What art in your neighborhood is meaningful to you? This simple yet open-ended question inspired Catherine Javiera Huff (M.A. ‘23) to create The Art Field Project, a collective community art project across New York City and beyond.
“Not only does The Art Field Project document the happy-go-lucky process of wandering through NYC, but it relies on community bridge building and listening,” explains Huff. “More times than not, I am moved by compelling responses from people from all walks of life.”
Since its founding, The Art Field Project has blossomed into more than just a community-wide affair and Huff was awarded a Gracie Award this year for the project, which recognizes exemplary efforts by women in all facets of media and entertainment.
We sat down with Huff to chat about her exciting venture.
From Curation to Community Engagement
Huff spent her earlier years immersed in the fine arts. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she pursued various opportunities in museum curatorial work and completed a research internship at the Georgia Museum of Art along with a summer fellowship at the High Museum of Art. She also served as a council member on the inaugural public art advisory council for the Atlanta Beltline, and created art-focused projects with organizations such as The New Georgia Project and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Later, she would go on to pursue her studies at Teachers College in the Art Education program.
“One of the first courses I took at TC was about art and community engagement,” explains Huff. “I was hooked after my very first class. I knew I wanted to work more directly with the public, inspiring a love for art in some way, shape, or form."
While pursuing her graduate studies, Huff needed to find work in the city as well. “I began to reflect on all the things in my life that I find meaning and happiness in. It sounds rudimentary, but that’s how some of my best decisions come to life.”
After hours of brainstorming and a paper filled with everything that inspires her from neighborhood walks to intricate paintings, Huff had successfully envisioned a concept that would incorporate all her passions into one. She would name it: The Art Field Project.
(Image: Catherine Huff)
“I thought, what if I could combine my art curation skills with my passion for community building and create something greater,” she explains. “The basis of The Art Field Project would allow me to incorporate diverse perspectives from around the City with public-facing art at the core.”
Huff began working closely with TC’s Nisha Nair, a doctoral student and Founder of ArtSparks Foundation, Danielle Ayelet Aldouby-Efraim, and Ami Kantawala, to name a few, to build the framework of her project. “In several of my classes, I could pitch my ideas and receive feedback from my classmates. It supported the notion that with community engagement work, you’re never truly doing it alone,” she adds. “You might be facilitating it, but the communal knowledge and presence make it much more meaningful.”
Exploration with an Impact
After weeks of what she defined as a “beautiful exploration” and countless hours canvasing the streets of Morningside Heights to Brooklyn, Huff was truly amazed at the responses she received from local community members. “It was such a powerful experience because I gave my community the opportunity to be “art experts” through asking what they find meaningful or significant in their neighborhoods,” she shares, noting that responses included classic Picasso pieces to graffiti murals.
The feedback evoked a deep sense of community for Huff, which she says “changed her trajectory entirely as an creative.” “There’s a higher social remedy that accessible, public-facing art plays within our communities. I found that I was having robust and meaningful conversations with people I might not have had the opportunity to talk to before,” she explains. “Art gives us a window into other people's perspectives simply by listening to the conversations it evokes.”
Building murals in Cape Town, South Africa. (Image: Catherine Huff/The Art Field Project) Street art in New Orleans. (Image: Catherine Huff/The Art Field Project) "Lonnie Holley's "Born Into Colors" and "Black in the Midst of the Red, White and Blue (2021), two murals in Lumpkin, Georgia. (Image: Annie Moye / The Art Field Project)" Carousel
Eager to share her work with the rest of the world, Huff compiled all the responses she received with photos to pair into a digital collection and launched The Art Field Project website, which features art profiles, essays, resources, and even a community-powered interactive art map. “When people visit the site, I want them to feel encouraged by curiosity and community and know that accessible art appreciation exists for everyone.”
Success Through the Art Field Project
Less than a year after launching The Art Field Project, Huff received an offer to work with ALL ARTS, an Emmy-winning arts and culture hub created by The WNET Group, also home to New York’s PBS network. The organization aims to put accessible art in front of viewers nationwide by using Webby-nominated programming, from digital shorts and feature films to streaming services.
To her surprise, Huff’s new career venture would lead to even more support for The Art Field Project. ALL ARTS offered her a column that would support her transformative work outside of the office. The column details Huff’s encounters with local artists and NYC residents while serving as an informative tool for sharing art resources throughout the city.
In April 2023, Huff received big news—The Art Field Project was awarded a Gracie Award. The prestigious award aims to honor standout women who are making an impact in art and media. “It was a full circle moment,” exclaims Huff. “I wanted to incorporate TC and ALL ARTS in my recognition for the award, because both were integral to the project’s success. Without the support of my school and my day job, I wouldn’t have had so many colleagues to share ideas with and overwhelming encouragement to keep the project moving forward.”
Huff receiving a Gracie Award this year for The Art Field Project.
(Image: Catherine Huff)
Changing the Art Field
Now serving as Associate Producer at ALL ARTS, Huff shares that she’s “just getting started” when it comes to making an impact in the community arts space. “It's my hope that I can demonstrate art's oftentimes overlooked superpower as a community agent of change, or better yet - exchange. Art's presence does more than beautify spaces in our neighborhoods. It stokes conversations, which I think is the first step in community bridge building," shares Huff. "Many times over, having a conversation with someone else on art has helped me better consider their perspective. What would the subject of art look like if we focused more on how audiences engage with it? What could we learn about one another?"
And more often than not, she reflects on her time at Teachers College. “Teachers College made me realize that education lives differently within me, and in my case, it’s not just teaching in a classroom. My practice exists far beyond my doorstep.” Huff concludes. “No matter where life takes me, I’ll hold that close to my heart.”