Presentation: Staten Island is Ours! An Altered Book Project

Free with museum admission

Staten Island is Ours! An Altered Book Project is a multidisciplinary art-making project created by Caryn T. Davis in collaboration with Kelly Villar and the Staten Island Urban Center, a youth development program for young people of color on the North Shore of Staten Island. This project took place in April and the artwork created will be on display at the museum in this pop-up exhibition.

Altered books are individual art objects created from an existing printed book. Debbie-Anne Paige, Co-President, Staten Island Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, introduced participants to the history of African heritage communities on Staten Island, including the Underground Railroad. And, in turn, participants cut, folded, pasted, stamped, painted, and decorated their altered books with 3-D objects, collage, pockets and more in response.

“At our May 15 presentation, we will elevate and spread the word about Staten Island’s Black history, and about who we are, while we show you the pages of our books and discuss the significance of what we’ve learned.” – Caryn T. Davis

This project is made possible by a DCA Premier Grant from Staten Island Arts, with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.