From Audre Lorde to Alice Austen, LGBTQ+ folks have played a vital part in Staten Island’s history. We’ve been community leaders, activists, artists, and most importantly your neighbors. But how does living in the Forgotten Borough impact the way we express ourselves through fashion? Is it in the way we accessorize to signal to other people in our community that we are one of them? Or is it dressing conservatively while on the island, but getting changed into an outfit that fits our true selves in the ferry bathroom?

Join Alexis Romano, co-curator of the new exhibition “Staten Island Mode: Identity, Memory, Fashion” and Allison Nellis, creator of the Staten Island LGBTQ+ History Project, for a community dialogue on how our identities correlate with the way we express ourselves through fashion. With a focus on our images and objects, discussion leaders from the community will invite you to listen or share your own stories.

WHEN: October 5,2023 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
WHERE: Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Main Hall Gallery, Building C
ADMISSION:  Contribute what you wish ($0-15) | Registration Requested | REGISTER HERE

About the exhibition
Staten Island Mode: Identity, Memory, Fashion – the first major contemporary fashion exhibition on Staten Island – is a community-driven exploration of what people wear and why, in relation to personal and local identity. The exhibition is a visual and material manifestation of memories and experiences of Staten Island collected and commissioned by guest curators Jenna Rossi-Camus and Alexis Romano, who grew up on Staten Island.

Photo credit: Kevyn Fairchild