Past Events
Paseo Park Portraits Gallery Talk
Wednesday, December 14th, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Espresso 77, 35-57 77th Street, Jackson Heights
During the pandemic, an Open Street grew in the epicenter of the epicenter, giving space to community. Local Jackson Heights photographers set out to capture stories of their neighbors along the 34th Avenue Open Street, from skateboarding teens to hula hoopers, from dog parents to street vendors.
Stop by cafe Espresso 77 to see the Paseo Park Portraits exhibit between December 13th-Jan 18th, and on December 14th, join photographers and subjects at a gallery talk moderated by S. Mitra Kalita of Epicenter NYC.
Photos and stories captured by Kisha Bari, Bridget Bartolini, Patrick Chang and Dawn Siff.
FREE EVENT
The Paseo Park Portraits exhibit is made possible (in part) by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
DIRECTIONS:
Espresso 77 is located at 35-57 77th Street near the corner of 37th Avenue. The closest train station is the 74th Street Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue stop on the E, F, M, R and 7 trains.
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Queens Immigrant Stories and History
Queens Immigrant Stories and History
Wednesday, June 15th, 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Queens Borough Hall's Helen Marshall Center
120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY, 11424
Celebrate immigrant stories that help define the World’s Borough, Queens!
Explore exhibits highlighting the immigrant experience in Queens. Listen to oral histories, see historical photos, hear from experts, enjoy live dance and music performances, snack on complimentary international treats, and let us know your thoughts!
Exhibition Open 4:00-8:00pm
Performances 6:00-7:30pm
Exhibits will include:
* 34th Avenue Oral History by Bridget Bartolini
* Queens Night Market Vendor Stories Oral History Project by Storm Garner
* COVID-19 Asian American Oral History Project from LaGuardia Community College
* Immigrant Housing by Rob MacKay and Queens Tourism Council
* Immigrant Photo Exhibit by Jason Antos and the Queens Historical Society
* Queens linguistic landscape map from the Endangered Language Alliance
* Queens Memory from the Queens Library
PLUS live music by INFUSION and theatrical skits and dance from Newcomers High School
FREE EVENT
DIRECTIONS:
We will be inside the Helen Marshall Center at the Queens Borough Hall, located at 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY, 11424. It’s steps from the E/F train at Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike and the Q46, Q10 and Q37 buses. There is also a parking lot behind the borough hall.
Queens: Immigrant Stories and History is part of This Is NY: Celebrating Our Immigrant Heritage and Communities, a festival within the citywide Festival of NY happening throughout Summer 2022.
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34th Avenue Story Circle: Reflecting on the Past & Future of Urban Streets
34th Avenue Story Circle: Reflecting on the Past & Future of Urban Streets
Wednesday, May 4th, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
The Heyman Center, Second Floor Common Room, Columbia University
74 Morningside Drive, East Campus Residential Center
Join us for a participatory workshop centered on city streets and oral history.
Bridget Bartolini will present 34th Avenue Oral History, and project participants Jim Burke and Esthi Zipori will speak on the history and future of urban streets and their activism around reimagining post-pandemic New York City. Attendees will be invited to share their own experiences in a story circle workshop and join a facilitated discussion around city streets and street life.
Registration is required. Please register here.
This event is part of the Heyman Center’s Building Publics series, which showcases how Public Humanities Graduate Fellows bridge humanistic thinking with civic engagement and social justice, scholarly research with public building and communication in order to unleash new, more critical modes of scholarly imaginations.
DIRECTIONS:
The Heyman Center is located at 74 Morningside Drive on Columbia University's campus.
The closest train is the 1 train at 116th Street-Columbia University.
Below is a map with walking directions from the 116th stop at Broadway. You'll see there are two routes; the lower route (entering from 116th Street) is more direct. The little u-turn you see at the end of that lower route takes you up a short flight of stairs, where you'll see a glass double-door and a security desk with a guard. If you have a Columbia ID you can swipe in; otherwise, we'll leave a list of registrants' names at the desk and the guard will let you through. After you pass security, the Heyman Center is at the end of the courtyard.
We'll be in the second floor Common Room.
Directions will be emailed to you when you RSVP.
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Micailhuitl: Día de Muertos on 34th Avenue
Micaihuitl: Día De Muertos on 34th Avenue
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, 4:30 - 7:00 p.m.
34th Avenue between 93rd-94th Street
Join us for an afternoon filled with dance, music, and storytelling performances on the 34th Avenue Open Street!
‘Micailhuitl’ translates to ‘Día de Muertos’ (Day of the Dead) in Nahuatl, one of Mexico’s many indigenous languages. In a tradition celebrated all throughout Mexico, from midnight on October 31st through November 2nd, the spirits of our deceased loved ones crossover the spiritual world into the living world to rejoin their family and friends for a time of remembrance and festivity. For their honored guests, the living families make an ofrenda (altar), decorated with colorful papel picado, pan de muerto, cempasuchiles (marigolds), sugar skulls, incense and things that the deceased enjoyed during their time living.
For Micailhuitl we'll set up a community ofrenda and an art installation on 34th Avenue. We encourage the public to bring framed photos of deceased loved ones and white candles for the ofrenda, and to paint your faces as either a sugar skull or regular skull!
Performances by:
Manuela Agudelo - Colombian-born, Queens-raised dancer, choreographer, model, rollerskater, activist, and cultural producer
Kacia Flórez - Queens-born artist and singer with a sincere love for her Andean roots
Erick Modesto - dancer, pastry chef, and Director of Ballet Folklorico Nueva Juventud, a group that preserves Mexico's culture and traditions through dance
Valentina Ortiz - storyteller, musician, and writer who speaks the stories of ancient and modern Mexico.
And an art installation by:
Mark Saldana – Queer Mexican multimedia artist whose work is influenced & inspired by his Mexican cultural background
This is a FREE community event, and will be outdoors on the 34th Avenue Open Street between 93rd-94th Street (in front of P.S. 149/Christa McAuliffe School). Please dress warmly, and feel free to bring folding chairs or something to sit on.
This project is supported by a Public Humanities Grant from Humanities New York and the Humanities in Practice Initiative of the Society of Fellows/Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University.
Micailhuitl Photos:
Click through above, or see the whole album here.
Micailhuitl Highlight Video:
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34th Avenue Oral History Launch Celebration
34th Avenue Oral History Launch Celebration
Sunday, July 11th, 2021, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
34th Avenue between 93rd-94th Street
Celebrate our website launch at this free, outdoor community event featuring storytelling by Manuela Agudelo and Jim Burke, and a dance performance by Erick Modesto and Ballet Folklorico Nueva Juventud!
Featuring:
* Manuela Agudelo – Dancer, choreographer, and community organizer who advocates for black and brown liberation, and roller skates on 34th Avenue as a healing mental health ritual
* Jim Burke – Safe streets activist and Co-Founder of the 34th Avenue Open Streets Coalition, who organizes volunteers and community programs on 34th Avenue
* Erick Modesto – Dancer, pastry chef, and Director of Ballet Folklorico Nueva Juventud, who holds dance rehearsals on 34th Avenue
Q&A will follow the performance.
This project is supported by a Public Humanities Grant from Humanities New York and The Laundromat Project's Creative Action Fund.
Launch Celebration Photos:
Click through above, or see the whole album here.
