Debra Zechowski is a large-scale painter/draftsperson focusing in the depiction of her working-class family.  She investigates memory and nostalgia through revisiting found photographs of their domestic life.  Growing up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (on the boarder of Williamsburg) gentrification has significantly impacted her family.  In response to a growing sense of cultural erasure, Zechowski boldly asserts complex images of their working class identity. 
 
Debra completed MFA study at CUNY Queens College with a focus in painting and drawing.  Having auditioned for and attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Arts, she has a first hand experience of the benefits of rigorous arts education within public school curriculum.  She understands and appreciates the importance of artistic outlets for adolescents struggling with personal and political complexity.  In her upcoming work with Groundswell, she aims to facilitate a sense of agency within the artistic expression of her students.