FACES OF HARLEM is a multi-site outdoor photography installation featuring portraits of our friends and neighbors in Harlem; a documentation of who we are today, 100 years after the Harlem Renaissance. 10 different photographers have been invited to show 100 portraits of people from our beloved neighborhood, in hopes of inspiring meaningful conversations, fostering connection, and bridging some of the many visible gaps in our community.

FACES OF HARLEM seeks to act as a cultural mediator, presenting work and people that are often underrepresented in Harlem, with a particular emphasis on highlighting the neighborhood’s African American and diasporic cultures. In disinvested, low-income communities of color, art acts as tools for strengthening cultural identity and processing trauma. FACES OF HARLEM will facilitate an understanding of the past by envisioning a shared, more equitable future through the power of photography and oral history.

FACES OF HARLEM will be presented across four parks in Harlem: Morningside, Jackie Robinson, Marcus Garvey, and Rucker Park. This public art installation will open August 7, 2021 – October 31, 2021, with events scheduled on the first Saturday of each month. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, we will create opportunities for visitors to respond to the images on view, inviting them to add their own voices to the diverse stories that make up FACES OF HARLEM.

Participating Photographers:

Sade Boyewa El
Kate Sterlin
Jean Andre Antione
Oluwaseye Olusa
Freedom Allah
Tyrell Holland
Ariella Imena
Abigail Montes
Tony King Redman
Sierra Odessa

The following collection of images are my contribution to the ongoing collaboration.