@queensmuseum

In honor of last week's on October 2, we're reflecting on the artistic practice of , whose work has urged us to reconsider indispensable urban systems and the immense value of the workers who maintain them for over 50 years. In her piece “Washing/Tracks/Maintenance: Outside”, one of four “Maintenance Art Performances” at @thewadsworth in 1973, the artist washed the grand entrance steps outside of the museum to illuminate the work of custodial staff who maintain the institution's infrastructure. Ukeles' three-part public art initiative “For ⟶ forever…” responds to the current pandemic and continues the artist's longstanding dedication to honoring the labor of service workers through her practice. “For ⟶ forever…” is now on view on the Queens Museum facade, as well as on the large-scale digital billboard at 20 Times Square with @tsqarts and across digital displays throughout the MTA subway and rail system with @mtaartsdesign. Image: Mierle Laderman Ukeles, “Washing/Tracks/ Maintenance: Outside”, July 23, 1973. Performance at the Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, CT. Black and white photograph, 20 x 16 in. © Mierle Laderman Ukeles. Courtesy the artist and Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York.

New Yorkers: The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming November election is TODAY! Don't forget that this deadline applies both to those planning to vote in person or by mail. Here's some key info: ▪️New York offers online voter registration 💻. ▪️Voters can register by mail 📮 by printing the registration form, filling it out and then mailing it to their local election office. ▪️Absentee ballots must be requested by Oct. 27, and postmarked by Nov. 3. Need quick answers to any questions about voting in New York City? Visit vote.nyc (also linked in bio). Image: @PlanYourVote @hankwillisthomas

"As New Yorkers, we’re thrivers... We just keep coming back. We keep surviving." Watch to hear the voices of some the partner organizations featured in “Artists for New York" - including the Queens Museum's own Sally Tallant - speak about why New York is and will always be a vital place for art, and for all those who love, celebrate and need it. is a major initiative led by @hauserwirth to raise funds in support of New York City non-profit visual arts organizations that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tap the link in our bio to learn more about the initiative, works, and partner organizations.

Calling all World's Fair fans! Join us on October 7 - from 7:00pm to 8:15pm - for an online talk on the history of the 1964-1965 World's Fair. Made up of over 140 pavilions, which housed many nations, states, and corporations, the 1964-1965 World's Fair welcomed more than 50 million visitors and was shaped around the theme of "Peace Through Understanding". This virtual talk will be presented by Dr. Amy Raffel, Andrew W. Mellon Interpretation Research Fellow at the Queens Museum, and hosted in collaboration with @harrisonpubliclibrary. Tap the link in our bio to register.

Our most recent interview features @adhikaar_ny’s Narbada Chhetri. We spoke to the Director of Organizing and Programs about the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on essential and low-wage workers within the Nepali-speaking immigrant community in Queens. Tap the link in our bio to learn about Adhikaar’s efforts organizing directly on behalf of domestic and nail salon workers, and the unique challenges faced by low-wage and immigrant workers during the pandemic.

As part of our new exhibition “After the Plaster Foundation, or, ‘Where can we live?’”, presents a selection from her “Globe Sightings” series in which the artist photographed globes displayed in city windows. In her audio recording for the exhibition's online publication (linked in bio), Bolande describes the feeling of seeing the globes placed in windows as "looking at inner space from the street, but it looked like outer space." Captured from street level, the perspectives of these photographs were determined by a different type of physical distancing, as Bolande worked around the legal boundaries of private and public property, like schoolyards that were inaccessible to her. The works take on new meaning as many NYC teachers and students return to school buildings, facing both new and familiar challenges together.

On Thursday, October 8, from 6:30 to 8:00pm, join us for “Memorial to Enslaved Laborers”, an online conversation exploring the history, form, and process behind the creation of the powerful new Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at @uva. The grounds—designed by Thomas Jefferson and now recognized as a @unescoworldheritage site—were built and maintained by 4000 enslaved men, women, and children. The memorial features marks and the names of these individuals carved into granite. It was designed with input from their descendants and Charlottesville community members, turning “grief for a hidden past into a healing space,” according to @nytimes.  Tap the link on our bio to access the registration link (advanced registration required).
 “Memorial to Enslaved Laborers” is co-presented by @Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Columbia University School of the Arts; @cornelluniversity AAP Architecture, Art, Planning; the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies; the Institute for Research in African-American Studies; the Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the @schomburgcenter; @studiomuseum; and the Queens Museum.
 Image: Visitors at the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. Photo: Alan Karchmer. Courtesy of Höweler + Yoon Architecture.

Queens Gets Counted! is a hybrid virtual/in-person event promoting Census 2020 participation all across the Borough, especially among undercounted Census tracts. The goal is to fight against an expected undercount of up to 40% among New Yorkers by getting thousands of Queens residents to complete their Census forms during the event. Queens Gets Counted! will consist of an online program featuring live and pre-recorded performances, as well as tabling and giveaways at 30 locations throughout the Borough. Spread the word, bring your friends, and get counted at the event to win cool giveaways!  Tap the link in our bio for more information. Presented in collaboration with @queensnightmarket @qplnyc @abnycensus2020

As part of the Queens Museum's new exhibition “After the Plaster Foundation, or, ‘Where can we live?’”, @ofcapitalism presents a collection related to housing and property in the U.S. Assembled for the online publication of “After the Plaster Foundation, or, ‘Where can we live?’”, letters between landlords and tenants during the first months of COVID-19 are now also on view in the exhibition. While a state court guidance had extended eviction protections through October 1, 2020 and the CDC initiated a new federal moratorium through the end of 2020 for qualifying tenants, pre-pandemic evictions are still moving forward in housing court and new cases are still able to be filed. Tap the link in our bio to learn more about The Museum of Capitalism’s collection of cultural artifacts and how they tell the story of inequities in homeownership and land distribution in the U.S..

This morning, we’re getting excited about two things: the first day of fall 🍂🙌🍂 and 🗳! To help spread the word about all the voting resources you need to exercise your rights, we’ve joined forces with @PlanYourVote: a 2020 artist initiative empowering citizens to exercise their right to vote. Need some inspo for your voter to-do list? Here’s what we suggest: ✔️Register if you haven’t already ✔️Verify your registration if you have any doubt ✔️Check your absentee status if you aren’t sure ✔️Set a reminder in case you forget Let’s "bend the voting curve” by getting friends and family to do the same! Link in bio or go to PlanYourVote.org. @PlanYourVote Images: @candida_alvarez_studio @calidagarciarawles @ivorytower_headass @chrisunkim

For one of our most recent features, we spoke to @uscensusbureau’s Supervisory Partnership Specialist, Zakera Ahmed, about her role in helping educate, engage, and encourage people to respond to the . With the focus shifting to public safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult for Ahmed's team to continue Brooklyn, Queens, and Southern Manhattan outreach efforts. As a result, people have been unable to hear these three key Census messages directly from trusted community voices. The Census is: ✔️Safe to participate in ✔️Easy to respond to ✔️Important in shaping the future of our community ⌛️As the Census 2020 deadline quickly approaches, Ahmed wants Queens to know that the future of our community starts right now! Tap the link in our bio to learn more about Zakera’s work and, if you haven’t already, complete the Census online at 2020census.gov💻, by phone (844-330-2020)☎️, or by mail📬. Photo by Mary Conlon.

For our latest "Artist in (their) Residence" video, we caught up with @asifmianxy, a recipient of the Queens Museum-Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists, as he prepares his upcoming exhibition at the Museum. See his journey as he settles into a new studio, navigates NYC on his bike, and leads guided meditation for fellow artists. With little access to materials and the need to self-isolate during the pandemic, Mian walks us through the ways in which he's been engaging with sculptural and 2D materials on an experimental and intimate scale and his new science fiction video that was made with a thermal camera.