At Kingsborough Houses, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and community partners unveiled the restored frieze by Richmond Barthé, a powerful celebration of African American culture and community history. EverGreene is extremely proud of having been part of the multi-year project and NYCHA’s Connected Communities program that focused on preserving local heritage and strengthening community connections.
“The overall restoration, and replacement of lost sculptural elements, were designed for durability. EverGreene conservators worked with SGH engineers and Ronnette Riley Architects to ensure that the back of the frieze was protected from water infiltration, so that what happened in the past that caused parts to displace would not happen again.”
Kim Lovejoy, Senior Business Development Executive at EverGreene
Exodus & Dance is a monumental, 8-foot by 80-foot frieze created by Richmond Barthé. It has been adorning Kingsborough Houses, a 16-acre public housing complex built in Brooklyn, New York since 1941. For this large-scale stone conservation project, the entire piece of public art was removed from its location and restored at EverGreene’s Brooklyn conservation studio. Commonly referred to as “The Wall” by Kingsborough residents, the frieze is the largest piece of art created by Barthé, who is widely recognized for his work inspired by Christianity, Black history, African lore, theater, and dance.
James Richmond Barthé based the right side of his design on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Green Pastures by Marc Connelly, reflecting on Black southern rural religion in the 1930s. Art Deco and Black dancers from David Wendell Guion’s 1929 ballet, Shingandi, inspired the left side of the frieze. During the Works Progress Administration era (1935–1943), sculptors were commissioned to create public art for the Harlem River House as part of the Federal Art Project. Pioneer John Louis Wilson Jr. was one of the first Black architects registered in New York State who designed the Harlem public housing building in 1936–1937. He personally selected Barthé to design the frieze for the rear wall of an amphitheater that was never constructed.
Exodus and Dance is Barthé’s largest work and his first relief. He completed the cast-stone frieze in 1939. The frieze remained in storage until it was installed at Kingsborough Houses in Brooklyn, without Barthé’s prior knowledge or approval. As a federal employee, Barthé had no control over his work. While Kingsborough Houses were public federal housing, Black Americans were not the majority of residents, and Barthé believed the power and inspiration of his work would be lost. Kingsborough Houses was one of two public housing complexes designed to be desegregated in New York City before 1945. To this day, Exodus and Dance has been a landmark artwork enjoyed by art enthusiasts and residents alike. The restored display of Black dancers can now continue to inspire the surrounding community.
