We Belong: No Longer Invisible Community Gathering and Vigil against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate
05.10.21
On view at Queens Museum, May 15 – June 13
In partnership with the organizers of No Longer Invisible, the Queens Museum is displaying a collectively hand-painted banner, signs, and video documentation created for the multi-racial, multi-faith vigil and community gathering in response to the recent and ongoing attacks against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
In preparation for the gathering, Queens Museum invited artist duo Jaclyn Reyes and Xenia Diente of Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts to lead a collective banner-making workshop. The banner, centered around the concept of ‘We Belong’, invited multi-lingual participation and took inspiration from the rich culture of hand painted and highly vibrant signs in the neighborhood of Flushing, and other immigrant neighborhoods throughout New York City. The Queens Museum’s Teens program, staff and visitors of the museum contributed to the production of the banner and/or to make their own personalized signs to speak out against xenophobia, racism and violence against AAPI communities.
Queens Museum’s New New Yorker program collaborated with Queens Memory Project to conduct video interviews at the vigil that will be archived with Queens Public Library. Artist and videographer Manuel Molina Martagon captured the interviews and produced a short documentary on the vigil.
No Longer Invisible was a multi-racial vigil and community gathering grounded in art, healing and solidarity for the AAPI community in the wake of anti-Asian violence. Attendees were invited to Bowne Playground in Flushing to participate and partake in an altar installation, healing stations and circles, community art projects, as well as enjoy local food and performers as part of the program. No Longer Invisible was led and designed by Asian American women, creatives, grassroots & community organizations doing direct work in Queens and NYC. The vigil was co-presented by OCA-NY, MinKwon Center for Community Action (Year of Uncertainty Community Partner), Blasian March, Queens Museum, Wide Awakes, For Freedoms, Caribbean Equality Project (Year of Uncertainty Community Partner), and Queens Public Library.
Jaclyn Reyes is an artist, designer, cultural organizer, and educator whose multidisciplinary practice intersects with education, storytelling, and research. Xenia Diente is a Queens-based artist and public art administrator with over 18 years of experience working with visual artists and designers to plan, design, fabricate and install public art citywide in civic projects. She strives to strengthen opportunities for artists and designers to creatively serve NYC. Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts is a collaboration between artists and cultural workers who support community-based arts and creative placekeeping efforts by those who support the diasporic Filipino community in Woodside, Queens and the greater NYC area.
Manuel Molina Martagon is a multidisciplinary artist working in performance, video and social engaged projects. In 2018 Molina Martagon organized EL RECREO at Recess and was a recipient of More Art’s Engaging Artist fellowship. Before the pandemic, Molina Martagon presented with Artists Alliance and Cuchifritos, Acquired Taste, a project that uses cooking classes as a vehicle to engage in a multisensorial dialogue reaching out to current topics such as immigration, labor, tradition and access.