Curator and On-Air Personality Savona Bailey-McClain Partners with Airbnb for Harlem Exhibit

Airbnb wants visitors to have immersive experiences when they stay in New York City, and Harlem is their No. 1 neighborhood for Airbnb guests.

Curator Savona Bailey-McClain will take guests on a journey through history and the life of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. The young Schomburg was told as a child in his native Puerto Rico that "black people had no history, no heroes, no great moments."

From that life experience, he started on a quest to learn more about his people that included the Black Caribbean, Africa, the Deep South and urban North. It's about a timeless journey that spans many centuries, nations and art.

"We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in History." - Carter Woodson, 1926

According to McClain, she wants to use this opportunity to help her community with "real" economic development and "meaningful" tourism. "I want visitors to understand that people of African descent are more than sound bites and entertainment. It's not about going to a gospel brunch or protesting in the streets. There is more to our heritage, more to our struggles, more to our lives."

Africa is the birthplace of humanity. Yet the direct descendants of that birthplace are still struggling to be heard and respected. It's about time that dynamic change.

Savona Bailey-McClain currently lives and works in New York City. She is an independent curator and producer. The range of McClain's practice has included sculpture, drawings, performance, sound, and mixed media. McClain is the Executive Director & Chief Curator for The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc. an 18-year-old public art organization and curatorial collective serving neighborhoods around the City. Her public art installations have been seen in the New York Times, Art Daily, Artnet, Los Angeles Times, and Huffington Post among others. McClain has installed works in Times Square, DUMBO, Soho, Governors Island and Harlem. Noted works include The H in Harlem, Counting Sheep, Story Piles, East River Flows and Loosely Coupled. McClain is now developing new digital installations and location-based interventions using a tour platform. McClain is the radio host/producer for State of the Arts NYC for WBAI Radio and a new podcast series LIVE ARTS with Savona.

Photo Credit: Michele Wong

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