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Harborview Visual Arts Center

Harborview Visual Arts Center 1 Enrichment Programs Hells Kitchen Midtown West

I would have missed the Harborview Arts Center entirely were it not for a brightly colored mural, painted on the cinderblock wall of the building, partially obscured by scaffolding. Always curious, I found the front door ajar and walked in, only to find myself in the middle of the program director's retirement party. Rather than being annoyed at the interruption, the men and women gathered there welcomed me inside and spoke a bit about the center. They were all art teachers, hired by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to provide art classes to public housing residents. The programs are available to anyone living in a NYCHA residence, from small children to senior citizens; they reach about 1000 participants each year. From drawing to painting, ceramics, mixed medium, bookmaking, and more, all of the visual arts are taught, culminating in an annual art show that showcases the best and most inspired work.

As I learned while standing inside, though the interior space is primarily used for storage, it does provide a place for the art teachers to confer and develop lesson plans before going out into the city and teaching classes at various locations in the five boroughs. The center's work is incredibly important, but its benefits are less tangible than other NYCHA programs, and their funding is constantly in danger of being cut. "We're basically a fringe agency," one of the teachers said - their continued operation is not as intrinsic to the overall functioning of NYCHA as, say, ensuring that the public housing units have running water or electricity. Still, the value of access to art classes cannot be underestimated.

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Harborview Visual Arts Center 1 Enrichment Programs Hells Kitchen Midtown West

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