Courtesy NYPROUD
Queens Public Library Hosts ‘New York Proud’ Exhibit
By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
Inside the Hunters Point branch of the Queens Public Library, portraits of delivery workers, doctors, and chefs now line the walls — each image telling a story of perseverance, belonging, and identity.
The exhibit is part of the New York Proud campaign, a public art initiative by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and Photoville that highlights the lives and contributions of immigrant New Yorkers through large-scale portraits and personal stories displayed in public spaces across the five boroughs. The Queens pop-up runs through October 27.
“New York Proud is a vital reminder of the role immigrants have played—and continue to play—in shaping all aspects of Queens and New York City,” said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the NYIC. “By transforming public spaces with this installation, we hope to illuminate what the national debate has too often erased: that immigrants are integral to our communities. They are our neighbors, our friends. At a time when immigrant rights are increasingly under threat, it’s more important than ever to celebrate and uplift immigrant voices.”
Now in its second year, the New York Proud campaign expands on its 2023 debut by showcasing nearly 20 portraits captured by Venezuelan documentary photographer Oscar B. Castillo. Each image captures immigrants in the spaces that define them — from a mechanic’s shop to a hospital corridor — portraying what Awawdeh called “the best of New York, which is our people.”
The Hunters Point installation features Queens-based participants such as Dr. Barbara Dilos, director of anesthesiology at NYC Health + Hospitals Elmhurst, and Maxi Lau, founder of Maxi’s Dumplings in Flushing. Both embody the borough’s longstanding role as a gateway and home for immigrant communities.
Awawdeh said the choice of the Queens Public Library for the installation was deliberate. “Libraries have operated as a sanctuary for people. They’ve operated as a place where our kids can go and be safe,” he said. “Really making sure that we’re able to continue to uplift those spaces and bring different types of work and different types of events to them only makes them stronger.”
Public art, he said, is a way to bridge divides at a time when immigrant rights are increasingly under threat. “Art drives culture, and in this moment, really having people see others who may or may not be part of their who aren’t them, but can see themselves in others, I think, is critical,” Awawdeh said.
Photographer Castillo, who collaborated with NYIC for the second year, said the project aims to “deepen the sense of connection and community that was forged last year.”
“Public art has the power to open doors, foster inclusion, and build bridges across differences,” said photographer Oscar B. Castillo. “Through these portraits, I wanted to honor the perseverance, dedication, and resilience that define New York’s immigrant communities. This work is a celebration of diversity and of the voices that create the rich fabric of New York.”
Beyond Queens, New York Proud installations are currently or soon to be on view at the Flatiron South Plaza in Manhattan, The Plaza at 300 Ashland in Brooklyn, Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, and the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island.
Awawdeh said the coalition hopes to expand the project beyond New York City, with new exhibits this year in Rochester and future plans for other cities across the state.
He also emphasized that the campaign is part of a broader mission to advocate for immigrant rights amid political challenges. “We’ve been really fighting back against this current administration’s efforts to undermine and jeopardize all of our rights,” Awawdeh said, citing NYIC’s push for the ‘Access to Representation Act,’ which would guarantee legal counsel for immigrants in court.
As visitors pass through the library’s light-filled atrium, they encounter not just photographs but the faces of a city built on migration — a reminder, as Awawdeh put it, that “immigrants continue to be the engine behind the city, the heart of what New York is, and what New York has been and will continue to be.”
For more information about New York Proud, visit www.immigrantsareny.org
