“Resiliency” - Lower Manhattan

 September 7 - November 28, 2021

This public gallery walk featured 27 local artists at The Fulton Center and seven other locations along Broadway through November 28. 

Each piece of art in the collection is guided by the notion of “resiliency,” the ability to demonstrate adaptability and the capacity to thrive in changing or challenging environments — a theme deeply tied to Lower Manhattan. 

Despite extraordinary obstacles, including one of our nation’s gravest tragedies, Lower Manhattan has evolved from a forgotten, 9-to-5 business district into one of the city's most desirable neighborhoods. Lower Manhattan’s resilience and grit, its grace and its authenticity continue to inspire and surprise. 

As you immerse yourself in this exhibit, remember that New York is indomitable, forever strong and always resilient.

“Resiliency” is presented by the Alliance for Downtown New York, Lower Manhattan's nonprofit business improvement district. The Downtown Alliance serves an area that roughly covers everything south of City Hall and along three waterfronts. The mission of the Alliance is to provide service, advocacy, research and information to advance Lower Manhattan as a global model of a 21st century Central Business District for businesses, residents and visitors.

Curatorial Team

Adefolakunmi Adenugba

 Adefolakunmi (Fola) Adenugba is Assistant Director and Assistant to Partner at James Cohan Gallery in New York. She recently graduated with a Master of Arts in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York. Fola is the founder of ISE-DA and leads business development and strategy. She completed her Bachelor of Business Administration with a double major in Art History at Emory University. At Emory, she received the Emory NAACP Presidential Image Award, the Goizueta Business School Campus Leadership Award and a Graduating Woman of Excellence Award. She was also inducted into the Class of 2017 100 Senior Honorary. Fola has previously worked in consulting and interned at art institutions such as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. She has also worked at the Cheryl Hazan Gallery and at krause.co communications in New York.

Liza Torrence

Liza Torrence's background is in arts administration and art education. She holds a M.A. in Art Education from New York University, and a B.S. in Art Education from Miami University. As Education Coordinator at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Liza oversaw the design and implementation of programs that took place in the Museum’s exhibitions, while managing supervisors, lead educators, and assistant educators. As a multimedia artist herself, Liza enjoys exploring concepts across mediums including painting, digital art, and dance. She has shown pieces at Miami University in the Art Purchase Award Program, the Freedom Summer exhibition at the MU Art Museum, and presented a duo exhibition for the Undergraduate Summer Scholars program. Liza is certified in both New York and Pennsylvania as a K-12 art teacher. She has taught in museums, community art centers, and most recently Pine Street School in Lower Manhattan. Her teaching philosophy is centered around critical pedagogy, contemporary artists, and material exploration.