Through incorporating publicly accessible art on our current properties and future projects, Art @ Ascendant brings together artists, youth, and East Harlem residents through collaborative art-making, neighborhood beautification, and community activism.
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Cicely Tyson’s Home
178 E 101st Street
Partners: Groundswell NYC
Lead Artist: LEHNA HUIE
Assistant Artists: TBD
Scheduled: Spring-SUMMER 2022
Scheduled: Spring-SUMMER 2022
Concept
Cicely Tyson, legendary multi-award-winning film, television, and theater star whose career spanned more than 70 years, passed away on January 28, 2021.
In her honor, AND is partnering with Groundswell to produce a mural for the western facade of 178 E 101st Street, Tyson’s childhood home. In the coming months, AND will share more about Tyson’s life, as well as opportunities to engage with the visioning process to bring the mural to life.
Process
STAKEHOLDER SURVEY
This survey is intended to begin gathering thoughts, stories, feelings, and opinions from folks who knew Cicely, or whose lives were impacted by Cicely's art and work, about what a mural that celebrates Cicely's life and legacy could look like.
Visioning Session
Members of the Cicely Tyson Street Naming and Landmarking Committee generously shared their knowledge and opinions in a virtual Visioning Session with the artist, Lehna Huie.
Design
The final design is shown above. Please scroll through the image, or click on it to maximize.
The design of the mural is focused on celebrating Ms. Tyson's Caribbean heritage as a daughter of Nevis. Significant symbols—including the compass sun representing her role as a guiding figure, and a depiction of Carnival, the island's largest festival—dance around a portrait of Ms. Tyson that is framed into a portal by a flowing filmstrip, highlighting her life and legacy as an inspiration for past and future generations.
Dedication
There will be an in-person dedication ceremony and celebration when the mural is complete.
Details
Cicely Tyson was an American icon and award-winning actor who became a model for portraying strong Black women in her seven decades on the screen and stage. She was also an East Harlem native who took great pride in the neighborhood that helped raise her.
Historical Context
About the Artist: Lehna Huie
Lehna Huie is a multi-disciplinary fine artist, arts educator, curator, and activist exercising a belief in the power of multi-vocal art. Her work amplifies stories of love, loss, and remembrance. Her style is a variety of abstract/expression and portraiture to tell unique stories uplifting the lives and spaces of People of Color around the world descending from the cities of the African Diaspora and Caribbean. Lehna’s portraits and figurative work are highly textured exploring identity, womanism and ritual. She is deeply committed to the fusion of arts and social change as a path to liberation: exploring the past, present and the future of struggle and freedom. Lehna is an advocate for artists rights, reproductive justice and for survivors of domestic violence. Lehna often does design work and workshops for organizations and grassroots communities. Collaboration and community are key components in her work.
Visit Lehna’s website and Instagram.
About the Artist: Lehna Huie
Lehna Huie is a multi-disciplinary fine artist, arts educator, curator, and activist exercising a belief in the power of multi-vocal art. Her work amplifies stories of love, loss, and remembrance. Her style is a variety of abstract/expression and portraiture to tell unique stories uplifting the lives and spaces of People of Color around the world descending from the cities of the African Diaspora and Caribbean. Lehna’s portraits and figurative work are highly textured exploring identity, womanism and ritual. She is deeply committed to the fusion of arts and social change as a path to liberation: exploring the past, present and the future of struggle and freedom. Lehna is an advocate for artists rights, reproductive justice and for survivors of domestic violence. Lehna often does design work and workshops for organizations and grassroots communities. Collaboration and community are key components in her work.
Visit Lehna’s website and Instagram.
178 East 101st Street
Number of apartments: 10
Year opened: 1994
Year originally built: 1910
This building was Cicely Tyson’s childhood home. In 1994, when Cicely Tyson spoke during the rededication ceremony of her childhood home, Ms. Tyson’s words reflected a love of her East Harlem community:
“To have some place memorialized in that manner means more to me than I can verbalize. It is not a structure that glorifies the name Cicely Tyson. It is a structure that is providing homes for the homeless and low-income people, and that is simply the most rewarding thing that I can have happen.”
Number of apartments: 10
Year opened: 1994
Year originally built: 1910
This building was Cicely Tyson’s childhood home. In 1994, when Cicely Tyson spoke during the rededication ceremony of her childhood home, Ms. Tyson’s words reflected a love of her East Harlem community:
“To have some place memorialized in that manner means more to me than I can verbalize. It is not a structure that glorifies the name Cicely Tyson. It is a structure that is providing homes for the homeless and low-income people, and that is simply the most rewarding thing that I can have happen.”
More Information
Groundswell NYC
Groundswell is a NYC-based organization that brings together youth, artists, and community organizations to use art as a tool for social change, for a more just and equitable world.
East 101st Street
The Cicely Tyson Street Naming and Landmarking Committee took initiative to co-name East 101st Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue, where Cicely Tyson's childhood apartment building stands. On December 14, 2021, New York City Council voted to approve the co-naming. Ascendant supplied letters of support for the co-naming campaign.
Ascendant Heritage Apartments
The Ascendant Heritage Apartments are four, five, and six-story apartment buildings serving low- and very low- income residents. Our $34 million Ascendant Heritage project preserves 359 apartments and six commercial spaces across 21 buildings in the AND portfolio.
After years of use, these buildings required a new round of renovations to make them more comfortable, functional, sustainable, and resilient to climate change. We have also restructured and refinanced the buildings to ensure the long-term affordability of these homes.
Ascendant Heritage Apartments was honored with Affordable Housing Finance’s 2021 Reader's Choice Award for Best in Preservation.