In June 2020, Barbara Anderson was having difficult online conversations with her middle school students, on topics ranging from anti-Asian hate to the debate about masks. Anderson saw how the Covid-19 pandemic and murder of George Floyd weighed on these youths; art, she thought, could be a way to help them process it all.
A teacher of English and history, Anderson turned to historical photographs and paintings to create space for students to dive into these often personal issues. “Art is a beautiful way to introduce difficult topics that you can discuss but still feel a little bit removed,” she said.
But it was hard to distance herself from the emptiness of the streets, the longtime brick-and-mortar stores closing down along the Upper West Side and in other spots across the city. “It was a sad place to be,” Anderson said. “I remember running down Columbus Avenue and thinking, ‘There’s got to be something better to do with these spaces.’”
Her search for an answer ultimately led the former teacher and her daughter, Jackie Graham, to co-found Art on the Ave NYC. The nonprofit aims to support local artists and revitalize neighborhoods by turning vacant retail and commercial spaces into temporary art galleries and studios.
The spark that became Art on the Ave
A photo her daughter, who worked in an art organization, shared first sparked the idea. It showed a painting displayed in a cafe after its gallery opening was canceled due to the pandemic. Anderson thought it would be the perfect idea for the empty spaces along Columbus Avenue.
This wasn’t the first time someone activated vacant storefronts with art: groups like ChaShaMa and No Longer Empty have done so for decades. But Anderson’s conversation-focused approach came from the need she saw in her own neighborhood and classroom. She was convinced art could help heal and reconnect the community, as it had, in a way, with her students.
Anderson reached out to property owners and local artists to get buy-in. In just a few months, Art on the Ave NYC launched its first exhibition, “The Art of Healing,” transforming vacant storefronts along the avenue into free, street-view galleries.
The goal was to showcase artists from underrepresented groups, even as she and Graham were careful to avoid being overly controversial. After all, they were in borrowed spaces lent without charge. “But that doesn’t mean you cannot have different perspectives or that you can’t display work of people who are voicing underrepresented voices,” Anderson said.
From classroom to citywide canvas
The teacher in Anderson, who retired in 2022, shaped everything in Art on the Ave. Each exhibit paired visual storytelling with ways to better engage the community: QR codes in the windows linked to audio clips of artists describing their work in their own voices. “Your piece just caught someone’s eye while they were walking to buy milk,” Anderson told artists. “Now you have a chance to touch their heart.”
Those one-minute reflections turned passersby into participants. “People told us it was the artist’s message that made them reach out,” Anderson said.
Art on the Ave has worked with over 380 artists. One story that stands out for Anderson involves a piece about coming to America from a war-torn country. A couple passing by told the artist they loved this piece and were returning to fight in Ukraine.
Exhibition rules typically prevent people from buying artwork before it’s been displayed for three months. The artist asked Anderson for an exception from the contract: “ ‘They’re going back to Ukraine to support their country and this piece has really spoken to them,’ ” Anderson recalls. She and the artist set it aside for the buyers the next day.
Art on the Ave quickly grew beyond its first block to 13 exhibits. From the Upper West Side to Washington Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Lower Manhattan, the model worked. Local art filled once-empty spaces, store owners noticed fewer graffiti tags on windows and residents found something new to help them reengage with their neighborhoods. “Art belongs everywhere,” she said. “When people see work that reflects their community, they respect it.”
The art of community
For Anderson, the project’s success comes from staying rooted in place. “When I do an exhibition in a neighborhood, I’m there almost every day,” she said. “I go into the bodega, I get to know the people. It’s important they see me as part of the neighborhood, not an outsider who drops in.”
That presence builds trust, a currency that’s hard to come by when you’re working on revitalization in a neighborhood that’s not your own. At the beginning of an exhibition, when she’s setting up the artwork, “it never fails that someone will walk by and then mumble something about gentrification,” Anderson said. But when they see that the art is relatable and they hear her out, the neighbors typically come around.
Anderson explains to them she isn’t there to make money; after all, Art on the Ave is a nonprofit. She doesn’t take commissions from the artists. “I just want the neighborhood you live in, the street you walk down, the one you take your kids to school on, to look a little nicer,” Anderson said. The goal is for residents and their children to see and support the creatives who live right next to them. Once that conversation happens, it usually just makes sense to neighbors, she said.
Her favorite moments have been when neighbors who once passed each other in silence now stop to talk in front of a painting. “We’ve had group selfies with people who didn’t even know they lived in the same complex,” Anderson said.
Putting out fires
Despite its growth, securing empty spaces to continue the work of Art on the Ave takes persistence. The nonprofit’s funding depends on small grants and partnerships. “You have to reach out to 80 owners to get about five or six spaces,” Anderson said.
Logistics can also be unpredictable, like having to move entire exhibitions overnight when stores were rented mid-show. A call from the property owner would come in, telling her they had to vacate immediately. Then she and her team would spring into action, removing artwork, reconfiguring walls and redistributing pieces across different spaces.
“There’s a lot of putting out fires, but they’re not wildfires,” Anderson said. “I like those challenges — they fuel me.”
Lessons from a teacher turned founder
Anderson says her years in the classroom prepared her for the adaptability required to run a citywide arts nonprofit. “As a teacher, you pivot all the time,” she said. “If the whiteboard goes out, you improvise. Art on the Ave works the same way: different rules for different neighborhoods.”
Running a nonprofit has also taught her the importance of things like focusing on design and branding earlier on. “Everything is a flyer today,” Anderson said. “I wish I’d known how important good visuals are.”
Just as she saw classroom learning go both ways, Anderson sees Art on the Ave as a collaboration between and by artists and community members, not just for them. Many participating artists support the organization in their own ways, leveraging skills in graphic design, teaching and mentoring fellow artists. Anderson helps facilitate these partnerships.
More art, more people, more places
Art on the Ave continues to grow, activating new spaces across the city and offering artists studio residencies. Some of the vacant spots become studio galleries where cash-strapped artists can work and showcase their art. This has been the nonprofit’s biggest evolution, one that can transform careers, Anderson said.
She hopes passersby see these spaces as open and welcoming. “Galleries can be intimidating,” she said. “We encourage artists to keep doors open and wave people in. You never know who your new collector will be.”
Barbara Anderson’s advice for aspiring founders
Start now: “Don’t wait for all the parts to be in place because you’ll never start. Be persistent and begin with a small step. Do it the best you can.”
Build relationships: “You can’t expect to walk in with a great pitch and get a check. Network, follow up and be ready for rejection. Get up the next day and keep going.”
Leverage community: “Everyone brings different skills: artists who help with branding, signage, teaching. Let people use their talents to lift the mission.”
Stay flexible: “Every day is different. Learn to pivot quickly and embrace the chaos. That’s where the magic happens.”
Art on the Ave NYC
Visit artontheavenyc.com to learn more about exhibitions and artist opportunities.
Follow on Instagram at @artontheavenyc for updates on new installations and community events.
Interested in getting involved? Volunteer, donate or become a first-time collector.
