Honor the power of creativity and community that has shaped our work over the past two decades.
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20 Years in Review
Kicking off on July 18, 2025, The Laundromat Project (The LP) celebrates its 20th Anniversary over twelve months to honor the power of creativity and community that has shaped our work over the past two decades. Through art and culture, The LP has sparked transformation in Bed-Stuy and beyond, supporting artists and neighbors in re-imagining what’s possible.
The LP marks this milestone not just to celebrate our journey but to recommit to the vision that brought us here: fostering joy, connection, and meaningful change through the arts.
Join us for year-long public offerings designed to honor our legacy, uplift our beloved community, and share our learnings and practices that have fostered real change. From storytelling and live performances to archival projects and intimate conversations, these programs will capture the impact of The LP’s work while celebrating the vibrant voices that make it all possible. Together, we’ll reflect on our shared history, revel in our collective joy, and build momentum for what’s to come.
From legacy in full bloom to dreams taking root— share your story or wish for The LP at 20, and read others!
Our Timeline
1999
The Vision
Risë Wilson first dreams up The Laundromat Project as a vehicle for bringing art to spaces where community members already gather.
2005
Official Incorporation
The LP is incorporated by Risë Wilson and the founding board, including Alea Woodlee and Dawn Strickland. The LP receives its first funding via the Echoing Green Fellowship and a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council. Risë’s goal is to eventually purchase and operate a real laundromat that will host arts programming
The first public LP art program, a fabric mural workshop, takes place at the Stuyvesant Heights Senior Center in Bed-Stuy, facilitated by Risë.
2006
Beginning of Create Change Program
The board expands and is joined by Kemi Ilesanmi. Rudy Shepherd, Shinique Smith, and Miriam Neptune become The LP’s first Create Change Artists-in-Residence, staging projects in existing laundromats throughout NYC.
2008
Responding to Crisis
The Financial Crisis hits, making the purchase of a laundromat ever more difficult. The board suspends the Create Change program for one year to recalibrate.
2009
Expansion of Program
The Create Change program returns, with projects taking place in laundromats in Bed-Stuy and Harlem. The LP also launches its Community Arts Education program in Harlem, a series of artmaking workshops at laundromats. Petrushka Bazin Larsen is hired as The LP’s first staff member, becoming an early and integral part of The LP’s programming.
2010
501(c)3 Status
The LP officially becomes a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
2011
Kemi Ilesanmi Becomes Inaugural ED
After 5 years offering the Create Change residency, The LP adds a fellowship program for artists looking to develop or deepen their community engagement practice. Kemi Ilesanmi joins The LP as the first full-time and paid Executive Director. Risë Wilson becomes Board Chair.
2013
Field Day
The LP completes its first full strategic plan with Yancey Consulting, and identifies three “anchor neighborhoods” for sustained programmatic focus: Bed-Stuy, Harlem, and Hunts Point/Longwood. The inaugural Field Day—a daylong activation of Create Change artist projects—takes place across the three neighborhoods, happening annually through 2017.
2014
Kelly Street Collaborative
The LP collaborates with Kelly Street Garden, Banana Kelly, and Workforce Housing to transform a two-bedroom apartment in the Hunts Point/Longwood neighborhood of the Bronx into a community art space: the Kelly Street Collaborative, or KSC.
2018
Strategic Visioning
The LP begins a community-engaged strategic visioning process in partnership with Buscada.
2019
The Search For A Long-Term Home
The LP launches a new strategic vision to carry it forward through at least 2022. With great care and community engagement, The LP bids farewell to its Kelly Street space while setting intentions to bring its programmatic and administrative operations under the same roof. The organization holds multiple community listening sessions to determine where our new home should be.
2020
Bed-Stuy!
The LP finds a perfect space in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, signing a 10-year lease the same week that the COVID-19 pandemic shuts down New York City! While the move can’t happen exactly as planned, The LP is able to begin its community engagement process and share the news.
The LP Documentary
To celebrate The Laundromat Project’s twenty-year journey of sparking transformation through art and community, this documentary serves as a powerful reflection of The LP’s impact on artists, neighbors, and families, while also highlighting the broader cultural and world events that have shaped, and been shaped by, The LP’s work.
Director: Arielle Knight (2018 Create Change Fellow)
Hear more of our story from early supporters of The LP!
Alea Woodland
Dawn McGee
Agnes Gund
Events
Past Events
Partners
Amos Kennedy
I was born. / I am animal. / I am human. / I live. / I live negro. / I tell you this because you will mistake me for an African American, but I am negro, a descendant of the enslaved peoples of these United States of America. / I live southern. / I was born colored in Louisiana. I was raised negro. I was educated Black at Grambling College, a historically integrated college. / I live in the moment. / In the moment is creation. Creation is within every human. We must celebrate our creativity. The moment fuels our / creativity. / I live to put ink on paper.
This is the major outlet for my creativity. I put ink on paper for the glory of my peoples. The words of my peoples / have largely been excluded from “fine print.” I defy this condition and force my peoples’ presence / into this part of / this civilization’s culture. / I am a printer. /I am not an artist. / I am a stuff-maker. / I am not an artist. / I am a visitor. / I will die.
Arielle Knight
Director and producer Arielle Knight is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of GoodKnight Films Inc., acclaimed for her innovative storytelling that illuminates untold narratives across the Black diaspora. Working at the intersection of documentary and hybrid forms, her practice draws from mythology as well as neurological and physiological theories—particularly epigenetics, and the study of intergenerational trauma. Through both her own films and collaborative projects, Arielle explores the echoes of how Black communities navigate precarity—social, economic, and embodied. She is drawn to surreal interpretations of political, social, and domestic realities, often blurring the boundaries between nonfiction and fantasy to create cinematic spaces of escape and conjured freedom. Her work has been supported by Sundance Ignite, Catapult Film Fund, and the Ford Foundation, among others. Through intimate, personal narratives, she amplifies marginalized voices and fosters community engagement, establishing herself as a vital creative force advancing equity, imagination, and experimentation in contemporary cinema.
Brooklyn Tea
Brooklyn Tea sources premium, high-grade loose-leaf teas from around the world. Every blend is thoughtfully curated for exceptional flavor, aroma, and complexity. Whether you’re into bold black teas, nuanced oolongs, vibrant greens, or smooth herbals, we offer something that will rival (and often surpass) the best you’ve had.
Bilal
GRAMMY Award-winning artist Bilal returns to the spotlight following the success of his two album releases in 2024. Bilal: Live at Glasshaus is a mid-career retrospective featuring Questlove, Common, Robert Glasper, and Burniss Travis. The live record presented Bilal within an ensemble of luminaries to reimagine standouts from his classic repertoire, shining a spotlight on his ever-evolving artistry that asserts, in 2024, he is at the height of his powers, eternally honing his craft and finding new edges in his voice. It is a powerful reminder of Bilal’s dynamic vocal abilities and songwriting mastery. That was followed by his first album of new music in eight years, titled Adjust Brightness, which marks a new chapter for Bilal. The album features 11 brand-new tracks that will take listeners on his most daring musical journey yet. Adjust Brightness represents a bold step forward in Bilal’s already innovative sound, blending his deep love of soul, funk, and jazz with futuristic, electronic, and abstract elements. This album is a giant step forward, as Bilal merges his organic, soulful roots with experimental electronic influences inspired by artists like Aphex Twin and Stereolab. Listeners can expect an immersive sonic experience that defies genre conventions, as Bilal continues to evolve and refine his unique style.
Dave Guy
When you hear Dave Guy play his trumpet, you know it’s him right away. Like many of the greats before him, Dave Guy has a distinct tone and sensibility that sets him apart from his peers. Raised in NYC’s East Village, Dave was surrounded by hip-hop and the hustle that defined the city in the ’90s. In those formative days, he and his playing were influenced by jazz greats like Donald Byrd and Hugh Masekela, as well as by the sounds of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. After a few stints with live hip-hop group Dujeous, Dave was touring with The Sugarman 3, an organ-driven soul jazz group. During those years, he lent his talent to records by artists such as Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Pharrell, The Menahan Street Band, Lee Fields, Al Green, and numerous others. Now, he is the trumpeter playing with Black Thought, Questlove, and the rest of The Roots crew—both on tour, in the studio, and on TV with Jimmy Fallon. On Ruby, Dave steps to the front of the stage with a debut album that could have only come from a seasoned veteran. It’s a record that mixes his musical influences with the energies of the city that raised him–a New York jazz record that pushes the boundaries of the genre by incorporating shades of hip hop and soul, making it both unique and modern.
DreamSeed Collective
Founded by Malanya Graham, Maliika Nia-Imani, and Blaise Sparda, the collective aims to provide healing tools, guidance, and affirmations for BIPOC communities, especially those with limited access to such resources. Inspired by Black and POC queer ancestors and holistic wellness practices, this deck aspires to be a symbol of the artists’ drive to thrive in the midst of violence. The artists will host virtual conversations on tarot’s relevance to generational, collective healing and lead workshops on design, self-portraiture, and sacred adornment to inform the creation of the deck.
Madjeen Isaac
Madjeen Isaac is a first-generation Haitian-American artist whose practice is rooted in home, diaspora, (be)longing, and environmental impact. Isaac reimagines and hybridizes landscapes, pulling from elements of her hometown, Brooklyn, and her ancestral homeland, Haiti. Central to Isaac’s work is exploring the “lakou”, a communal yard or third space born out of the Haitian Revolution, which she re-envisions as ever-evolving sites shaped by environmental and systemic occurrences. Isaac considers how the diaspora continues to place trust in reimagining new realities: How does one reinvent home away from home? What does it mean to dream sovereign futures into being? Through dream-like, nostalgic portals, she imagines worlds where access and autonomy are reclaimed, rooted in resistance, revolution, and collective care. Isaac holds a BFA in Fine Art from the Fashion Institute of Technology and an MA in Art + Education & Community Practice from New York University. Her work is included in numerous private collections. She has participated in residencies and fellowships such as Headlands Center for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Smack Mellon’s Artist Studio Program, BRIClab: Contemporary Artist Residency Program, The Laundromat Project Fellowship, and Lakou NOU at Haiti Cultural Exchange. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including Smack Mellon, the Brooklyn Museum, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, and The Frost Art Museum. In 2023, Isaac collaborated with KITH on an Artist Series Capsule Collection in honor of Black History Month. Her practice has been recognized with awards, including the 2024 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Painting and support from The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, among others.
Makeba “KEEBS” Rainey
Originally from Harlem, NY, Makeba “KEEBS” Rainey is a self-taught digital collage artist most known for her portraits of influential diasporic Africans. After 10 years of living and working in Philly, KEEBS moved to The Gambia, West Africa, to start the experimental greenhouse farm: Hilol Gardens (@fka.irieland).
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA)
The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) celebrates the cultural breadth of the African diaspora by connecting the intersectional experiences of African people worldwide through the lens of art, education, and advocacy. Born in 1999, MoCADA grew from the graduate thesis of our founder, Laurie Angela Cumbo, on the feasibility of an African art museum contributing to neighboring communities. Twenty-five years later, MoCADA is more than a museum. We instill a sense of pride through representation and access to the arts while delivering on our promise for cross-cultural exchange and other life-sustaining resources. With three NYC locations and numerous programs that extend beyond our physical footprint, we pride ourselves on being a vehicle for social change, an art incubator, and a community bridge that transforms people and neighborhoods near and far.
Natalie Peart
Natalie Peña Peart is a 1.5-generation Caribbean-American, urban farmer, and multimedia artist and journalist working across video, podcasting, and photography. She was the producer for the award-winning podcast The Stoop, hosted by Leila Day and Hana Baba. Her piece on psychedelics won a National Association of Black Journalists award in 2024. Her short thesis film, Black Gold, played at DOC NYC U Festival in November 2022 and played in the CUNY TV Presents: The Newmark J School film series in January 2025. Her piece “Coming Home” was included in the audio anthology Happy Forgetting and weaves together immigration, home, and the history of the steelpan. Natalie made episodes for The Emergent Strategy Podcast hosted by adrienne maree brown, Sage Crump, and Mia Herndon. She was an associate producer at Pineapple Street Studios, where she worked on shows such as Reimagining Democracy for Good Life, Ghost Story, The AMC+ Interview With the Vampire Podcast, Persona, and HBO Docs Club. Her writing on energy sovereignty in Indigenous communities and Black-led farming models in West Virginia appeared in Yes! Magazine and her photography in Rolling Stone. Outside of audio, Natalie is a certified 300-hr. registered yoga teacher and teaches in Brooklyn.
Our Temenos
Our Temenos is a woman-led and worker-owned landscaping firm offering ecologically-centered design, installation, and maintenance services across New York City. As professional stewards of the environment, Our Temenos believes in transforming landscapes into thriving ecosystems that inspire and sustain. Rooted in principles of ecological integrity, a commitment to sustainable practices, and an integrative process, the work extends beyond beautification. Our Temenos cultivates resilient and regenerative outdoor spaces with intentional operations that reduce waste and center on longevity. Our Temenos strives to be a leader in the landscaping industry, making a positive impact on the communities we serve and the world we share.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
This year, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding! A national landmark and world-renowned research center located in the heart of Harlem, the Schomburg Center stewards a collection of 11 million items and is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and exhibition of Black history and culture. Join them all year long for a wide array of special events, exhibitions, and more as we celebrate this milestone and continue the legacy of Arturo Schomburg.
