Greenbelt, MD, September 2, 2023: On the way to the Greenbelt Metro station, the chosen location for the new FBI headquarters, a wave of afternoon cars speed along the Capitol Beltway, one of two major highways that insulate the historic center of Greenbelt from the rest of the city.
Greenbelt, MD, October 20th, 2023: A clothing line in the front yard of a home in Greenbelt. Back when the city was founded there were strict regulations as to when clothing had to be taken down, for instance, it was forbidden to have laundry up on Sundays.
Greenbelt, MD October 1, 2023— “Pioneer” resident Margaret Poore, whose parents were part of the first generation to move their family to Greenbelt, sits on the steps of the Greenbelt Museum after taking a visit. Margaret lives in a neighboring town now, but still pays frequent visits to her old childhood home sharing fond memories with me about playing outside in Greenbelt’s many parks.
Greenbelt, MD September 2, 2023— It is the first day of Greenbelt's annual three-day long Labor Day festival where the facade on the side of one of the many food trucks in the town a food truck depicts a carnival.
GREENBELT, MD Sunday October 29th: The Roosevelt Center, which functions at the town hub, the town celebrated the Wild Rumpus, a community organized event with dancing and hand-made puppet costumes.
Greenbelt, MD September 30th, 2023: There were four types of homes made for historic Greenbelt, Cinder block, Brick, Defense and Parkbelt. Brick homes made up 51% of the homes made and one is seen through the reflection of one of the 12 apartment buildings made in Greenbelt.
Greenbelt, MD, October 23rd, 2023: A framed poster of a new deal era painting, which features a depiction of Greenbelt's design in the center, collects dust in the attic of the Greenbelt Museum.
GREENBELT,MD February 27th, 2023 : The final basketball game of the season at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. The Raiders played their rival School, Flowers and lost but the game ended in a 62-70 to Flowers with a few last minute scores and 3-pointers. The crowd was high-energy. Featured here are cheerleaders (L-R) Destiny and Alexa.
Greenbelt, MD September 30th, 2023: A view of a manicured unit in Greenbelt.
GREENBELT, MD November 26th, 2023 : John Henry Jones (95), colloquially known as the honorary Mayor of Greenbelt for his outgoing nature and his commitment to the community, sits at his home where he has lived for over 60 years and where he raised his children. It’s not yet December, but he puts on his favorite Santa hat as he tells me about dressing up for his grandkids.
GREENBELT, MD, November 11th, 2024 : A table with snacks at the Greenbelt Fire Station the evening of the city hall election results.
Greenbelt, MD, January 27th, 2024: Meave Waters (11) stands on her unicycle and drinks a cup of sprite in her kitchen at home in Greenbelt.
GREENBELT, MD, November 11th, 2024 : Members of the Greenbelt City council, including the mayor of Greenbelt look at a projection of the election results at a watch party. The incumbents all remained in their positions and two new seats were filled by Jenni Pomi and Danielle McKinney, the first Black woman to serve on the city council, together making the majority of the city council women.
GREENBELT, MD, October 29th, 2024: A couple embraces on one of the many segments of sidewalk that criss-cross and connect historic Greenbelt, a key aspect of its community oriented design.
Greenbelt, MD, Saturday, December 9th: A performance of the Nutcracker “The New Deal Nut” put on by the Greenbelt Recreation Department and which featured residents of all ages.
Installation view of NEXT 2024 exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, George Washington University. Vinyl print and stick of researched archival images mounted directly to wall. Framed inkjet prints of contemporary images created by the artist displayed on top.
Invisible City
2023-2024
Over the span of my senior year of college I documented the historic city of Greenbelt, MD. Founded in 1937, in the midst of the Great Depression, the federally funded community of Greenbelt is one of three “Green Towns,” created under President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal.
The town represents a unique chapter in the history of American housing and suburban development, one in which the government wielded the power to experiment. The undeveloped suburban landscape was their playground, the “Green Towns” their dream.
But the dream was short-lived; in 1952 Congress voted to sell the homes to private developers. Greenbelt stands alone among the towns for having banded together to purchase nearly 1,500 original homes and form their own housing co-op which continues to operate today. They saved their roots.
There exists, in every home, resident, and crack in the pavement, traces of the old Greenbelt merging with the new, forming the next.
Oscillating in the space between change and permanence, the ideal and the real, this work examines the sentiments behind Greenbelt’s design and its implications for the future of suburban America, ultimately asking, how deep do the roots go? What would a city suited for our contemporary ideals look like? How long would it last?
*This work will be featured in a forthcoming exhibition at the Greenbelt Community Center in April 2025 along with a lecture presentation*
2024 A Marvelous Party Highlights NEXT Festival, GW Today
2024 NEXT Festival 2024, e-Flux Education
2024 Photo Exhibit on Greenbelt At Corcoran School of Art, Greenbelt News Review
2024 Greenbelt and Greenbelters at the Corcoran School of Art!, Greenbelt Online
2024 Students Present the ‘Giant Tableau’ of Arts at George Washington University, GW Today
2024 A Love Letter to Greenbelt from Danielle Towers, Greenbelt Online