Exhibitions - Kingdom Peace

LIFE Camp
Kingdom Peace

10.02.21 – 02.13.22

Year of Uncertainty (YoU)

A white exhibition wall with a mural. The mural has a soft blue background and a bed of orange, blue, yellow, and pink flowers at the bottom. Hovering above the flowers is a smoking gun and four large bullets with the phrase “hurt people hurt people” written across them. Above that is a quote by MLK that reads “At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of Love” in orange cursive.

Image: Installation view, "LIFE Camp: Kingdom Peace", Queens Museum, featuring works by LIFE Camp Youth Leadership and Miyoshi Plaines (MO$H) of Black Village Arts. Photo credit: Hai Zhang.

Year of Uncertainty Community Partner, LIFE Camp, presents Kingdom Peace, an exhibition that stems from the frontline violence intervention and prevention organization’s motto, “Peace is a Lifestyle.” On view are handmade pieces of art, a mural, and video that reflect the daily work and vision of LIFE Camp’s Peace Makers and Youth Leaders in South Jamaica, Queens.

 

The installation includes a collaboratively produced peace sign assembled from recycled water bottles to uplift the importance of caring for one’s neighborhood and a painted bike which celebrates play and joy as a form of healing and connection. The mural painted by Miyoshi Plaines (MO$H) of Black Village Arts focuses on repair and transformation among those impacted by an act of violence. The message of this piece asserts that resolution, safety, public health, and true justice can only happen by acknowledging that individuals on both sides of a gun are in need of support and help. The video by SLUSA Productions introduces the complex relationships of gun violence to individual and community wellness and highlights LIFE Camp’s approach to shifting the way violence is experienced, perceived, and managed on every level, including providing community stakeholders the skills and resources to address the mental, emotional and physical wellness needs of their own neighborhoods. The elements of the exhibition respond to each of the Year of Uncertainty’s five themes: Care, Repair, Justice, Play, and The Future to create a space that centers love and healing.

 

LIFE Camp provides youth and families that have been impacted by violence the valuable tools they need to stay in school and out of the criminal justice system. LIFE Camp provides programs and other holistic approaches to reinforce self-esteem and respect for life among one another and also connect and mobilize youth to prevent and heal from violence in New York City’s most underserved communities. Based in South Jamaica, Queens, LIFE Camp is a founding member and architect of The New York City Crisis Management System (NYC CMS). Their Peacemobile – a large orange bus and mobile trauma and wellness unit – responds to violent events across Queens by offering onsite healing therapies and mediation to those affected by violence in the community.

Supporters

The Year of Uncertainty artist residencies and community partnerships are made possible by generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Lambent Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation. Major funding for the Queens Museum is generously provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.