The Practice of Democracy: We Hold These Truths was a programming initiative launched in July 2022 on the High Line in New York City. As part of the inaugural activation, A View From the High Line, in partnership with the High Line Network, invited a diverse curatorial team to examine how democratic values like equity and justice are practiced directly shape the spatial narratives of New York City neighborhoods.

With a specific focus on the High Line and the surrounding area, a time-lapsed interrogation grounded in past-to-present research and oral histories reveals a deeper understanding of place and the lived experiences of Democracy. Participants navigate through a reflective journey of not only what democracy means to them but how those principles, civil liberties, and rights we cling to are experienced and defined by others.

The team of contributing curators for A View From the High Line, included Sabrina Dorsainvil, Charles Chawalko, Alp Bozkurt, with support from Margaret Jankowsky and Wendy Pascoal. Sabrina is a public artist, civic designer, and illustrator. They look to people, the way we interact with each other, and how we exist in our everyday spaces as inspiration for action. As the first Director of Civic Design for the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, Sabrina uses creative approaches to navigate issues around public health, civic participation, care infrastructure, and the built environment. Sabrina’s art focuses on storytelling, unpacking complex ideas, and finding simple yet vibrant ways of celebrating people and their humanity.

Charles Chawalko is a socio-spatial researcher with Designing For Democracy. He likes to assemble puzzles, especially ones that involve elements of history, politics, theory, and design to promote more equitable systems. Alp Bozkurt is the Design Director at Designing For Democracy. He is an award-winning designer who takes a generalist approach to architecture with a firm belief in its power to create equitable communities, and the larger impact design can have on society. Margaret Jankowsky is the Director of Design at Trahan Architects. She has a background in landscape, urban design, and architecture. Margaret’s interest lies in improving cities through their public realm. Wendy Pascoal is an architect and Housing Innovation Design Fellow with the City of Boston. Her interests lie at the intersection of the ways housing design and policy come together. She values and aims to center the many voices and the complex experiences connected to housing, believing they must ultimately drive the design and implementation of future affordable homes and neighborhoods.