For the past four months, local artist Cori Lin (and PPNA part-time staff member!) has been working to illustrate the vibrant faces and stories of Powderhorn renters.
Cori is currently looking for a Powderhorn renter family who would be interested in being featured in this project.
The first portrait is of Low and Hannah. These roommates live off of Powderhorn Park and welcomed me into their lower duplex where Low has been renting for the last 8 years, joined by Hannah this past year.
Photography by Nancy Musinguzi
After a string of stressful living situations including floods, unaffordable rents, and hostile landlords in South Minneapolis, the two roommates are thrilled to live in their current home, where they can cheerfully fill their apartment with art, food, and hobbies that reflect themselves as queer people of color.
Low and Hannah showed me how they've brought in racks, fridges, and tables to house their home businesses: Low is THE Pickle Witch of PickleWitch, and Hannah creates and sells bath and wellness products as Raj & Taj. Art covers almost all of their walls: many pieces by friends, local artists, or Hannah and Low themselves.
Talking to these roommates in their bubble of home, their joy feels bright in comparison to the bleak reality of renting in Powderhorn. Both Low and Hannah talk about how thankful they are that they have a living situation that is both safe and affordable. Now that they're here, the two roommates are putting down the roots in the community and are involved in local organizing, youth work, and connecting with neighbors around the park.
Low and Hannah are both apart of the #SupportLocalHustle collective, a series of “popup” community markets where BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) vendors share their wares and talents with our supporters.
Cori will be creating four portraits total for the Faces of Renting project for her #RentersRightsareHumanRights project that will be open this Fall
For more questions about the project, or to get involved, contact cori@ppna.org.
Thank you CURA and the Artist Neighborhood Partnership Initiative grant for funding this series.