Hope Bodega
“Hope Bodega” is a participatory project that encourages community members to share objects and mementos from their homes that hold meaning for them. These objects, mementos, photographs, poems (and so much more!) have brought joy, hope, strength, and love to the participants.
Why Bodega? Bodegas are special to New York City, and to those of us who call New York Home. The founder of the Bodega and Small Business Association, Francisco Marte, has called bodegas an “extension of the home” (Untapped New York), and many New Yorkers will understand why. We go to bodegas for snacks to bring to our park visits with our friends and family. We go to bodegas for early morning coffees on our way to work. We go to bodegas for toilet paper when we realize we only have one roll left. Bodegas are always there for us in a pinch. Many of us have come to know that we can rely on our favorite neighborhood bodega for life’s necessities.
The objects in this exhibit showcase the people, places, memories, and wisdom that the participants know they can rely on: they are objects of hope.
Where Hope Bodega has been: We have hosted “Hope Bodega” workshops and events with dozens of participants with three community sites: RiseBoro Community Partnership in Bushwick, Brooklyn (top right photo), African Services Committee in Harlem, New York (photo to left), and Osborne Association in Brownsville, Brooklyn. More details, including more photos from the exhibits, are below.
What brings you hope? What brings you peace, joy, strength, and hope during difficult times? Send us a photo along with a short story, and we’ll feature it on this website. Or, tag @newyorkceal on Instagram with your photos and stories.