Forest cove: all of the above

About the Project

Forest Cove: All of the Above is a long-form photo documentary story by Mark Anthony Brown Jr., that chronicles the experience of residents living in an income-based housing community in the Atlanta neighborhood Thomasville Heights. AWP collaborated with the National Public Housing Museum to create and launch the Forest Cove: All of the Above exhibit that featured Brown’s photos and “It Felt Like Home,” a collection of oral history testimonies from residents of Forest Cove.

For years, residents of Forest Cove have lived in what they’ve described as “uninhabitable conditions,” including dilapidated buildings, pest infestation, faulty utilities, and overall mismanagement. In 2014, the complex was purchased by a development firm with promises to renovate the units and temporarily relocate residents during construction. In 2022, few steps have been taken to fulfill those promises. Through focusing on residents as they navigate life at Forest Cove, Brown hopes to illustrate the extremity of the living conditions and iterate the critical necessity of relocating families experiencing this untenable situation. While documenting the apparent disparities at Forest Cove is integral to this story, it’s equally imperative to highlight the spectrum of humanity and resilience of the residents. To be able to find joy, to smile and be positive, to take pride in their home while fighting for change is indicative of true resilience. Although this story is about a specific group of people living in a specific place, these images shed light on the types of severe housing disparities faced by many communities throughout the United States and beyond.

Forest Cove is just one example of the extreme housing disparities present in the United States, and through this work, AWP and Brown hope to advocate for equal housing opportunities for all. 

about the artist

Mark Anthony Brown Jr. is a documentary and fine art photographer based in Durham, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. He was a 2021/2022 AWP Emerging Lens Fellow.

Public Programs

In September 2022, ART WORKS Projects and the National Public Housing Museum launched the Forest Cove: All of the Above exhibit at the ART WORKS Projects Gallery in Chicago. Mark Anthony Brown Jr. was joined by W.D. Floyd, a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist and youth educator and Maurice Edwards, President of the Cabrini-Green Local Advisory Council, in a conversation moderated by urban planner and artist Chandra Christmas-Rouse, about the power of documenting the lived experiences of those facing housing injustice amidst gentrification in Atlanta and Chicago.

The exhibit was also shown at the MINT Gallery in Atlanta from October 1st-29th, 2022. 

Artist Discussion

Mark Anthony Brown Jr. was selected as an Emerging Lens Fellow in 2022, along with photographers Brittany Greeson and Mustafa Saeed. In this video, the three artists explain the motivations behind their projects and the impact that this fellowship will have on their work.

Interviews with the 2022 AWP Emerging Lens Fellows (3 min. video)

Emerging Lens Project

Forest Cove: All of the Above was completed with support from the Emerging Lens fellowship.

Emerging Lens is ART WORKS Projects’ signature program that awards project support, unrestricted grants, and mentorship to emerging photographers working to document social justice and human rights issues in their own backyards and around the world.

bring this exhibit to you

All of our exhibitions are designed to tour and can be adapted to a broad spectrum of venue types and sizes.

We are happy to provide step-by-step support for hosting this exhibit.

Contact us to learn more about bringing this exhibit to your community.

A few people look at an exhibition of Congo Women in New York

New York installation of Congo/Women

resources & tools

Learn more about this issue and the ways that you can stay informed and get involved.

News

October 2022: A CBS News Atlanta affiliate reported that the final residents of Forest Cove have been moved out of the apartment complex, meaning that residents are being housed in different places and the renovation plan for Forest Cove can now proceed.

October 2022: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has promised to hold bad property managers accountable, he made this promise while talking about the relocation of Forest Cove residents and the need for better housing in the city.

Atlanta Housing Justice League

The Atlanta Housing Justice League (AHJL) has many ways for people to get involved in their work, including  signing petitions and resources for tenants.

Chicago Housing Justice League

The Chicago Housing Justice League provides resources and action steps for tenants in Chicago.

Mapping Prejudice

The United States has a long history of racially-discriminatory housing practices that are still contributing to inequalities in housing. The Minnesota-based Mapping Prejudice provides a brief overview of this history and how it is still present today.

Stats

According to the Urban Institute, in 2019 more than 75% of White families owned their own homes, compared to about 42% of Black families.

In a 2021 report, the National Fair Housing Authority stated that 16.7% of the 28,712 fair housing complaints submitted to Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Justice, were about race-based discrimination.

support for this project