In conjunction with the exhibition Art As Social Action: 10 Years of Social Practice Queens, celebrating the longstanding relationship between the socially engaged Queens College MFA program and the Queens Museum, we are pleased to host How do you get to Flushing Creek?, a guided tour through Willets Point to Flushing Creek.

Starting at the Mets – Willets Point subway station, this approximately two-mile walk led by Cody Herrmann in collaboration with Guardians of Flushing Bay takes place in “the Valley of Ashes”, a reference to the history of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, popularized in The Great Gatsby. The route will trace city-owned property through Willets Point, under the Van Wyck Expressway, to Flushing Creek. Attendees will discuss water quality, local history, and envision how climate change may impact plans for development along the Flushing, Willets Point, East Elmhurst, Corona, and College Point waterfront in the future. 

Please note: Masks and closed toed shoes required. Parts of the route take place on uneven and/or sandy ground. There are no restrooms onsite. 

Cody Ann Herrmann is an artist and community organizer based in Flushing, Queens, NYC. Guided by her interest in public space, participatory design methods, and urban resilience Cody’s work often explores urban planning processes by applying an iterative, human centered approach to ecological problem solving. Since 2014 her work has focused on her hometown of Flushing, creating projects critiquing policy related to land use, local development, and environmental planning in areas surrounding Flushing Bay and Flushing Creek. Through this process Cody became involved in Guardians of Flushing Bay, where she is currently a board member, and chair of the community engagement committee.

Guardians of Flushing Bay (GoFB) is a nonprofit coalition of human-powered boaters, park users and local residents advocating for a healthy and equitably accessible Flushing Bay and Creek. Working in collaboration with community leaders, GoFB accomplishes our goals through waterfront programming, hands-on stewardship, community visioning, and grassroots advocacy to promote a healthy ecosystem and equitable waterfront land use practices. Currently GoFB is one of the Community Partner’s in Queens Museum’s Year of Uncertainty.