Raven Cruz is an educator who grew up in a New York City Housing Authority complex in Brooklyn.
On the walls of a gallery at the Bronx Council on the Arts' headquarters is a photo of Cruz as a young girl, and then as a woman along the waterfront in Brooklyn. That photo is the work of photographer Latricia Morgan, who was also raised in public housing.
She grew up in the South Bronx at the Betances Houses.
What You Need To Know
- "NYCHA's Flowers" is a photography exhibit at the Bronx Council on the Arts' headquarters in Westchester Square
- It's the work of photographer and educator Latricia Morgan, who received a Photo Urbanism Fellowship from the Design Trust for Public Space
- Morgan spotlights residents of NYCHA developments in her photos
“Just going away to college is a big step for any kid coming from my neighborhood. Like, going away to college and actually staying the four years, staying the course and graduating, she did that,” Morgan said of Cruz.
The photos are part of Morgan’s first photography exhibition, which is called “NYCHA’s Flowers.”
Morgan, who teaches English language arts in a high school when she’s not taking photos, was awarded a Photo Urbanism Fellowship from the Design Trust for Public Space.
It’s a more than 20-year-old program for photographers to illuminate the public spaces of the city.
In this case, Morgan is working alongside the trust’s Greenspace Connections Program within four NYCHA developments in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
“It is a way for the design trust to learn about the perspectives of people and literally bring the lenses of artists that are based in New York and how they see public space,” Akemi Sato, director of programs at Design Trust for Public Space, said.
“We’re very excited to have Latricia Morgan and the Design Trust for Public Space here at headquarters. We see that as an extension of the important work we are doing in the Bronx to strengthen the cultural ecosystem here,” Jesús López-Jensen, deputy director at Bronx Council on the Arts, added.
That is something that Morgan is a certainly a part of. She spotlights what she calls the role models of NYCHA, using the symbolism of flowers and butterflies with her photos.
“We can still be successful coming out of these communities, but we also need the world around us to pour into us, so Design Trust is doing a great job pouring into communities like mine by providing residents the chance to take part in the upgrades and the public space initiatives that they put out,” Morgan said.
The Design Trust has a call out now for its next Photo Urbanism Fellow. Applications are due Aug. 11. Head to the program's website for more details.