An exhibition at Littlefield · Brooklyn
Michael James Freedman
Four oil paintings and an interactive map bring the human cost of New York City’s traffic crashes into the gallery.
Arts Gowanus Open Studios · October 17–18, 2026
Littlefield · 635 Sackett Street
Produced by Why Not Art
The distance is measured in feet.
The loss reaches much further.
The Distance From Here begins close to Littlefield: four oil paintings connected to fatal traffic crashes in the surrounding neighborhood. Each title measures the distance from the gallery to the site of the crash.
A projected map extends the work across New York City. Visitors point to a location, and four images connected to the closest crashes emerge. The place they choose becomes another “here.”
Moving between painting, public data, and generated imagery, Freedman transforms raw data into narrative, exposing the emotionally brutal truth concealed within the dry traffic statistics of NYC streets.
The original works
Each work is oil on linen, 18 × 18 inches. The titles measure the straight-line distance from Littlefield to the crash location.
01 / 04
Victor Hidalgo
Oil on linen · 18 × 18 inches
Victor Hidalgo was 24, a delivery worker who had moved from Mexico to New York the previous year. He helped support his young son in Mexico. An FDNY pickup driver fatally struck him at Fourth Avenue and Sackett Street. His aunt remembered his kindness and playfulness.
Crash date · October 30, 2024
Read Victor’s story on CrashCount NYC02 / 04
Arcellie Marina “Cellie” Muschamp
Oil on linen · 18 × 18 inches
Arcellie Marina “Cellie” Muschamp was a mother of two and a longtime Park Slope caregiver. At Fifth Avenue and Union Street, she pushed a child’s stroller out of the path of a turning pickup. The driver struck her; the child survived. Cellie died eleven days later. She was 52.
Crash date · December 20, 2021
Read the reporting on Cellie’s death03 / 04
Carolyn Cox
Oil on linen · 18 × 18 inches
Carolyn Cox was 83. A neighbor remembered her greeting people and crossing the street to get food. At Bond and Butler Streets, a turning truck driver stopped to let her cross, then moved again before she had reached the other side. The crash site is 1,924 feet from Littlefield.
Crash date · June 26, 2024
Read the reporting on Carolyn’s death04 / 04
Arturo Alberto Baez Cordero
Oil on linen · 18 × 18 inches
Arturo Alberto Baez Cordero was a Dominican filmmaker, editor, and director. He spoke of continuing his family’s filmmaking and environmental legacy. He was 34 when another driver struck his car at Second Avenue and Ninth Street. Arturo died after being taken to the hospital.
Crash date · September 14, 2025
Read Arturo’s story on CrashCount NYCThe projected installation
At Littlefield, a projected map invites you to point to a place in New York City. Four images connected to the closest crashes emerge. As you choose another location, the images change.
The paintings stay fixed on the wall. The map takes their visual language beyond the neighborhood, connecting the place you choose to the city’s record of traffic violence.
Michael James Freedman will be in the gallery to discuss the work. Demonstrations of his augmented reality project, Crashscape, will also be available during the weekend.
RSVP on EventbriteSunday, November 15, 2026
12:30 p.m.
We’ll begin in the gallery with The Distance From Here, then walk the surrounding streets using Crashscape.
Outside scheduled events, viewing is by invitation. Please contact the studio to arrange a visit.
Request an invitationThe artist
Michael James Freedman is a Brooklyn-based artist working across drawing, painting, public data, and civic storytelling. The Distance From Here connects his studio practice with his ongoing art and advocacy work through CrashCount NYC.
Exhibition credits
Produced by Why Not Art.
Presented at Littlefield for Arts Gowanus Open Studios.
For press images, interviews, or inquiries about the paintings, contact the studio.