ROBIN DAHLBERG
STILL, LIKE AIR, I'LL RISE
The Queensbridge Houses are located a short bus-ride away from MoMA PS1, an affiliate of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art in Long Island City. Despite their geographic proximity, a deep
conceptual gulf existed between the two. In early 2022, I sent a letter to PS1 challenging the museum to help bridge that gap by exhibiting the work of the Queensbridge Photo Collective - a group of nine female Queensbridge residents, all over the age of 65, with whom I and teaching artist, Nicole Rosenthal, had been working since 2018. PS1 responded by inviting all of us to become artists in residence at the museum.
As part of the residency, we were asked to activate PS1's Homeroom. We chose to create an exhibition that celebrated resilience and perseverance. Nicole and I worked with Collective members to develop photographic timelines illustrating each member's life. I produced a video in which each Collective member reflected on what Queensbridge meant to her. We published a zine that shared the Collective's hopes and aspirations for the future. The Collective’s work was exhibited in PS1’s Homeroom during the summer and fall of 2022.
