Community Gardener Portrait Project Coming to Arsenal Gallery

Photo: Zachary Schulman, Albe Arnob, 2023, Archival inkjet print

Free art exhibit showcases community gardeners through photography and interviews

NYC Parks is pleased to present The Community Gardener Portrait Project: New York City, an exhibition of photographs and interview excerpts by Zachary Schulman. Over the past five years, Schulman has met with 121 community gardeners in NYC. Drawing on these years of work, the exhibition features a selection of 34 portraits taken across all five boroughs and invites viewers to learn more about the creation and long-term stewardship of these green spaces.   

The Community Gardener Portrait Project: New York City is presented by NYC Parks’ Art & Antiquities division and GreenThumb, NYC Parks’ community gardening program.  

Established in 1978, NYC Parks GreenThumb is proud to be the nation’s largest urban gardening program, sustaining more than 550 gardens and supporting 20,000 volunteer gardeners throughout New York City. GreenThumb gardens create hubs of neighborhood pride and provide myriad environmental, economic, and social benefits to the neighborhoods in which they thrive. GreenThumb’s mission is to support and educate community gardens and urban farming across the five boroughs, while preserving open space. By providing free garden materials, technical assistance, educational workshops, and seasonal programs, GreenThumb supports neighborhood volunteers who steward community gardens as active resources that strengthen communities.     

This exhibition is FREE and open to the public. For more information, visit nyc.gov/parks/art.   

A free opening reception will be held on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 6 p.m. 

The Arsenal Gallery, Central Park 
Fifth Ave. & 64th St., 3rd Floor 
MANHATTAN