Celebrating Black History Month: Meet Some of NYCHA’s Creative Artists
This year, the theme of Black History Month shines a light on African-American artists – writers, musicians, painters, dancers, actors, photographers, and more – who have helped shape our rich American culture and paved the way for current and future generations of Black creatives.
Legendary late African-American creators such as poet Maya Angelou, actress Cicely Tyson, photographer Gordon Parks, and musician Prince inspired many, including some of NYCHA’s employee artists who dedicate time outside of the office to their creative passions.
Meet a few of the Authority’s creative employees to learn about their work and their inspirations:
Michael Brown, Community Coordinator in Resident Participation and Civic Engagement
I’ve been playing the electric guitar for 40 years. My dad was a musician and I have a lot of musicians on his side. My uncle was a guitar player. I remember as a small child seeing him play – I said, “Wow, that sounds cool.” I started playing guitar in the 1980s. I learned on my own, though my uncle gave me a few pointers and foundational information.
I’ve been in many bands throughout my career: community bands, gospel, R&B, rock, and soul bands. In the past couple of years, I’ve been delving into jazz guitar. I currently play in the Cotton Club Allstars, the band for the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem. Many greats played at the Cotton Club: Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, Bill Robinson “Bojangles,” and the famous tap-dancing duo, the Nicholas Brothers. I’ve been with the band for a year, and I’ve been blessed to play with the most accomplished musicians in the country. In addition to the band, I have a few students I teach for private lessons. I’ve been teaching for five years and I’m in the process of putting together an online guitar course.
One of my proudest moments was putting together a band for the NYCHA NAACP Black History Month event at 1200 Waters Place, where I also received an achievement award. Music has always been a part of what I do at NYCHA.
I’m inspired by Robert Cray; he’s a blues artist who’s been in the business for 50 years. Prince was also one of my influences. When I first started playing guitar, Purple Rain was big and there weren’t a lot of Black people playing guitar in my age range. I had to look back to great elders like B.B. King and Chuck Berry, so, when Prince came out, he was a big inspiration. My dad is also my inspiration; he played the piano and there was always music in my house as a child.
Natasha Crump, Re-Entry Community Coordinator in the Family Partnerships Department
I started writing poetry in 2016. I was working in a women’s shelter as a case manager, and we used to have poetry night every Tuesday. I remember hearing the ladies’ poems that talked about different topics, and I just started to write. I write a lot about the transition from sadness to joy or not knowing who you are and then finally finding yourself. It’s about being in one place in your life and then transitioning to being in a good or great place. I try to be a voice for people who don’t have a voice or are afraid to speak up, and I try to encourage people through my words. I’m a self-taught poet. If you give me a theme or a topic, I can sit down and the writing just flows.
My proudest moment as a poet came in July 2021 when I self-published my poetry book, “Your Pain Had a Purpose,” on Amazon. That following month, I held my first book signing for my 39th birthday at a space in Brooklyn. I was so excited to publish it. It felt very surreal. I’m currently working on another book that will offer readers 100 days of encouragement.
I’m inspired by poet Maya Angelou because her words, as well as everything she was, displayed the power she had as a Black woman.
Janay Davis, Housing Assistant in the Leased Housing Department
I’m a painter and a digital artist. I’ve been drawing since I was 14, and I was introduced to painting and digital art in high school. I had a digital class that introduced me to Photoshop and a sketch program called SketchUp. That class made me want to continue doing digital art. I went to Fashion Institute of Technology for two years and studied marketing and advertising and I went to Lehman College to study digital art. A lot of my art depicts Black women and scenery. My inspiration comes from my feelings. Inspiration hits anywhere: I could be in the car driving and seeing beautiful scenery – and I’ll jot down what I saw and then draw what I envision or what I was feeling. I’ve been asked to create paintings for friends and family members. I also have done graphic work, such as creating invitations, pamphlets, or posters for events.
There are two instances that made me really proud of my work. I did a large piece and the person who bought it was crying when I gave it to her. It made me feel so amazed and proud that I can actually make someone happy through my art. I did another piece for a person obsessed with giraffes. She was so happy about the piece she started bragging to everyone. Those two pieces were the biggest I’ve ever made, on 36 by 72-inch canvases.
I’m inspired by the work of the painter Kara Walker. Even though our styles are different, I just love how her work brings out so many emotions and tells a story. I love her work and I eventually want to be able to portray my work like hers.
Paula Flynn, Administrative Manager in the Performance Tracking and Analytics Department
I’ve been an actress for over 20 years. When I was in college, I had a professor who was shooting a movie and I asked him if he needed any background players. Then I decided to be bold and ask for a role, which I was granted. It was for a movie called “Small Time.” At that point I didn’t even have a headshot or know what an acting resume was.
I trained at the Piero Dusa Acting Conservatory in Manhattan. The actress Regina Hall was in my class and I did a scene with her there. I also trained with Melvin Williams, who’s the acting coach on the show “The Equalizer.” The late Michael Williams was in my class. He was in braces back then and I remember when he came to class and mentioned he got his first movie role. I also did private lessons with Katherine Marks.
I work in theater, major and independent films, and television shows and commercials. I’ve done a lot of background work in TV and film; for instance, I was in “The Sinner” with Jessica Biel and I’ve done a few episodes of “Manifest.” I’ve also been in shows at The Metropolitan Opera.
One of my proudest moments is when I did a gospel play called “More,” where I played a kooky aunt character. It was a series written by Shawnette Hamilton-Robertson with three separate shows — More 1, 2, and 3 — at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center. I had a substantial role in the play, and I packed the house. I enjoyed playing the character and I played it truthfully.
I was inspired by actress Cicely Tyson. I loved her in the movie “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” She was one of those stars who I say didn’t really receive her flowers when she was here. I also admire the late, great Ruby Dee. I remember being on set with her for “American Gangster” with Denzel Washington. I also loved her in “A Raisin in the Sun.” I think there’s something about these older women who were very regal.
LaToya Jordan, Writer in the Department of Communications
I’m a creative writer. I’ve published poetry, essays, and now I’m mostly focusing on fiction. I’ve been writing since I learned how to write. I’ve always loved writing, which is why it’s what I do professionally and personally. I went to an arts high school in Brooklyn that let us choose majors and my major was communications, so there was a lot of writing. I majored in journalism and public relations for my undergraduate degree at Utica University. I began my career in PR and later on decided I wanted to go back to school for creative writing – so I attended Antioch University Los Angeles to get my MFA.
I draw inspiration from current events, history, and mothering. My stories usually have a social justice slant and almost always have a Black woman or girl as the protagonist. For a few years, I’ve been working on a story collection that is about mothering, but since I’m a speculative fiction writer, that means there will always be magic, fantasy, horror, or sci-fi elements in my work. I’ve had many proud moments as a creative writer, such as one of my essays being taught in many college personal essay classes – but I think what I’m most proud of right now is that last year a small feminist publisher, Aqueduct Press, published my novella, “To the Woman in the Pink Hat.” It’s a book set in the future that deals with medical racism, organ theft, and social justice movements. It was recently longlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Awards in the category for “shorter fiction.”
There are so many writers I’m inspired by: the late science fiction writer Octavia Butler is my absolute favorite. Her books withstand time, and I love how she portrayed Black women protagonists. Other writers I’m inspired by are Tananarive Due and Tayari Jones.
John Lisbon, Manager in Resident Health Initiatives
I make short films and do photography. When I was a child, my dad wanted to capture memories of his family, so he bought a Super 8 projector. I used to watch him edit the film using a splicer. As I got older, video camcorders came out. I saved my money and bought one. I had no professional training at the time. I used to take videos of my brothers and my family at gatherings. Later on, Brooklyn Community Access Television (now BRIC) was offering classes, and I took those to start learning about film and film production.
I got into photography later because I liked how one picture could tell a story. There’s a lot about photography and film that are similar, so it was an easy transition. I never took any formal classes; I taught myself through YouTube and other things. I still make short films; I do work for community-based organizations working to improve people’s lives. A lot of times, the films I make for them help them acquire grants and funding. I’ve been blessed to be able to travel with some of these organizations to different parts of the world, such as Switzerland, Mali, and Cuba, to document the work they do.
I feel like it’s everyone’s responsibility to document history in some way. For me that’s visually. I look back at some of the work I did and I think, “Who would know about this had I not taken this picture, had I not shot this footage?” I’m most proud of two pieces I did at NYCHA: one on some of the gardeners in the Gardening and Greening program and a Smoke-Free NYCHA piece about employees who quit smoking. They were really impactful and helpful to the broader community.
There are several photographers and filmmakers I’m inspired by: Gordon Parks, Roy DeCarava, and Chester Higgins Jr. Additionally, Anthony Barboza is an inspiration to me, he’s an amazing photographer.
