Welcome (working title), by Helen Hyun-Kyung Park

Description

After one week of working with students at Flushing International High School, I sat down with a group of students and an alumnus to think of ways that people can be more welcoming to the immigrant and aware of the challenges a foreigner faces in everyday situations.

Together we made small cards to hand out to the public during our action and beyond. The cards were great instigators for conversation, and provided a concrete example of how socially engaged art practices such as conversation and public interaction can bridge social and cultural divides -- however small, it was a first step toward understanding and empathic response toward the issues the immigrant, stranger, refugee, or exile must face.