We Won’t Move: Tenants Organize in NYC was an exhibition at Interference Archive (March 26, 2015 – June 15, 2015) that explored collective action by tenants for decent and affordable housing from the 1940s to the present. It traced the rich history of tenant struggle in New York City, from neighborhood resistance against urban renewal to rent strikes and repeated campaigns for renewing and strengthening the rent laws. The final section of the exhibition, developed in collaboration with tenant organizations from across the city, examined current campaigns against tenant harassment, predatory equity, luxury housing, the cluster site shelter program, and gentrification-driven policing.
The exhibition was accompanied by a catalog full of photographs, flyers, posters, and images of ephemera produced by housing struggles from the 1940s to the present. The catalog merges historical materials with graphics depicting changes in housing ownership over 50 years as well as practical materials for renters who want to organize. Designed by Partner & Partners, printed by Eberhardt Press. You can buy the catalog online here.
The exhibition and catalog were accompanied by a three month programming series, involving a dozen tenant organizations. Programming included panel discussions, film screenings and workshops. View the full programming series here.
Curated by Maggie Schreiner with Ash Bayer, Bonnie Gordon, Lani Hanna, Jen Hoyer, Karen Hwang, and Greg Mihalko.
Media and Press:
Exhibition video by Muralla Media Works