SoHo Community-Based Poster Project
SoHo Community-Based Poster Project
On the occasion of ‘Allison Katz. Outta the Bag,’ on view at Hauser & Wirth New York, Wooster Street, and as part of Hauser & Wirth’s ongoing learning initiatives, artist Allison Katz collaborated with 18 sophomore graphic design students from Chelsea Career and Technical Education (CTE) High School, a partner of The Drawing Center. In partnership with Manuela NY and the NYC-based art and urban farming non-profit, Project EATS, students created a community-based poster campaign that will be wheatpasted around the SoHo neighborhood.
Katz invited the 18 student creatives from Scott Fowler’s graphic design class to design posters celebrating the mission of Project EATS, and responding to the prompt: What does a food system that serves people look like, and what role do you play in it?
'The function of a good poster is to catch your eye, and when it catches your eye, it allows you to get curious about how the image was made. So any sort of curiosity—and even confusion, in a productive way—about how the image was made feels exciting to me, and makes me want to look more ... The way we can slow people down and get them to look and get them to think is by presenting a combination: something unique to how you see the world and what you feel you get excited about’
- Allison Katz
To launch the project, Allison connected with students via Zoom, sharing insights from her own experience of poster making and its relationship to her broader creative practice. She discussed key influences and approaches, offering a framework for thinking about the medium. As students developed their own designs, she encouraged experimentation and emphasized the value of working through a personal lens—grounded in how each individual sees and understands the world.
The students then visited the Project EATS Essex Crossing Rooftop Farm for an interactive tour led by the Project EATS team and Wellness Being Instructor Tyler Berkely. They also heard from the Manuela NY team, who shared insights into their current partnership with Project EATS. Aimee Goode and Neal Flynn from The Drawing Center’s Education joined the visit and contributed to the discussion. Throughout, students learned about urban agriculture, reflected on food practices within their own families, and gained ideas for their poster designs.
The project culminated with a student visit to Manuela NY and 'Allison Katz. Outta the Bag' at Hauser & Wirth, Wooster Street. The young artists’ posters will be on view in SoHo from 20 May – 3June 2026.
About Project EATS
Founded by Linda Goode Bryant, Project EATS is a 502(c)(3) nonprofit that transforms vacant lots into urban farms so communities across NYC have access to fresh and healthy food. Project EATS fosters youth initiatives, culinary programs, and the belief that the combination of art and food is a powerful tool for reshaping social, economic, cultural, and environmental conditions towards an empowered life.
About Manuela NY
Committed to sustainability in all its forms, Manuela NY is proud to be the only restaurant in Manhattan with an in-house composter. Guests will be able to visit the kitchen to view ‘The Rocket’, which uses nature’s own processes to break down and convert daily food waste into a valuable nutrient-rich resource. The resulting compost is used to enrich Project EATS’ six urban gardens across the city’s five boroughs.
About The Drawing Center
The Drawing Center, an exhibition space in downtown Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood—explores the medium
of drawing as primary, dynamic and relevant to contemporary culture, the future of art, and creative thought. Its activities are both multidisciplinary and broadly historical, including exhibitions, publications, and educational and public programs. Through its, an exhibition space in downtown Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood—explores the medium of drawing as primary, dynamic and relevant to contemporary culture, the future of art, and creative thought. Its activities are both multidisciplinary and broadly historical, including exhibitions, publications, and educational and public programs. Through its Drawing Connections program, The Drawing Center partners annually with four neighboring Lower Manhattan public schools to provide students with an in-depth visual art experience focused on the medium of drawing. Hauser & Wirth’s multi-year Learning partnership with The Drawing Center’s education and community programs offers opportunities to develop collaborative projects between students and our artists.
Learn more about Allison Katz, Project EATS, Manuela NY, The Drawing Center and Hauser & Wirth’s Learning initiatives.
