Light of Freedom

Artist Abigail DeVille’s “Light of Freedom” at Madison Square Park is meant to reflect the “despair and the exultation of a turbulent period of pandemic and protest.”  In the piece, DeVille has filled a torch (a reference to the Statue of Liberty’s torch which was on view in Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882) with a bell (to summon freedom) and mannequin arms (as if to beseech viewers.) The scaffold surrounding the torch prevents access physically and metaphorically but its golden color summons “the glory of labor and the luminosity in the struggle that can lead to change.”  DeVille describes creating the piece: “In my research, I have found that the first Blacks to be brought to New York City were eleven Angolans in 1626. That makes people of African descent the second-oldest group of settlers in New Amsterdam, after the Dutch. Unfortunately, history has erased the contributions and victories of this group. I want to make something that could honor their lives and question what it means to be a New Yorker, past, present, and future.”

Biden Administration Has Withdrawn Trump-Era Move to Rescind Work Authorization for H-4 Spouses

The Biden administration has withdrawn a Trump-era regulation that would have rescinded work authorization for H-4 visa holders. On January 25, 2021, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which is under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), withdrew the proposed regulation titled, "Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorization.” Although the Trump administration had announced they would seek to remove the H-4 work authorization, they were not able to complete the process. Since according to a 2018 report by Congressional Research Service (CRS), ninety-three per cent of approved applications for H-4 employment authorization were issued to Indian nationals, this move especially welcomed by the Indian immigrant community.

The Hill We Climb

At President Biden’s inauguration this week, there were many joy-filled moments. One that stood out was poet Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb.” At twenty-two, Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet ever in the United States and she is the current National Youth Poet Laureate. Gorman told the New York Times that her inaugural poem both tried to acknowledge the last few harrowing weeks (and years) but also speak to the themes of unity and reconciliation. She told the New York Times: “There is space for grief and horror and hope and unity, and I also hope that there is a breath for joy in the poem, because I do think we have a lot to celebrate at this inauguration.” As she says in the poem:

If we merge mercy with might, and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy and change our
children’s birthright…
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.

SOAR

A mural by famed Clinton Hill artist Voodo Fé lights up a drab construction site on Fulton Avenue in Brooklyn. The twenty-foot wide mural shows an eagle in flight and is meant to “depict the diversity of the world, inspiring us to rise above all odds.” The mural was created as part of the City Canvas pilot program, a NYC Department of Cultural Affairs initiative that adds artwork to sidewalk sheds and construction fences in NYC. The artist, whose work can be purchased at The Spot on Myrtle Avenue, chose to depict an eagle since it’s “a great representation of how through all, the good, bad, and ugly – we continue to ‘SOAR.'” Which is exactly the type of energy we need to take into 2021.

LIGHT YEAR

On the first Thursday of every month at the Pearl Street Triangle in DUMBO, the Manhattan Bridge is used as a backdrop for a video installation as part of the art project titled “LIGHT YEAR.” Originally created for the Manhattan Bridge Anchorage to celebrate the United Nations’ declaration of 2015 as the Year of Light and Light Art, “LIGHT YEAR” has since become an international project, with presentations in DUMBO, Berlin, and live streamed online. Over the years, “LIGHT YEAR” has featured the work of hundreds of artists and curators from around the world. This week’s video installation by artists Philip Vanderhyden, Colleen Keough, Rebecca Shapass, and Eric Souther was “Thresholds and Beyond,” which explored the “place where disparate realities meet, overlap and create hybrid realities.”