Lucia Hierro
June 2, 2021 – January 2, 2022
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Remnants of the Washington Heights barrio that Dominican-American artist, Lucia Hierro, calls home fill an intimate section at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. This is Marginal Costs, Hierro’s first solo museum exhibition. Throughout the exhibit lies objects commonly found in a supermarket that serves a purpose beyond commodification. But unlike the bags of common Caribbean delicacies and buildings containing for lease signs, the community is not for sale. Or is it?
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Ungated Community
In collaboration with Luigi Iron Works, Hierro created wrought iron gates that were strategically placed around the front of the large-scale mueblería, or furniture shop bearing several for lease signs. What fascinates me about this setup is that the gates are open, but there are strict rules for entry. What if you were to enter the open gates, anyway? Who is the gatekeeper? And is this community only open to specific people, or is it a free-for-all environment for the world to enjoy?
Casita
Antojitos
73 out of 74 percent of the Latino population in Washington Heights is of Dominican descent.
As Puerto Ricans flocked to the Bronx borough and began to share their culture with mainstream America through plays like the 1957 “West Side Story,” Dominicans longed to establish a place of their own in their newfound community. They achieved this with several pop-up food trucks serving antojitos (street snacks), the creation of the 2005 play “In The Heights” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a slew of low-cost bodegas around the neighborhood.
Mandao Para Amanda
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History of Washington Heights
Even before the large wave of Dominicans arrived in the 1960s, Washington Heights or Fort Washington has always been considered to be a transactional community. Early Irish American settlers describe the neighborhood as being a “vibrant immigrant neighborhood and water hole filled with over 80 Irish bars along one stretch.”
This Land Is My Land
Well before the pandemic, the conversation of gentrification has been a hot topic in New York City. But who owns Washington Heights, really? Does the neighborhood have a face or a color? Or has it always been an ever-evolving door of cultures, coming and going for their own monetary gain? There’s way more to the story than meets the eye. Before Washington Heights became Little Dominican Republic, below is a timeline of the different ethnic backgrounds that once occupied the area.
Timeline of Washington Heights Ethnicities
Armenians
Due to the Hamidian Massacres that were taking place in their homeland from 1894-1896, Armenians sought refuge in NYC.
Irish
The Great Depression caused many Irish to initially migrate to the Upper West Side, before they eventually moved upward to Washington Heights.
German-Jews
Escaping anti-semitism from the Nazi era in the 1930s, German-Jews found their new home in Washington Heights, which was once nicknamed Frankfort on the Hudson.
African-Americans
Initially passing through the historical Underground Railroad passage, African-Americans returned to the area in the mid 1940s from Harlem. Largely unwelcomed, they were scared away, coining the phrase, “Washington Heights begins where Harlem ends.”
Dominicans
Shortly after dictator, Rafael Trujillo, passed away in 1961, 42,000 US Marine Troops invaded the Dominican Republic. This inspired a large wave of Dominicans to flock to NYC in the 1960s. Most considered the move to be purely economically motivated.
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