The Free Portrait Project: Red Hook: 2026
A portrait of Red Hook Brooklyn through its people. Each 8×12” portrait is painted on location in Red Hook, Brooklyn—a unique biosphere all it’s own—and accompanied by recorded oral histories that you can hear on our Soundcloud. The original paintings belong to the people who sat for them. Our audio is shared with PortSide NewYork Red Hook WaterStories, and Story House. The entire collection will be exhibited locally in a free public exhibition, after which the paintings belong to the people.
We’re crowdfunding now to support create 25 portraits of everyday people, nominated by their neighbors as a face of the neighborhood, to capture this vital and unique neighborhood through the faces and voices of its people. Your donation supports a month’s labor of painting, audio editing, publishing, and exhibitions.
To support this work, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our nonprofit partner, Community Arts Brooklyn, Inc. DONATE HERE.
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.