About this Project

Most U.S. cities are more segregated today than they've been in generations. That didn't happen by accident, and the consequences are profound.

The Living Apart Project seeks to understand not only the historical roots of racial segregation in the United States, but also the resulting landscapes of inequality that permeate urban spaces all across this country.

This project is simultaneously academic and creative, and actively engages the Hampton Roads community. We have conducted hundreds of interviews from across the region, and dozens of participant photographers have submitted photographs of places that are meaningful to them in their lives. And we have built an interactive Story Map that makes it possible to explore the ongoing socio-environmental impacts of our legacy of redlining and segregation.

In November 2022, Living Apart opened as a solo exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) for a three-month run. The exhibition later traveled to the Torggler Fine Arts Center’s Grace Community Gallery, and Norfolk State University’s Wise Gallery.

The exhibition has also been shown as a one-day pop-up exhibition at schools and libraries around Virginia, including:

• Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA)

• Nansemond-Suffolk Academy (Suffolk, VA)

• Albemarle High School (Charlottesville, VA)

• The Collegiate School (Richmond, VA)

• Heritage High School (Newport News, VA)