NEIGHBORS: A 48-Hour Residency

Hello! 

I was invited to join the Harrison Center as a 48-hour resident in November 2025. Despite how busy the impending First Friday made everyone, I was consistently included. This was especially true of Kenedy Manuel, a fellow representing the Harrison in a new community driven project which I had the opportunity to witness firsthand. 

This project inspired my own, opening my eyes to the brilliant work being done to reconnect with Martindale-Brightwood. I was most taken with the Polklore Micro-Museum, which features clever augmented reality displays and a collection of portraits. These paintings, of local Greatriachs, occupied my mind even weeks later.

I saw these individuals’ influence in meetings and heard their stories in friendly exchanges. Their lives all intersected in Martindale-Brightwood and overlapped with nearly everyone I met. Welcomed into their workplaces and their homes, I had the opportunity to see what they meant to others firsthand.

These matriarchs and patriarchs are a living record, testaments of local history and culture. Many still serve their neighborhood today, some in the prevention of cultural gentrification. They are a crucial part of preservation, and witnesses to important history. Polklore has begun the process of preserving this history, but the Greatriachs are still the neighborhood’s greatest archive.

I lack the ability to accurately represent my entire experience, because it is largely the people I met. Instead, I documented the value of these neighbors with Kenedy’s help. We must all consider what stories we can share with others or learn from ourselves.

Thank you everyone who shared with me!

Danielle Pritchard

A special thank you to Willie Hawkins and Linda Belton.