“Whose Streets? Our Streets!” Exhibit Opens Today at the HTC
“Whose Streets? Our Streets!”: New York City, 1980-2000
Featuring work by thirty-seven independent photojournalists, this new art exhibition captures ordinary New Yorkers as they rallied, rioted, marched, and demonstrated. These stunning images document historic moments of violent confrontation such as the Tompkins Square Park and Crown Heights Riots and as well as organized protests involving non-violent civil disobedience and creative street theater. Collectively, these photographs chronicle the history of New York City and the nation from 1980-2000. During these two decades of swift economic and demographic change, Americans grappled with social issues including race relations, police brutality, housing and gentrification, HIV/AIDS, gay and lesbian rights, reproductive rights, U.S. foreign policy and military actions, art and the culture wars, environmental and animal rights issues, and education and labor relations. This exhibit highlights both the key roles of citizens and of journalists in enacting democratic social change, and invites viewers to reflect on how these social issues, as well as social movements and the practice of journalism, have evolved in recent decades.
On view at the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, on the second floor art gallery wall beginning March 31-April 22. The Howard Thurman Center operating hours are Monday-Thursdays 9 am-9 pm, Fridays 9 am-7pm, and Saturday, April 2, noon – 5pm.