DCLA, ACS, and the Center for Art and Advocacy Present the Youth Art Space, an Exhibition of Youth Artwork Curated by NYC Public Artist in Residence Immanuel Oni

For Immediate Release: July 16, 2026
Contact:
DCLA: [email protected]
ACS: [email protected]

DCLA, ACS, AND THE CENTER FOR ART AND ADVOCACY PRESENT THE YOUTH ART SPACE, AN EXHIBITION OF YOUTH ARTWORK CURATED BY NYC PUBLIC ARTIST IN RESIDENCE IMMANUEL ONI

The Youth Art Space is a pop-up gallery part of the Center for Art and Advocacy's "Keeping Community" exhibition featuring drawings, models, interviews, photography, and comic books created by youth at ACS's Crossroads Juvenile Center during workshops led by teaching artists including Immanuel Oni

On view Thursday, July 16 through Friday, September 25, 2026; opening reception on Thursday, July 16 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Photos of the artwork are available here

"When God is Touching You," photo by TH.

Brooklyn, NY-The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS), and NYC Public Artist in Residence Immanuel Oni are pleased to announce the Youth Art Space, a pop-up gallery presented by the Center for Art and Advocacy's "Keeping Community" exhibition. The Youth Art Space showcases artwork created by youth at the ACS Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, through workshops led by teaching artists from Brooklyn Combine and the Crossroads Art Club, including Immanuel Oni as a part of his residency through DCLA's PAIR program. The resulting exhibition challenges narratives surrounding detention and asks viewers to reconsider how young people are seen, represented, and remembered within carceral spaces. Featuring drawings, models, interviews, photography, and comic books, the Youth Art Space is on view through September 25, 2026, at the Center for Art and Advocacy, and is one of three collaborations within the "Keeping Community" series of pop-up programs and partnerships working at the intersection of creativity and justice.

"Public Artist in Residence Immanuel Oni's exhibition of artwork by youth from the Crossroads Juvenile Center reminds us how powerful art can be. Art can give young people the space to step into their full selves beyond their current reality-expanding their own expectations for themselves and what they believe is possible," said NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij. "We're honored to partner with the Administration of Children's Services and the Center for Art and Advocacy to highlight the invaluable work of teaching artists and the ways they help youth build confidence, discover their own agency, and shape their future."

"It's inspiring to see the creativity and talent of our young people in detention, who were able to transform their life experiences and aspirations into art. We are so grateful to the artist, Immanuel Oni, for helping these youth envision their futures outside of detention and to the Center for Art and Advocacy for showcasing these masterpieces so that all New Yorkers can see their talent," said Administration for Children's Services Commissioner Rebecca Jones Gaston.

"The Center for Art and Advocacy is built on a simple belief: people impacted by incarceration possess extraordinary creative power. 'Keeping Community' extends that belief through partnerships with artists like Immanuel Oni, whose work reminds us that mentorship and creative opportunity can fundamentally reshape how young people see themselves and their futures. The artists at Crossroads Juvenile Detention Center are not defined by the systems that confine them. Through their work in 'Keeping Community''s Youth Art Space, they emerge as artists, visionaries, and authors of their own stories," said Center for Art and Advocacy Executive Director Jesse Krimes.

"The Youth Art space of the exhibit showcases some work from my time as a DCLA Public Artist in Residence at ACS, where I facilitated workshops with youth to reimagine detention environments through architecture," said Public Artist in Residence Immanuel Oni. My featured pieces include youth architectural drawings and models framed as windows, alongside a prototype for a mobile gallery popup space. This residency deeply moved me to see art as a tool for narrative change, highlighting an immense citywide need for dedicated teaching artists and programs like Crossroads Art Club and Brooklyn Combine. I am incredibly grateful to collaborate with the Center for Art and Advocacy to offer this window into the everyday imagination of Crossroads youth. Moving forward, we hope to inspire bringing this gallery experience and its elements back into the facility to continue fostering growth, imagination, and healing."

"Helping Hands" by L.

Drawing on the experiences of young people navigating detention, the Youth Art Space features drawings, photographs, zines, and other works created by youth during workshops led by teaching artists. At the heart of the exhibition is "When God is Touching You," a photograph taken by a youth resident at the juvenile center of another youth leaping into the air and ascending beyond the frame, a striking image that evokes emotional and physical transformation, suggesting hope, resilience, and the possibilities of life beyond confinement.

Youth workshops led by Oni feature a series of architectural drawings created by young people during workshops that invited them to imagine their current space, their ideal room, and the environments they hope to inhabit in the future. Through drawing, model-making, 3D scanning, and material exploration, participants examined the relationship between identity and space. The project encouraged youth to envision possibilities beyond detention while developing creative and technical skills in architecture and design. By transforming personal experiences and aspirations into visual form, the works reflect how creativity can foster self-expression, agency, and a renewed sense of belonging.

Architecture drawing by D.

Through Oni's work with ACS, acts of drawing, photographing, writing, and designing have become opportunities for young people to envision futures beyond the walls of detention. Whether holding a camera, putting pen to paper, or imagining a room of their own, participants were invited to exercise choice, agency, and authorship over how they see themselves and how they wish to be seen. The workshops created space for reflection, skill-building, and self-expression while introducing creative practices that can be used in the future.

Mirrored surfaces throughout the exhibition invite viewers to see themselves alongside the work; the exhibition fosters dialogue between detained youth and the broader public. By emphasizing acts of imagination often overshadowed by punitive systems, the exhibition positions art as a bridge between detained youth, justice systems, teaching artists, and the public.

Alongside the Youth Art Space, "Keeping Community" at the Center for Art and Advocacy will feature a Reading Room curated by Sojourners for Justice Press with rare books and VHS tapes, and a Listening Room curated by Freer Records that will engage the history of music created by formerly incarcerated artists. The Youth Art Space pop-up gallery is on view through Friday, September 25, 2026.

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Immanuel Oni, PAIR with the Administration for Children's Services (ACS)
Immanuel Oni is a first-generation Nigerian-American artist and space doula living in New York City, originally from Houston, TX. He believes art is not about what he is making but who he is making it for. His work explores loss, liberation, and its deep connection with place. He is a former Director of Community Design at the New York City's Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice and an Adjunct Professor at Parsons the New School for Design. He holds a Dual Bachelor's in Science degree in Biology and Psychology from the University of Houston and a Master's in Architecture degree from Parsons New School of Design. He is the co-founder and Creative Director of Liminal, a non-profit that works at the intersection of art, unity, and space.

About NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City's vibrant cultural life. DCLA works to promote and advocate for quality arts programming and to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the City's vitality. The Department represents and serves non-profit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary, and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens, and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists at all skill levels who live and work within the City's five boroughs. DCLA also provides donated materials for arts programs offered by the public schools and cultural and social service groups, and commissions permanent works of public art at City-funded construction projects throughout the five boroughs. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/culture.

About NYC Administration for Children's Services

The New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children, youth and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS connects families to community-based supports, child care vouchers, and other services that promote child safety and family well-being. ACS is the City's child welfare agency, responsible for responding to allegations of child abuse and neglect; contracting with non-profit organizations that provide a range of free family support services; and contracting with non-profits who provide foster care services for children and youth unable to remain home safely. ACS also leads the City's continuum of juvenile justice services, ranging from an array of community-based alternatives for youth and families, Close to Home placement services, and detention services. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/children.