The Public Housing Community Fund (Fund), an organization committed to enhancing the lives of NYCHA residents, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the New York City Mayor’s Office, NYC Public Design Commission, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and its funded Cornerstone programs, and NYCHA residents are thrilled to announce a transformative partnership with the Mellon Foundation, launching From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage. This groundbreaking artist-in-residency program will activate public housing communities across New York City’s five boroughs through the lens of public art programming.

Spanning 20 months, beginning in summer 2024 and running through 2026, From Roots to Arts will feature five distinguished artists, each with a residency and program space at one NYCHA development in each of the five boroughs. The selected sites include dynamic communities at King Towers, Manhattan, Bushwick Houses, Brooklyn, Astoria Houses, Queens, Bronx River, the Bronx, and Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, embracing a broad spectrum of cultural expressions and community engagement, impacting over 12,000 public housing residents. Each NYCHA community is supported by DYCD-funded Cornerstone operators, including SCAN-Harbor (Manhattan), Grand Street Settlement (Brooklyn), HANAC Inc. (Queens), Children’s Arts & Science Workshops, Inc. (Bronx), and Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island (Staten Island).

Residents were invited to participate in community days in March and April, offering a platform to voice their preferences on the type of art and artists they wish to engage with. These events were designed to be interactive…