ChristineWongYap.com

Belonging is a community-engagement, participatory project with three components: storytelling workshops with immigrant groups to elicit personal stories of place, home, and belonging; site-related place markers with excerpts of narratives and creative response activities; and a ‘zine (self-published magazine) with a map of the place markers. Albuquerque, NM-based community-engaged project organized by Sanitary Tortilla Factory artist-in-residence Christine Wong Yap during Summer 2017.

Belonging is an Albuquerque, NM-based, community-engagement and participatory project, by Christine Wong Yap, artist-in-residence at the Sanitary Tortilla Factory.

There are three components:

storytelling icon: speech bubble, hand writing on form

Story collection about places of belonging in Albuquerque via an open call and workshops with Working Classroom, an arts and education program for young artists from historically ignored communities; and Saranam, a two-year housing and education program for homeless families in Albuquerque.

sign on a post

Thirteen hand-painted signs commemorating places of belonging installed at sites in Albuquerque. In addition, custom activity sheets will freely be available in wooden boxes at five sites.

zine with a map labeled ABQ

‘Zine featuring maps of the signs, and excerpts of the contributed stories.

GOAL

The goal of Belonging is to reveal the pivotal experiences that shape one’s sense of belonging and connectedness to a place and country, and how it ultimately defines our authentic selves; and to say, We All Belong Here.

CONTRIBUTORS

Anonymous, Andrea, Barbara Bell, Monica Bencomo, Manuel Castillo, Keily Castro, David De La Cruz, Gabby, Jamie, King of the Court, Jessamyn Lovell, Lucilia Lozoya, Zahra Marwan, Yudima Valdes Mesa, Carolyn Meyer, Analy Morales, Jesus Javier Morales, Jamie P, Ana P. Palma, Izaiah Ramos, Jose Ramirez, Molly Stephens, Estephania Valencia.
 

CONNECT

See work-in-progress photos on Instagram @christinewongyap and #belongingABQ.

 

Belonging was developed in Sanitary Tortilla Factory’s first artist-in-residence program from June 1–July 8, 2017, which was generously supported by the Fulcrum Fund in partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and The FUNd at Albuquerque Community Foundation.

THANKS to contributors; especially Barbara Bell, Keily Castro, David De La Cruz, Analy Morales, Ana P. Palma, and Izaiah Ramos for additional project assistance.

SPECIAL THANKS to Sanitary Tortilla Factory, sheri crider, Lucy R. Lippard, Bill Gilbert, Erin Fussell and Michael Apolo Gomez; Working Classroom, Gabrielle Uballez, and Desiree Beltran; Saranam and Debra Maese; Willie Smoker at TRiO; Eva Encinias; Joe Cardillo; Ronny Quevedo; Young & Sophia Wong; Michael R. Yap; Sanitary Tortilla Factory studio artists; and all who welcomed, supported, shared, replied, referred, attended, introduced, translated, and helped me feel that I and this project belong here.

Project: Christine Wong Yap and contributors, Belonging, 2017, social practice, mixed media, dimensions variable.