The Free Portrait Project: Red Hook: 2026
—Donate to support the project—
A portrait of a place through its people. Painted on location in Red Hook, and accompanied by recorded oral histories on Soundcloud.
The entire collection will be exhibited in Summer 2026 in a free public exhibition. The paintings belong to the people who sat for them. The audio is shared with PortSide NewYork Red Hook WaterStories, and Story House, and the Center for Brooklyn History.
Fundraising for Round Two is underway to make painting Red Hook through its people my full-time job.
Make a tax-deductible donation through our nonprofit: Community Arts Brooklyn, Inc.
Round One was made possible by a grant from Brooklyn Arts Council.
South(ern) Brooklyn: 2023
In 2023, I painted 200 portraits of Southern Brooklyn residents in one year to encourage neighbors to say hello to one another—
and to democratize the notion of who gets to be recorded in this fashion. Each 4.5 hr session was recorded, & the audio recordings are available on Soundcloud.
Each of the original paintings belong to the people who sat for them.
To learn more, visit: www.freeportraitproject.org
and donate tax-deductibly to support the future of the project.
The audio collection will be shared with the Center for Brooklyn History for consideration into their permanent collection. The entire collection exhibited at 11 venues, from Barclays Center to Brooklyn Public Library branches before a 30-day culminating exhibition hosted by Industry City in Sunset Park.