Chioma Nwana: Forever, Amen

Forever, Amen is an ongoing photographic study of the oldest Black churches in White Plains. Despite widespread displacement and cultural erasure caused by urban renewal, some of these churches have existed for nearly two centuries. The series examines how these places of worship have anchored Black residents of the city and its surrounding communities.

In these works, Nwana builds on her previous body of work, You’re From Where I’m From, a long-term documentation of Black life in White Plains. That project focuses on neighborhoods with significant Black populations, such as Battle, Dekalb, Ferris, Fisher, the Valley and Winbrook, as they navigated the effects of rapid urban redevelopment. Forever, Amen calls attention to the churches that have remained central to these communities and their contributions to the city’s Black history and culture.

Through images of church services and everyday moments in and around these spaces, this body of work documents the rhythms of worship and gathering while centering the people and traditions that sustain them. It frames the Black church as a living, enduring fixture—one that offers its people a source of strength and continuity, a place of refuge and renewal, and a pathway to liberation and salvation.

About the Artist

Chioma “Chichi” Nwana is a documentary photographer, photojournalist and archivist from White Plains, NY. Her work focuses on preserving collective memory, correcting erasure and accurately depicting current realities of underrepresented communities.

She graduated from Columbia University’s School of Journalism in May 2024 with honors and a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship. Her master’s project, We All We Got: A Photographic Exploration of the Past, Present and Future of Historically Black Neighborhoods in White Plains, NY, was exhibited in Columbia’s Pulitzer Hall from May 2024 to May 2025.

Exhibition Dates:
May 16 – Aug 2, 2026

Location:
ArtsWestchester, Shenkman Gallery
31 Mamaronek Ave.
White Plains, NY 10601
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Opening Reception:
May 16
Members Only Reception | 4 – 5 PM
Public Reception | 5 – 7 PM

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – Closed
Wednesday – 12–5
Thursday – 12–5
Friday – 12–5
Saturday – 12–6
Sunday – 12–5

 

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