How One Jersey City Gallery Is Keeping Community Alive Amid Gentrification

Hoboken resident Briana Ortiz has seen firsthand how gentrification has changed her city and nearby Jersey City. Their proximity to Manhattan has caused rising rent costs, “knocking down buildings and the neighborhoods changing” to accommodate luxury high rises and condos, she said.

That’s why the 27-year-old opened Neighbors Studio, an art gallery and community space with an emphasis on highlighting BIPOC-led artists and creatives, to build a space for art displays and social gatherings. Founded in 2023, its current storefront is on 370 Pacific Ave. in Jersey City.

“I love being a connector, and that’s something that I hold dear to my heart,” said Ortiz. 

Ortiz acknowledged that the city has become akin to a “mini Manhattan,” but argues that there’s many working class Black and brown communities who need resources to combat issues like homelessness, addiction, and financial insecurity. She sees Neighbors Studio as a place that gives local artists the opportunity to have an accessible space while also giving back to the community. 

“I feel like with the changes that are happening, it is important that we remember that there are still people who are from here, and who are actively seeking community and spaces, and who still need a platform to be heard,” Ortiz said.

Neighbors Studio also hosts advocacy-focused events. These have included an immigrant justice-themed “Abolish ICE Art Show,” with paintings on unity amid mass ICE detentions and Latino culture, and men’s mental health art exhibits. The studio has also organized food and clothing drives and offered consultations to help small business owners apply for grants.

“It was definitely not planned,” as Ortiz said the idea to create Neighbors came organically. She said she has a circle of creative friends and wanted to create a “third space” for them to highlight their work whether it be a food popup, an arts showcase, or even a yoga class.

The block parties came from a similar concept: Ortiz wanted to bring back a time where she saw folks playing dominoes outside and interacting with one another on the street.

“Back then, there was more community and more leeway to have block parties and to have fun. Now things have changed,” she said.

Her initial block party on June 6 attracted thousands of people, according to Ortiz, and featured a live DJ along with local food and arts vendors. Planning it was “a lot of pressure,” she said, from securing permits to worrying nobody would show up.
She credits her community of friends and family for being a support system – along with the neighbors near her studio – for helping her pull it off. 

“The men and women who live across the street [from the studio], there’ll be times where they need something, I need something from the bodega on the corner. ‘I’m like, yo, can I use your ladder?'” 

The neighborly moment came full circle at the recent block party. Watching attendees “line dancing in routine and rhythm,” she wanted to capture the moment with a photo and climbed the borrowed ladder to get the shot.

“I just looked at everyone, and I was like hysterical crying, because I just was in awe of how many people actually showed up.” 

The turnout was a high point in a year that hadn’t always been easy. Offering affordable pricing for studio rentals and running community events is not without its challenges, Ortiz said. 

“[This past] winter was rough for us. Even with trying to be an accessible space we’re still a business, and we still have to keep it afloat,” she said as the studio has less business.

Ortiz organized a GoFundMe to help pay the studio’s rent and utilities earlier this year. She had to put her “pride aside for someone who always helps people.” 

The fundraiser nearly met its $6,500 goal, affirming that others understand the importance of her work, she told New Jersey Urban News. 

Neighbors Studio isn’t possible, she noted, without the help of the very people mentioned in its name – the neighbors in Jersey City’s surrounding community. She said she keeps going because of the people who approach her, often former classmates, to tell her how proud they are of what she’s built.

“They see the work and because of that I really am humble, and in a sense I don’t really think people pay attention. So when I hear that … It’s reassuring.”

Neighbors Studio is planning a second block party set for Aug. 29 at Pier A in Hoboken.