Staying Power by Ariana Faye Allensworth

an art commission by FABnyc

Staying Power is a print and online publishing platform dedicated to amplifying a people’s history of public housing. The project uses visual and archival strategies to expand and transform narratives about public housing, bridging the distance between stories that are widely told about public housing and the lived experiences of residents.

In February 2022, Staying Power celebrated the launch of it’s first zine publication which coalesces resident interviews and research conducted between 2019-2021. Zine content can also be explored online here.

Volume I of Staying Power interviews features interviews of public housing residents in the Lower East Side:

Michael Casiano of LaGuardia Houses

Shaheeda Yasmeen of Baruch Houses

Nancy Ortiz, former Tenant Association President of Vladeck Houses

Volume I of Staying Power was possible with support from The Laundromat Project’s 2019 and 2020 Create Change Artist-in-Residence program, FABnyc, and the 2021 Pioneer Works Technology Residency.

About the Artist

Ariana Faye Allensworth is an artist and strategist whose work explores the connections between cultural production and radical social change. She has over 10 years of experience building and leading programs in museum and non-profit settings, with a primary focus on arts education and organizational development.

She currently works as a Senior Design Lead at IDEO and has previously held positions at The International Center of Photography, The Center for Cultural Power, Cultural Engagement Lab, Youth Speaks, Urban Arts Partnership, and New Design High School. Ariana is also a founding member of the New York City chapter of the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project. Her work builds upon interests in liberatory education, visual culture, spatial politics, and community-based research.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Studies and African & African-American Studies from Fordham University.