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​The SEQAA Residency at Governors Island creates a vital bridge between Southeast Queens, a historically underrepresented community in the arts, and one of New York City’s most visible cultural platforms. It offers artists from Southeast Queens a rare opportunity to create, exhibit, and engage on Governors Island, amplifying voices often overlooked. By making their process visible, the women-of-color artists of SEQAA assert themselves within the gallery and the broader art ecosystem, reshaping narratives that have long minimized their contributions. Supporting this residency directly advances equity, representation, and opportunity for artists from Southeast Queens, while fostering dialogue around inclusion, place, and the power of collective artistic practice.
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Developed from years of grassroots programming, the residency builds on SEQAA’s commitment to creating access, visibility, and sustained support for underrepresented artists. Participating artists engage with themes of environmental justice, pollution, and the relationship between community, memory, and land—often informed by direct experiences with local waterways such as the East River and surrounding urban ecosystems.
The residency provides studio space, material support, and professional development opportunities, with an emphasis on sustainable practices, including the use of repurposed and donated materials. Public programming—ranging from exhibitions and open studios to workshops and conversations—creates space for dialogue between artists and audiences around ecology, care, and collective responsibility.
By bridging Southeast Queens and Governors Island, SEQAA expands its community-centered model into a broader public context, while remaining grounded in the voices and environments that shape its work. All programming is offered free to our community and is financed through donations and grants. Howeber, we are currently fundraising for this project, because of a gap in funding, please consider contributing via donation here.
Interested in learning more about SEQAA, hosting a public program, donating or engaging in a collaborative project or partnership? Here is how
Contact SEQAA at seqartists@gmail.com or donate below