Join us for a series of artist-led workshops that will visualize the possibility of daylighting Flushing Creek. Flushing Creek was artificially forced underground at sections into pipes for the construction of the 1939 World’s Fair grounds and now runs beneath and through the center of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Daylighting, or restoring underground portions of a waterway into above ground habitats, has immense benefits for social-ecological health and climate resilience.

This workshop led by artist and educator Julia Norton we will explore the tactile qualities of Flushing Creek, a mysterious body of water buried beneath the park, that makes its presence known in beautiful and surprising ways.In artist and designer Anni Albers’s seminal 1965 text On Weaving, she remarks “We touch things to assure ourselves of reality” in the context of what she refers to as “Tactile Sensibility”. In engaging with our “Tactile Sensibilities” we will get to know the creek’s secrets on a deeper level by visiting hidden sights, touching local plants and other findings, playing with them as art materials, getting to know them as creative collaborators, and learning about how and why they grow where they do. We will leave with unique collages that have been inspired by our explorations and made from samples we have collected, as well as from cloth dyed with plants surrounding the creek.

Organized by Guardians of Flushing Bay together with artist and educator Julia Norton, each of the workshops in this series will be led by a different Queens-based artist selected through an open call. Some workshops will move through the park to examine Flushing Creek first hand, while others will remain in the museum to consider the waterway more broadly. The workshops will allow for exploration within a variety of artistic mediums, such as conceptual practice and hands-on art making. The goal of the workshops is to reveal Flushing Creek through visual materials and content that can be utilized in engaging local park users in the future possibility of daylighting Flushing Creek.

These workshops will be designed for adults ages 18 and older. Any minors older than 12 are welcome to participate, but must be accompanied by an adult. All participants should be prepared for uneven terrain, long outdoor walks and muddy conditions. No prior experience is necessary.

Registration is required to attend the workshop. Please click here to RSVP.

More about the artist:

Julia Norton is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. In her art practice, research, and education work she explores the unique qualities and legacies of natural color materials – such as ochres, mineral pigments, and plant based inks and dyes. She holds an MFA from SUNY Purchase and an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has exhibited at galleries such as Lyles & King, The Wassaic Project, and Dread Lounge, and has participated in residencies at The Wassaic Project, Cooper Union, Mass MoCA, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (BC, Canada), SIM Residency (Reykjavik, Iceland), and Pocoapoco (Oaxaca, Mexico). She has worked as an educator at New Museum, Pioneer Works, Swiss Institute, Abrons Art Center, Dia:Beacon, and Harvard Art Museums.