Hester Street collaborated with Make the Road New York and VOCAL-NY to launch Futures NYC, an initiative anchored in policy and driven by creativity, using art and design to imagine futures that become possible when the City puts policies in place that guarantee care, compassion, dignity, and power for all New Yorkers. Through Futures NYC, artists from all across New York City demonstrate that art can be the catalyst for a just, equitable city. They present a new vision and community-driven narrative for investing in housing affordability, ending mass incarceration, and building a caring and compassionate New York.
The creative visions come in the form of a data story, illustrations, animations, and poems. As part of the push towards a city budget that makes strong investments in social and community services, artists also produced a short film that flashes forward to a reimagined, inclusive New York, while addressing current statistics of inequity and the steps needed to move toward a “new deal”.
This body of work was developed in collaboration with many organizers, artists, designers, including VOCAL and Make the Road members as well as independent artists. For a full list of collaborators please visit futures.nyc/about.