‘Migration’ Exodus & Dance Heritage Walk Unveiled at Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights
Photo credit: Tameek Williams
BROOKLYN, NY – The Public Housing Community Fund, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), Mellon Foundation, Kingsborough Houses residents, and design teams led by New York City-based artists Jerome Haferd and Ifeoma Ebo, came together on Friday, December 5th to celebrate and unveil Migration, a permanent installation and heritage walk at NYCHA’s Kingsborough Houses in Crown Heights. The artwork features 35 six- to 12-foot-high steel illuminated public art structures distributed throughout the 16-acre campus, honoring the recently restored monumental frieze, Exodus and Dance, by Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé. The installation features and amplifies the voices, memories, and aspirations of the Kingsborough residents and community. Migration is a place-based, interpretive public artwork that blends historic preservation with storytelling.
Migration is the second phase of an initiative that kicked off with the restoration of the Exodus and Dance frieze at the Kingsborough Houses, which was completed in August. The significant restoration endeavor, highlighted by the 2025 Moses Award for Preservation Projects by the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the 2025 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award by the Preservation League of New York State, transformed the historic 80-foot frieze, created by Barthé in 1939. Both phases of this project build on a broader effort from PHCF in collaboration with NYCHA to preserve significant cultural landmarks within New York City’s public housing communities.
The full design and engagement team includes: Artist and Design Team: Jerome Haferd, Ifeoma Ebo, Pedro Cruz Cruz, and Violet Nash Greenberg, Engagement support: Anre Morain, Onika Gregory, Barbara Hammond, Fabrication: 618 Design LLC, Construction: Franpen Restoration, Lempira, Lighting: Bartholomew Lighting, Leni Schwendinger Light Projects. The team worked in close coordination with NYCHA’s Architecture & Engineering Services Department and the development’s Property Management team, who provided guidance on design and feasibility of the installation.
Photo credit: Anna Dave
This effort is part of NYCHA’s Connected Communities program, which focuses on transforming and modernizing open spaces through public-private partnerships. The program’s efforts are based on participatory planning and design, striving to enhance physical and social connections between residents and their communities.
“The new installation is more than a new artwork, it’s a celebration of Kingsborough’s legacy and the spirit that makes this neighborhood so meaningful to its residents”, said Alex Zablocki, Executive Director of the Public Housing Community Fund. “As residents walk the campus, they’ll now be able to find joy, engage with Kingsborough’s rich history, and feel a deeper connection to their community. We’re grateful to the residents for sharing their stories, and to our partners and artists, Jerome Haferd and Ifeoma Ebo, for bringing this project to life for such a deserving community.”
“The restoration of the Exodus and Dance frieze was a meticulous effort to preserve an invaluable piece of Kingsborough Houses’ cultural identity,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “The Migration heritage walk takes inspiration and builds on the momentum of the frieze restoration, providing residents and community members with an incredibly unique and culturally significant art walk experience, right on the Kingsborough campus. We are deeply appreciative of the Public Housing Community Fund, the Mellon Foundation, artists Jerome Haferd and Ifeoma Ebo, and all the partners involved in this project which pays homage not only to the original frieze installation, but also to the generations of residents who have called Kingsborough Houses home.”
Photo credit: Tameek Williams
“This project represents everything we believe in at Creative Urban Alchemy – that communities hold the stories that matter most, and that art becomes most powerful when it amplifies those voices,” said Ifeoma Ebo, Lead Artist and Architect, Creative Urban Alchemy. “Working alongside Kingsborough residents through months of workshops, the heritage walk became inscribed with their memories, dreams, and deep connection to this place. We’ve transformed these outdoor spaces into a celebration where Richmond Barthé’s historic frieze meets the living creativity of present-day Brooklyn, creating pathways that honor both preservation and the voices that make Kingsborough home.”
“This has been a passion project for me, as an artist and creator working in the legacy of Barthé’s trailblazing work — a Black, queer Harlem Renaissance artist. It’s an honor to pay tribute to him, and the broader descendants of the Great Migration in what will be my first completed permanent public art installation,” said Jerome Haferd, Lead Artist and Architect, of Jerome Haferd Studios. “Our ambition working with the residents was to extend the narrative power of Barthé’s monumental frieze across every path at Kingsborough Houses, enlivening walkways with the stories of this community, both past, present, and future.”
“Barthé’s restored work reminds us that art and design have always been at the heart of how people build beauty, meaning, and connection in their communities. This new and illuminated work Migration carries that spirit forward—linking history, creativity, and daily life at Kingsborough Houses and in Brooklyn,” said Justin G. Moore, Program Director, Mellon Foundation. “It’s about honoring legacy while making space for people today to see themselves and their stories reflected in the place they call home.”
Photo credit: Tameek Williams
“Kingsborough Houses has always been a place filled with history, strength, and community pride,” said Angelina Whitaker, President of the Kingsborough Houses Resident Association. “Migration honors the generations who came before us and celebrates those who continue to make Kingsborough home today. The stories, art, and light now woven throughout our campus remind us that our community is alive with creativity and resilience. We’re proud that Kingsborough is once again shining as a beacon for Brooklyn and beyond.”
“Exodus and Dance reminds us of the importance of preservation to building our collective memory about creativity and place. It is a transformative work that will thankfully be seen by generations to come,” said Dr. Raymond Codrington, President and CEO of Weeksville Heritage Center.
“The built environment should proudly reflect the voices, cultures, and creativity of the people who call it home. Bringing art and design into this space to celebrate the spirit and legacy of Kingsborough residents is a joyful and meaningful way to keep this community connected and inspired,” said Gerard Pefung, President of Fulton Art Fair. “We at the Fulton Art Fair are truly thrilled and grateful for the incredible partnerships that made this vision a reality—from the enduring legacies of Richmond Barthé and Larry Weekes, to the brilliance and heart of Kingsborough residents and staff, the Public Housing Community Fund, the Mellon Foundation, NYCHA, and every single person who helped bring this moment to life. Here’s to community, to creativity, and to the power of art to uplift us all!”
Photo credit: Anna Dave
The design team, led by Ebo and Haferd with Pedro Cruz Cruz and Violet Greenberg, engaged Kingsborough Houses residents, local artists from the Fulton Art Fair, including the late artist-in-residence, Larry Weekes, lighting designers, and cultural historians, to reflect authentic community voices in the installation. Over the course of months-long workshops with the Kingsborough Houses Resident Association and a Stakeholder Advisory Group, participants shared memories, drawings, and stories that shaped the inscriptions on the sculptures. These include oral histories from residents, historic accounts of Barthé’s life and work, residents’ personal memories of the Exodus and Dance frieze, and quotes on the meaning of community, extended family, and resilience from Kingsborough residents. Through this project, Kingsborough Houses becomes not just a site of historic art restoration, but an active cultural hub where the legacies of the Harlem Renaissance meet the living creativity of present-day Brooklyn.
Fabricated locally in Brooklyn, the sculptures are inscribed with illustrations that draw from Egyptian and other diasporic motifs and Barthé’s own vocabulary. Several sculptures incorporate seating elements seamlessly integrated into their design, inviting residents to gather and engage with the work. In the evenings, the lighting features integrated into each structure will illuminate the pathways and open spaces of Kingsborough Houses, guiding visitors and residents from neighboring thoroughfares towards the Exodus & Dance frieze. The open space around the frieze was transformed with improved lighting and new community-inspired murals on the backside of the wall.
In 2019, NYCHA received $1.8 million in funding for both phases of the project from former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and former City Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, which contributed to an additional $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to the Public Housing Community Fund in 2023. This funding supported the frieze restoration, an artist-in-residency program, an oral history project, and the installation of the heritage walk. Other collaborators include the Kingsborough Houses Stakeholder Advisory Group, Weeksville Heritage Center, African Peach Arts Coalition, the NYC Public Design Commission, and various local cultural institutions and community-based organizations. The project aims to set a precedent for similar initiatives across NYCHA developments, inspiring future partnerships and investments in art conservation, artist-in-residence programs, and community engagement.
Source: The Public Housing Community Fund