Celebrating Black Excellence in Meatpacking

This February, celebrate Black history, achievements, and entrepreneurship in the District. From experiencing 1960’s Black art in NYC to dining options from the newest chef in the neighborhood, there’s a variety of ways to support your favorite Black-owned and led establishments safely in person or directly online. Here’s our guide to supporting Black creators and culture in Meatpacking. 

ARTS + CULTURE

White Columns 

Now on view at White Columns is ‘Still Standing’ the debut solo exhibition by Jeffrey Meris. The title is from a poetry collection by the Bahamian writer, activist, and politician Michael Pintard and the exhibition brings together a group of work produced over the past year in Connecticut. The large-scale, hybrid collage-sculptural works are created from accumulations of loosely-connected rust-stained rags. You can find more information about the exhibition here. 

Photo: Whitney Museum of American Art

Whitney Museum 

On view at the Whitney, is Working Together, an exhibition that chronicles the formative years of the Kamoinge Workshop, a collective of Black photographers established in New York City in 1963. “Kamoinge” comes from the language of the Kikuyu people of Kenya, meaning “a group of people acting together,” and reflects the ideal that animated the collective. The exhibition, which is on view through March, focuses on the work of founding Kamoinge members from the 1960s and 1970s during the heart of the Black Arts Movement. 

Photo: High Line

High Line

Start at Gansevoort Street on the High Line to view Simone Leigh’s Brick House sculpture and Jordan Casteel’s The Baayfalls mural. Brick House, at 30th St. and 10th Ave, is a 16-foot-tall bronze bust of a Black woman with a torso that combines the forms of a skirt and a clay house. The sculpture’s head is crowned with an afro framed by cornrow braids, each ending in a cowrie shell  

Just outside the district on 22nd St, Casteel’s mural is “a double portrait of Fallou—a woman Casteel befriended during her artist residency at The Studio Museum in Harlem—and Fallou’s brother, Baaye Demba Sow. The pair are pictured outside the museum at Fallou’s table, where she sold hats she designed. When Fallou’s brother arrived in New York from Senegal, Casteel asked the two to sit for a portrait. The title references Baye Fall, a sect of the Sufi brotherhood Mouride, of which Fallou’s brother is a member. The gesture Fallou makes with her left hand signifies Allah among members of Baye Fall.” 

The Standard Hotel

Throughout the month of February, The Standard Hotel will be celebrating Black History Month with movies that share Black stories, feature Black leads, or are directed by Black filmmakers for their Flix in the Forest series. See the full lineup here and make a reservation to reserve your spot.

FOOD 

Intersect by Lexus 

On the second floor of IBL is a full-service restaurant that features a rotating lineup of Global Chefs-in-Residence that introduces a new dining concept every four to six months.  Right now the chef in residence is Chef Mashama Bailey. Based in Savannah, Georgia, The Grey, Bailey’s restaurant, is set in a former Greyhound bus terminal and was founded in partnership with Johno Morisano. The food “taps into all of her experiences to create dishes that are deep, layered, and soulful in their flavors. With a penchant for regional produce, seafood, and meats, her style of cuisine is a melting pot of surprising and comforting tastes with something new and revealed each time.” A rotating three-course menu that changes on a weekly basis is available for takeout and delivery. 

Tings 

Located in Chelsea Market,  Tings is a small home-style Jamaican kitchen serving jerk chicken, oxtail, patties, & fresh juice. Grab the jerk chicken, which comes with pineapple chutney and rice, all for $13.50 

Zach and Zoë Sweet Bee Farm

An office (and Oprah) favorite, Zach & Zoë is a family-owned and operated honey shop. After looking for a natural way to alleviate allergies for their son Zach, the Johnson’s turned to beekeeping as a way to do so. They learned that honey is a nutrient-packed food containing enzymes, minerals, and vitamins that our body uses to stay well, plus it’s tasty. From their original wildflower honey to their more unique flavors like matcha you’ll have no shortage of honey options. Want to find out more about Zach & Zoë? See more here from our District Profile with Summer Johnson. 

SHOP 

Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

T.A. 

T.A. is a contemporary concept store that carries women’s clothing sourced from Tbilisi, London, Paris, Peru, Milan, South Korea, LA, New York, and more. This store is the epitome of cool and there are no wrong items to purchase For more about the Owner, Telsha Anderson, see here.

The Standard Shop

Shop Black-owned businesses at the The Standard’s Shop. Specialty products include items from Brandon Blackwood, Estelle Colored Glass and Antwaun Sargent Books, with 100% of sales going to each brand.

If you are looking for more Black-owned businesses to support, we’ve created a list of businesses in Lower Manhattan for some of your eating, shopping, and fitness needs.