AwesomeNYC is excited to support muralist DonChristian Jones and his Public Assistants project, a new community art space in Crown Heights, launched in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to serve as a space built by, and for, traditionally marginalized BIPOC creatives, artists, makers, and doers.

Operating out of an inherited industrial lot, laundromat, and abandoned medical center, PA has become a hub of resistance and mutual aid here in Crown Heights. For twenty consecutive days, we as a hyper-local community of friends, family, and neighbors, have turned this vacant space into an oasis for peace, connectivity, and nourishment amidst daily protest.

In twenty days, we have sowed and planted a community garden, installed and manage a community fridge, painted four murals, hosted community meals, and made resistance material (signage, banners, etc.) for nearly every major action/march since June 8th.

Our infamous tape-produced banner font has since been turned into a free and public downloadable font by Genderfail Publishing. Our work has been featured in The New York Times, GQ, CNN, to name a few, and this is only the beginning.

Each day, I am able to feed upwards of twenty people. The neighborhood parents send us their kids to help organize, brainstorm, and paint. We are skill-building, soft and hard skill sharing each day, all while maintaining adequate COVID-19 procedure.

In addition Public Assistants is launching the following programs:

• P.A. Radio: The Wash
• Bike Repair Workshop (starting week of July 20th
• Three week Youth Mural Residency Program (starting July 29th) ‍- Black Women's Defense Training (August 1st)
• Public Assistants Publishing will soon publish independent written works, zines, art books, etc. (date of first release TBD)

Our grant will help Public Assistants continue to grow and thrive as a space and resource in their community.