Creative Ozone

Miriam Chaiken is a cultural anthropologist who has done field research on four continents and then turned her anthropological gaze to the most exotic site yet - Greenwich Village in New York City. Three members of her family were longtime residents of the Westbeth Artists Housing, and this connection opened doors and permitted her to capture the stories of members of this community. After her work in villages in sub-Saharan Africa, she realized that Westbeth is a vertical village, with all the drama and intrigue. Creative Ozone: The Artists of Westbeth tells of the artists who left their mark on the city of New York and every artistic innovation and social justice movement of the last half-century. Miriam’s earlier writing draws on her anthropological field research in Africa and Asia, focusing on poverty andhunger alleviation, gender equity, and the welfare of children. She has published many articles and co-edited two books on international development and community resilience.