Objects of Permanence
Objects of Permanence, a special installation curated by Mellány Sánchez and presented during New York Fashion Week, seeks to spotlight the rich histories of the Puerto Rican and other migrant community labor forces in New York City’s garment industry.
This show spotlights the Lower East Side as a pioneering capital of the garment industry in the mid-20th century. Objects in the form of artifacts, both real and imagined, work to preserve and tell the story of LES residents of the past and present, whose labor was integral to the development of New York City as a fashion capital. Simultaneously, it will unite these voices of the past to the direct descendants and beneficiaries of their legacy—today’s fashion designers.
As a nod to the Tenement Museum’s exhibition Saez Velez Family Story, the installation also features historical objects, such as shears, photographs and more, on loan from the Tenement Museum, the first time a large trove of objects have been lent outside the institution.
Participating Artists:
Vincent de Boer | Faust | Henry Harper | Georgia Hill | Elizabeth Johnson | Ben Johnston | Greg Lamarche | Chris Martin | Wael Morcos | Franck Pellegrino | Anastasios Poneros | Pref | Roids | Victor Roman | Gary Stranger | Trevor Wheatley | Zipeng Zhu
Alfred Marroquín | Andres Biel | Bárbara Sánchez-Kane | Emily Adams Bode Aujla | CENTRO: Center for Puerto Rican Studies |
Christopher John Rogers | Commission | Dani Aphrodite | Elena Velez | Kim Shui | Lidia Correa | LuLu LoLo | Malitza Aguila
May Chen | NuevaYorkinos | Pepe Flores | Procell | Ramonita Saez-Velez | Tenement Museum | Tremaine Emory | Victor Roman
Willy Chavarria | Zero + Maria Cornejo
Media Links:
https://www.abronsartscenter.org/programs/objects-of-permanence
https://gothamist.com/news/new-fashion-week-exhibit-highlights-puerto-rican-garment-workers-history
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a45014494/mellany-sanchez-nyfw-objects-of-permanence-exhibit-garment-worker/
https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/human-interest/2023/09/06/fashion-history-on-display-at-new-lower-east-side-exhibition-new-york-city-objects-of-permanence-mell-ny-s-nchez-new-york-fashion-week-puerto-rico-garment-industry#