Art Gallery Spotlights Gentrification in Chelsea

CHELSEA, NY — Arts organization IThou Art, which aims to connect the art community with social movements, in association with Rush Art Gallery, will exhibit a group show of 12 artists reflecting on gentrification, accompanied by free events designed to unite different Chelsea communities around the topic.

The show and the events will be held at Rush Arts Gallery, 526 W 26th St., through Sunday, Dec. 16.

This marks the fourth installment of IThou Art's "Exchange" series. The first three took place in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Bushwick and Crown Heights.

Friday night's forum from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. aims to bring together various Chelsea community members, including those from the art world and those who live in Chelsea public housing.

"Many different communities exist here but they're not really in communication with each other," IThou co-founder Liam Alexander tells Patch. Or when they are, the "conversation look like conversations of blame and hatred. We hope to bring people together around a different type of conversation."

A panel discussion on Saturday moderated by Tom Angotti, Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter College, will focus on tenants’ rights and alternative housing models.

"Right now," says Alexander, the only housing models we really have are "you just have pay rent until you die, or you inherit a million dollars and buy." The event will feature a panel of progressive organizers "who are speaking about alternative models and what people can do right now to secure the legacy of their community in New York."

The panel will be followed by a forum, moderated by Anthony Rosado of the Testourmonials Project, to discuss “artwashing," which encompasses "the ways that the arts are used (willingly and unwillingly) to drive gentrification in NYC."

The series will wrap up on Sunday with "Building Our Future," an event that will bring together elected officials, organizations, and individuals who have crafted plans to address the city's housing crisis. The creators of the plans will be able to get feedback from each other and from the audience, as well as answer questions.

"IThou Art is founded under the principle that as artists we have a particular type of privilege, which is that people listen to us, for whatever reason," Alexander says. "The question we ask ourselves is what are we saying with that voice, and what are we contributing? We aim to connect people who would not normally be engaged in social movements to support a world that works for everyone."