The People’s Guide to the Queens International

glass enclosed room with a u-shaped writing desk with stools, bulletin board, signage stands

a hand drops a completed writing promt into asubmission box.

a writing prompt is available in a holder attached to a wall inside a white walled gallery in the Queens Museum

a wood stand with forms and a submission box beneath a sign in front of children's art

Fill-in-the-blank art response
FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES
Today I saw Lab view chart
by Milford Graves
It looks like an early computer program transformed into an idea map.
I think it is made of multiple pieces of printer paper glued together, ink.
I think the artist made it by making a complex computer program, charting the connections, and printing it.
It makes me think of a computer with no pop-up blocker, hackers.

It makes me feel overwhelmed but intrigued.
Nikki S.

Free write
Say whatever you like about the exhibition.
I liked the lamp and tiny plane and books and huge hammock.
Drawings of a Tiffany lamp, a plane landing on an oval labeled LaGuardia, a huge piece of fabric with a tiny figure lying in it, and the back of a figure looking at something.
12/16/2018
Name/alias written in Chinese

Zine #1 Cover in black ink on goldenrod paper. Title: Co-Create. The People's Guide to the Queen's Interlational

Zine #2 Cover in black ink on goldenrod paper. Title: Read/Write. The People's Guide to the Queen's Interlational

Zine #1 Cover in black ink on goldenrod paper. Title: Re-View. The People's Guide to the Queen's Interlational

What are some objects or concepts related to your experience of moving? My passports has changed countries and my identities along with it.
—Antonius/Oki Journey of Growing and let going elevating higher consciousness
Accommodating, thinking for others, seeing self more clearly
Let the Internal sun forever luminating and resurrecting the eternal true self
—Ko Getting rid of things or donating them
Loneliness and feeling unsure
Feeling tired
Driving
Talking w/ friends
—Heather Fide Et Amore—where I didn’t understand but, I had love so I found faith in the unknown and I survived the birth pain of change.
—H.R.

How might another person interpret the imagery you have chosen? Imagine the background that someone else could bring to these objects and concepts, and list the possible associations they might have.

Perhaps they may be impartial based on the tone of the thought produced by my mind. I imagine great laughter and the idea of being emotionally naked.
—H.R.

I think they can interpret they are silhouettes, but I don’t know if they will recognize the buildings/ images inside and what they represent.
—Antonius/Oki

Thinking positive at all times working with all persons towards the works of Heaven at every moment
—Ko

Based on what I drew, I can see someone associating this w/ some sort of life change, even if it’s not moving—starting school, starting a new job, welcoming a new day, etc.
—Heather

two responses to Cullen Washington Jr's Od Mater

Choose a work in the gallery and write a careful description of it.
The light reflects from the shiny plastic tape. The textures of the paper also have shadows + light differently. The ink is black in complete contrast to the white.
Look at the work again from a different position in the gallery, and write another description.
Looking at the piece from further away, the piece is shrinking in comparison to others due to the contrast of the black and white. Within the piece itself there are darker areas w/ heavier use of ink. The texture is familiar—associated w/ struggle. Trying to get paint off your hand.
Look at the wall text. Try to fill in any gaps in the description by providing information that is missing from it.
I think a diagram of the collograph process would be helpful. “Scraps of painted canvas” is confusing because the image looks like more than painted canvas.
Give it a new title.
Tape
—Babbie

Choose a work in the gallery and write a careful description of it.
The charcoal + white contrast sharply. The choice of the flat, charcoal, + reflectivity of the tape creates dimension when light hits the pieces of tape. Varying degrees of saturation provides a variety of conditions for the viewer to consider.
Look at the work again from a different position in the gallery, and write another description.
The tape is harder to determine, but it is still clear its presence was there by the collaging process, if not totally obvious from this current vantage point.
Look at the wall text. Try to fill in any gaps in the description by providing information that is missing from it.
Varying degrees of saturation echo the thinning + failing circuit of the natural systems.
Give it a new title.
UnDone.
—Sarita

The People’s Guide to the Queens International was a collaborative art project organized by Brian Droitcour and Christine Wong Yap. We invited the public to write reviews of artworks in the Queens International 2018 exhibition. Our manifesto was: We think anyone can be an art critic. We welcome art writing from everyone, including children and teens. We are organizing this project in the spirit of people power, access, open-mindedness, generosity, and inclusion.

We offered many writing prompts: Capsule Reviews, Fill-In-the-Blank, First-Person Narrative, Alien Anthropologist, Free Write, and Optical Scanner Eyes. These were available in a purpose-built writing desk. We also offered prompts that responded to thematic galleries: How Does Space Shape Meaning?, Can You Describe One Work Two Ways?, and What Is the Story of an Object’s Life?. These prompts were available in three Queens Museum galleries. We also created miniature kiosks with prompts and submission boxes for gathering responses to artworks installed in Queens Libraries at Flushing, Le Frak City, and at the Central branch in Jamaica. Prompts were available in Chinese, Spanish, and Russian. We also facilitated writing workshops at the museum and libraries.

Once we gathered the submissions, we published them on our project site and in three zines printed thoroughout the course of the exhibition.

Visit ThePeoplesGuideQI.org to read submissions and download the zines.

Caption: Brian Droitcour, Christine Wong Yap and participants, The People’s Guide to the Queens International, 2018–2019, social practice, writing prompts, zines, installation, banner, flags, dimensions variable.

The People’s Guide to the Queens International was created for the Queens International 2018, curated by Sophia Marisa Lucas and Baseera Khan.

Thanks to Sophia Marisa Lucas, Baseera Khan, Lindsey Berfond, John Wanzel, Ramyar Vala, Queens Museum staff including art handlers, and everyone who participated. Translations by Brian Droitcour, Lucia della Paolera, and Lauren Huang. Additional language support from Yikna Wu, Nung-Hsin Hu, Alexandra Lerman, Guido Garaycochea, and Abby Chen.