The Noguchi Museum Hosts Annual Community Days

(From left) Cui Fei, June Shin, and Dione Lee with Isamu Noguchi’s The Footstep. Photo: Justin Raul Baez. ©INFGM / ARS

Free admission days feature tours and interactive art-making around the theme of peace, with special programming led by artists Dione Lee, Cui Fei, and June Shin

Saturdays, April 22, May 6, June 17 RSVP: tickets.noguchi.org/community-days

The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, Queens, will host a series of three free admission Community Days on Saturdays in spring 2023: April 22, May 6, and June 17.

All are invited to drop in and visit the museum for tours of the collection and interactive art-making activities celebrating themes of peace and uplifting New York City’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative communities. Adults and teens ages 16 and older are also invited to register for free art-making workshops with artists Dione Lee, Cui Fei, and June Shin, finalists for the Museum’s 2022 Open Call for Artist Banners. June Shin’s banners were selected as the winning design, and are on display outside of the Museum.

Museum hours are 11 am–6 pm. RSVP for free admission days is recommended; but visitors without a reservation will also be welcomed. There may be a brief wait time for guests without a reservation if turnout is very high.

Drop-In Programs All ages welcome

Saturdays, April 22, May 6, June 17

11am–5 pm: Gallery Kit

Visitors of all ages are invited to pick up art materials and explore Isamu Noguchi’s work through art-making in the galleries.

2 pm: Public Tour

An introduction to the life and vision of Isamu Noguchi, exploring highlights of the Museum and the Open Call for Artist Banners project (noguchi.org/artist-banners).

Hands-On Workshops
Ages 16+, registration required

Saturday, April 22, 11am–5pm
A Day in the Sun: Cyanotypes with Dione Lee Ages 16+, registration required: https://www.noguchi.org/museum/calendar/ event/2023-04-22-1100-community-day/

Join artist Dione Lee on Earth Day for an artist talk and workshop exploring the medium of cyanotyping as a collaboration with the sun. Participants will experiment with the creative possibilities of transparency and opacity, light sensitivity and time. For visitors ages 16 and up; teens under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Previous experience is not necessary. Free; advance registration is required. Museum admission is included in the workshop registration.

About Dione Lee

Cyanotypes by Dione Lee. Photo: Xuan

Dione Lee is an artist-designer from Singapore, and currently based in New York City. Since graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art (Interactive Arts, 2019), she has been working at a graphic design studio in Ridgewood, New York. Alongside this, she pursues her artistic practice and has shown in exhibitions in Singapore, as well as Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Rotterdam. @hellocargo | @studio.towers

Lee’s banner design, Scales, explores the tangled relationship between order and chaos in the creation of peace. Presented as a series of digitally-altered cyanotypes, the work juxtaposes human craft and machine generation as a reflection of entropy and control: two fundamental elements of peace and harmony. Learn more: noguchi.org/artist-banners

Saturday, May 6, 1:30–4 pm
Ink Rubbing Workshop with Cui Fei
Ages 16+, workshop registration opens April 15: https://www.noguchi.org/museum/calendar/event/2023-05-06-1100-community-day

Learn the basic techniques of ink rubbings with multimedia artist Cui Fei. Participants will use ink and rice paper to create detailed copies of found materials in our surroundings. For visitors ages 16 and up. Previous experience is not necessary. Free; advance registration is required. Museum admission is included in the workshop registration.

About Cui Fei

Cui Fei was born in Jinan, China. She received a BFA in painting from China Academy of Fine Arts and an MFA in painting from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues such as the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey; Queens Museum, New York; Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju, Korea; Rietberg Museum, Zurich; and Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne; among others. cuifei.net | @cuifei77

Fei’s banner design Tracing the Origin utilizes grape tendrils, organized into symbolic manuscripts in the Chinese calligraphic format. The designs make reference to the ancient Chinese concept of nature, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings. Learn more: noguchi.org/artist-banners

Saturday, June 17, 2–4 pm
Design Workshop with June Shin
Ages 18+, workshop registration opens May 27: https://www.noguchi.org/museum/calendar/event/2023-06-17-1100-community-day

Join June Shin, winner of the Museum’s 2022 Open Call for Artist Banners, for a design workshop that explores working within constraints and the space between figuration and abstraction. Participants will begin with introspection and self-reflection before creating a work of art in response to a personal prompt. For visitors ages 18 and up. Free; advance registration is required. Museum admission is included in the workshop registration.

About June Shin

June Shin is a Seoul-born artist and designer based in New York City. She has previously designed typefaces at Occupant Fonts, a Morisawa company, and taught typography at Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been recognized by Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Core77, STA 100, and more. She holds a BA in Art History from Cornell University and an MFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design. junesh.in | @notborninjune

Shin’s banner design Reminders, displayed on the facade of The Noguchi Museum, offers a response to the question, ‘how do we find inner peace?’ The verticality and symmetry of the designs are reminiscent of totem poles that embody stories and the lessons they carry, and are presented as pillars for a visitor’s own journey toward inner peace. Learn more: noguchi.org/artist-banners.

LOCATION

The Noguchi Museum
9-01 33rd Road (at Vernon Boulevard) Long Island City, NY 11106

Open Wednesdays–Sundays, 11am–6 pm Visitor information: noguchi.org/visit

ABOUT THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM

Founded in 1985 by category-defying artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988), The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum (now known as The Noguchi Museum) in Queens, New York, was the first museum in the United States to be established, designed, and installed by a living artist to show their own work. Itself widely viewed as among the artist’s greatest achievements and holding the world’s largest collection of his works, the Museum features open air and indoor galleries in a repurposed 1920s industrial building and a serene outdoor sculpture garden. Since its founding, it has served as an international hub for Noguchi research and appreciation. In addition to managing the artist’s archives and catalogue raisonné, the Museum exhibits a comprehensive selection of Noguchi’s material culture, from sculpture, models, and drawings to his personal possessions. Provocative installations drawn from the permanent collection, together with diverse special exhibitions and collaborations with contemporary practitioners across disciplines, offer a multifaceted view of Noguchi’s art and illuminate his enduring influence. noguchi.org | @noguchimuseum