About Us: The American Imaginary spotlights three notions of “American.” The exhibition is curated by the Terra Foundation Fellows (Christina Chan, Annette Parkins, and Carlos David Trujillo), who are members of QM’s local community, appointed through a general open call. The three discrete collections of images on view in the exhibition emerged from each Fellow’s lived experience, scholarly research, and collaboration. Through varied subject matter and across time, the images speak to family lore and nostalgia, contradiction, visibility, migration, fame, intimacy, conflict, and roots.

The exhibition considers one’s claim to the term “American,” as well as the ways in which a recognition of “American-ness” appears in visual art: what is American about American Art? Photographers born within and outside the borders of the United States are included in this presentation, nodding to the flow of people and culture that shapes America. The photographs date from the mid-nineteenth century to 1979, and are predominantly albumen and vintage silver gelatin prints. Even today, these photographs negotiate between the perception of the photographer and the shifting context of an image over time. This exhibition’s compilation of perspectives, even as they remain incomplete, offers poetic and intimate interpretations in response to the guiding question.

Over the course of eight months, the Fellows worked interdepartmentally and with external mentors cataloguing, researching, and writing about photographs in the Museum’s collection; all while leading discussions with local stakeholders; and grappling with definitions of American Art. Looking together, the Fellows reflected upon the intangible expectations apparent in each selection, where the utility of the term pales in comparison to the potential of its unceasing redefinition. 

About the Curators

Christina Chan is a born-and-raised New Yorker and the youngest daughter of Kevin and Elaine. Inspired by Asian Americana, she utilizes community histories and archival materials to connect and conjure. She is interested in spaces where identity becomes sites of negotiation, especially within the communities and built environments shaped by the Asian diaspora. Christina has spent the past decade as an arts administrator and educator in organizations across New York City, including the Tenement Museum, the New Museum, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). Their experiences span facilitating programming for a variety of audiences, including teens, who remain their favorite audience to engage conversations with. She appreciates the impermanence of a bouquet of flowers. Their New York accent comes out when she’s angry (especially during baseball season).

Annette Parkins is a writer, poet, and seasoned nonprofit leader whose work is grounded in nearly two decades of service to children, families, and communities. Born in Jamaica WI and raised in Queens, NY, she began writing poetry in middle school, finding language to be a steady and clarifying presence throughout her life. Her commitment to authentic expression, personal transformation, and collective well-being shapes both her creative practice and her professional work in coaching, performance management, and program development. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and is an ordained Prophet in the Prophetic Order of Mar Elijah. She is currently working on her debut poetry book titled Free Indeed.

Carlos David Trujillo is an artist and filmmaker who works with personal and institutional archives. Grounded in years of professional interpreting across medical, community, and research contexts, his film, installation, and performance projects reimagine how stories move between languages and cultures. He has been supported by the Queens Council on the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and residencies at Flux Factory, Art Quarter Budapest, and the ARoS Museum in Denmark. He currently works with the Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where language and research remain central to his daily practice.

The Fellows would like to give special thanks to Tom Finkelpearl (mentor, Carlos David Trujillo), Maggie Mustard (mentor, Christina Chan), and Rachel Valinsky (mentor, Annette Parkins). Additional thanks to: Jason Antos, Dana Bell, Rosie Brock, Sydney Ellison, Lydia Melamed Johnson, Casey Li, Tasha Lutek, Oluremi Onabanjo, Irene Papaefthemiou, Amy Raffel, Reaven Tanis, Louise Weinberg, Shawn Wilson.