Meet Derval Fairweather: Winner of the National Public Housing Museum Art Competition 

Derval Fairweather has been drawing and painting since he was a young boy. Soon, one of his paintings will be replicated and placed in the hands of many as it becomes the design on the membership card for the new National Public Housing Museum opening soon in Chicago. 

Mr. Fairweather’s piece was selected from a NYCHA-wide art competition hosted with the Public Housing Community Fund, the National Public Housing Museum, and NYCHA’s Office of Public-Private Partnerships. 

The National Public Housing Museum is the nation’s first cultural institution dedicated to telling the story of public housing in the United States. Mr. Fairweather has a long relationship with public housing: He’s worked for NYCHA for four years as a Web Designer in the Department of Communications and from the ages of 10 through 30, he was a resident of Amsterdam Houses in Manhattan. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to the United States when he was 9 years old. 

As the art competition winner, Mr. Fairweather received a $500 cash prize and two roundtrip tickets to Chicago provided by JetBlue. He will also receive hotel accommodations in Chicago for his visit to the National Public Housing Museum when its opens in early 2025.   

NYCHA Now spoke to Mr. Fairweather about his inspiration, art background, and community work. 

Where did your inspiration for this painting come from? 

Through my art, I’m trying to reach out to the youth and elders, not my generation. So, I started doing paintings with young people doing things that have kind of become obsolete, like the game Skelly. I wanted to have these paintings reflect things I don’t want us to forget about, like reading and going outside to fly kites. 

What was your process in creating the winning painting? 

It always starts with an idea. For this painting I had the wording “I am what I am” in mind, so I knew I needed five kids and that I wanted to have a variety of little ones represented. I could’ve had them each have the phrase on the book they were reading, but I wanted to spread it out to show that when you look at each individual, you still see that we’re all connected. I don’t care what culture or complexion you are; the point is we’re not separate even though I am what I am. Together we’re still one. 

I usually start out by drawing the idea with pencil in my sketch pad, then I transfer it onto the canvas. I used oil for this painting (and a lot of people think it’s watercolor).   

Have you ever taken formal art classes? 

I went to New York Institute of Technology and studied computer science. I took a few art classes there: sculpture and portrait. My professor asked me why I was studying computer science and not art. I never took classes outside of that. I wanted to remain raw. 

When I was in my teens living at 90 Amsterdam, Wynton Marsalis lived across the street. He would come play basketball with us and took a few of us under his wings and introduced us to folks. Through him I became an apprentice to Geoffrey Lamont Holder, who was a celebrity dancer, painter, and actor. I’d go to his loft in SoHo and would be there drawing or I’d pick up supplies from the Pearl Paint shop. He painted a lot. I did some work for his wife Carmen de Lavallade. I’d be at their gatherings, where I’d read my poems and show my art. For a good while I did some work for Maya Angelou. It was such an interesting experience. I was also friends with writer Albert Murray. I’d go visit him and he would tell me that I had to be very serious about my art – because if I wasn’t doing it on a certain level, then I shouldn’t do it. So, I didn’t take art classes or study traditionally but my involvement and connection with those people helped my confidence grow. Being with them and working with them helped me know that I belonged there. 

Who will you take with you when you visit the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago? 

I’m planning on taking my little ones. I have four children, and I try to bring them along with me so they can see and experience my journey. I want to show them how you keep working at what you love. My son is into drawing and computer animation, and I’ve been working with him on his portfolio for high school. I like to bring them along to show them that if you keep working, keep working on your portfolio, you will get opportunities. A painting I did a while ago won this contest and it was one of many that I’ve done that could’ve been chosen, but you just keep working because you never know which one is going to hit.  

How did you feel when you found out you won the competition? 

I was definitely surprised! I normally try to put myself out there by entering different contests. I had a few rejections over the summer that said, “Hey, good work,” but I didn’t get them. When the National Public Housing Museum called to say I won it made me think of the saying, “Many doors will close, and many doors will open, too.” This was my open door. It was like a breath of fresh air, and it solidified my confidence in myself that I’m supposed to be doing this. I’m excited to talk to them about art and giving back to the community through art. 

Giving back to the community through art is important to you. Can you tell us how you give back? 

I’ve been leading this program called Paint Your Life for years now, and I’ve been doing it out of pocket. It was started by journalist and artist Jacquelyn Thunfors. It’s a one-day, intense program where we challenge that right side of the brain. You don’t have to be an artist to participate. One game we do is give people a sheet of blank paper and ask them to list 10 to 20 characteristics about themselves, then we’ll pass those papers around to different participants, and then we’ll paint some of those characteristics.  

I started doing it in Harlem and other places around the city. It’s just a way of me giving back and bringing young people and elders together. I’ve done this program with my little ones. I want to expand to bring the program into three areas: penitentiaries, schools, and museums.  

You can get famous for doing art, but I always ask myself, “What did I contribute to this world of art?”