,” Pierson said. “It’s also important to look at the vibrant culture and neighborhood, and we crafted an exhibition around promoting those narratives.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n