CUNY-IIE's UndocuEdu

Belonging Beyond Borders: Nuances Exploring Immigrant Identity, Community, & Joy

Undocumented, Complicated…Right? So, please fill out this application. It’s a constant learning experience for all of us.

Description & Goal of the Exhibition

Thank you for taking an interest in applying for the Belonging Beyond Borders artist exhibit. To celebrate the end of The CUNY-Initiative on Immigration and Education’s (CUNY-IIE) UndocuEdu tenure, we will be hosting an event to showcase artwork from artists like you. This will be an all-day event (10-5 PM) on Saturday, May 25th at the People’s Forum located at 320 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018. This exhibit will focus on the joyful yet complex experiences of immigrant communities and individuals. For this exhibition, we invite you to apply to share your artwork that showcases your interpretation of identity and belonging through an immigrant lens. We welcome diverse mediums, perspectives, and languages.

The UndocuEdu exhibition seeks to showcase artwork that explores the following questions/topics:

Physical, social, and internalized borders: Conceptual works questioning borders and who gets to belong. What divides us? What brings us together?
Intersectionality of identity: How does immigration status intersect race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, language and/or religious practice How does this shape the search for community?
Notions of home: What constitutes home for those whose identity sways between geographical and metaphorical borders? How do we build homes and communities?
Countering harmful narratives: How do you imagine immigrant life to be?
How do you envision the fullness of immigrant life - including leisure, pleasure, and joy - beyond notions of struggle, deficit, hardship and oppression?

Who is eligible and what kind of art are we accepting?

We seek visual artworks (painting, print, mixed media, sculpture, ceramics), including photography and/or performance proposals (e.g. dancing, spoken word, etc.) from undocumented immigrant artists from across the state of New York, ages 18 years old and older, who examine the multilayered themes of identity, belonging, borders, and community - both the struggles and/or the joy - through an immigrant lens.

How to apply and what benefits will selected artists get?

To apply, fill out this google form. Application for submission closes on April 8th at 11:59 PM, Eastern Time. Each artist who is selected to participate will receive a $500 stipend and will be able to auction off their artwork at the exhibition.Payment disbursement method will be discussed individually with selected artists. Priority will be given to non-DACA recipients and new artists. Upon acceptance you will be asked to sign consent forms which will provide further details about the project and your participation.

Other things to consider:

It is not necessary to create new art for this exhibit if you already have work to submit. If you submit artwork in another language other than English, we will ask for translation or can support you with translation for the exhibition. UndocuEdu values your privacy and understands the sensitivity surrounding immigration status. Answering any questions in the following form about your immigration status are optional. Gathering this information helps us meet the needs of applicants. All information will be kept confidential and discarded after reviewing the application.

Should you have any questions please contact:

Isamar Jiménez-Vázquez at ijimenezvazquez@cuny-iie.org

Please enter your email: *

1. Please re-enter your email: *

2. First name *

3. Last Name(s) *

4. How do you describe your gender identity?

5. How old are you? *

6. What is your current city of residence? *

7. How are you connected to the undocumented immigrant identity? *

8. What is your current immigration status?

9. Is this your first time applying to participate in an art exhibition? *

10. Where did you grow up? How does this impact your art? (100 words max)

11. Please upload 2 paragraphs (500 words max in PDF), where you tell us a little bit about you, what makes your work needed, and why you would like to be part of this art exhibition. Alternatively, you can upload a video (2 min max) answering this question or submit a link to a video in the space under question 13. *

*Large files may need to be compressed to be uploaded*

12. To get an understanding of your work, please upload 2 examples of your work (5 mins max for each example of dance routine, music, spoken word, etc.). Should you want to provide links to existing work instead, skip this question and provide links in the next question.

*Large files may need to be compressed to be uploaded*

13. Please provide links in the spaces below if you're not uploading 2 pieces or 2 showcases (5 mins max or dance routine, music, spoken word, etc.).