UPTOWN COUNTS! - USING ART & CULTURE TO EDUCATE, RAISE AWARENESS, AND ENCOURAGE HARLEM RESIDENTS TO TAKE THE 2020 CENSUS.
Rande Rogers, Owner of Sisters Caribbean Cuisine poses in front of artwork part of Art as Activism Pop Up & Online Gallery. To see the full Online Gallery, click here.
The 2020 Census is the largest peacetime mobilization in recent history. New York has spent an unprecedented $19 million investment in local community-based organizations to engage in mass education and organizing around the 2020 Census. Serving as Uptown Grand Central’s Census Manager, I developed Uptown Counts - a strategy to counter act the low response rates in communities of color, immigrant and among urban & low-income households.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 outbreak shifted many of our public programming plans but we were able to transition the Pop Up Gallery Art as Activism to an Online Gallery featuring the works of Al Diaz, Danielle Mastrion, BG 183, Lady K Fever, Marthalicia, Royal King Bee and many others.
Originally envisioned as a Pop Up exhibition in restaurants, stores & barbershops across Harlem would highlight NYC visual artists who use their artwork to make social commentary. This would serve as entry point for customers to learn about the 2020 Census with many of these locations also turning into Census Pop Up Centers.