"I Cant Let Go" Exhibit Opening Night

​I Can’t Let Go

​A Visual and Audio Memoir of NYCHA Elliott-Chelsea Houses

​We are welcoming you to a powerful art exhibition by local contemporary artist Maria Lupiañez, a resident of NYCHA Elliott-Chelsea Houses.

​Here she exhibits large-scaled paintings, capturing the joy that lives inside public housing communities—moments of friendship, family, laughter, and connection that often go unseen behind stereotypes of poverty and struggle.

​While these communities are often seen through the lens of hardship, this exhibit reveals another truth:

​These communities are rich in love, culture and human connection.

​Today this very community is in danger.

​New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and their partners are currently in a legal battle with the tenants of public housing to demolish and redevelop Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses. What does this mean for the tenants and their future? How will this impact the socialization and culture of the community?

​This exhibition also features audio dialogue from residents of Elliott-Chelsea Housing. Here you can listen as they reflect on their own personal experiences, their fears for redevelopment and the deeper meaning of living in the homes they call their own.

​At a time when NYCHA Elliott-Chelsea and Fulton face possible demolition and redevelopment it is now imperative that we listen and honor the voices of the community.

​Come and experience the exhibition and allow us to welcome you into a place we call home.