Courageous, inspiring, essential workers are all around us especially in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which became a wartime factory producing personal protective equipment (PPE) during New York City s terrifying coronavirus surge of spring 2020. While Navy Yard manufacturing tenants like Duggal churned out face shields, face masks and other supplies, the Yard also had its own heroes keeping the premises accessible and operational. Photographer JC Cancedda gives them much-deserved recognition in a large wall display at BNY Building 77. 
“My first thought was this whole time I was thinking nurses, doctors, then working here I was like why don’t we shoot security people and maintenance people and the people who don’t get the spotlight on them ever, Cancedda told NY1. Cancedda is one of nine Navy Yard artists selected to exhibit in the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation s public arts program. A huge applause from all of us at Duggal to Cancedda for these powerful portraits, to the Navy Yard essential workers who made it possible for us to keep coming to work, and to all of our own essential workers who continue to power through the pandemic with perseverance, togetherness, compassion and purpose. 
