Artist Statement: “As a member of the Bronx Photo League, we documented the stories of the people who work and live on Jerome Avenue for eight months in 2015-2016, in the wake of gentrification. This exhibition documents and celebrates the workers and trades people of Jerome Avenue, one of New York City’s few remaining working class neighborhoods where many still make a living in small shops and factories or repairing auto-mobiles. The city rezoned two miles along Jerome Ave; speculation and rising rents are already evident. The rezoning will lead to construction of housing units, but also, many believe, to the end of a proud culture of industry and work in this last bastion of New York City’s working class. The Bronx Photo League, a project of the Bronx Documentary Center, is made up of 16 Bronx photographers committed to documenting social issues and change in our borough. The Photo League works to present a balanced and nuanced image of the Bronx. The Jerome Avenue Workers Project is the Photo League’s first major exhibition. All portraits were shot on Kodak Tri-X negative film with Hasselblad cameras and lenses.”