Gentrification is pricing artists out of New York, threatening its cultural edge

"Rowynn Dumont, a curator, painter, photographer and writer, lived in about 25 places around the world before settling in New York in 2017. It's where my community and the art world infrastructure already were, said Dumont. Exhibits in Union Square, the Flatiron District, Long Island City and the Lower East Side featured her work. She also co-founded a popular monthly new wave dance party, Black Rainbow, on the Lower East Side that would go until 10am."

"Meanwhile, from 2020 to 2025, her rent in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn increased from $2,300 to $3,800. When some of her apartment's windows fell out, her landlord replaced them with plastic. In summer 2025, she had enough and moved to Philadelphia. She must commute 90 minutes twice weekly to attend the New School in Manhattan, where she is pursuing a doctorate in psychology and design."

"Since 2019, the city's artist population has decreased by more than 4%, the first sustained decline in decades, according to a new report from the Center for an Urban Future, a non-profit aimed at reducing inequality and increasing economic mobility. Data for the report was gathered from the US census and a survey of New York artists. The group argues that the primary reason for the exodus is a lack of affordable housing, and the organization is calling for the new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who pledged to dramatically increase the city's affordable housing,"

Rowynn Dumont settled in New York in 2017 after living in about 25 places worldwide. Dumont exhibited across Manhattan and co-founded the monthly new wave dance party Black Rainbow. Attendance at dance events declined after the Covid-19 pandemic. From 2020 to 2025, rent in Bushwick rose from $2,300 to $3,800, and a landlord replaced fallen windows with plastic. In summer 2025 Dumont moved to Philadelphia and now commutes 90 minutes twice weekly to the New School for a doctorate, finding a cheaper apartment and a community of fellow transplants. The Center for an Urban Future reports a more than 4% decline in the city's artist population since 2019 and attributes the exodus mainly to lack of affordable housing.

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