Tenement Museum x Abrons Arts Center: Why We Collect

The newest installation at the Abrons Arts Center – OBJECTS OF PERMANENCE – engages the undertold histories of the Puerto Rican and other migrant community labor forces in New York City’s garment industry. This installation, curated by Mellány Sánchez, invites fashion designers to create artifacts for a fictional archive devoted to the life of a garment worker. Inspired by the Saez Velez family story, the installation will also feature historical objects, such as shears and union cards (from our own collection!) and memorabilia from local community collaborators.

Join us on September 8 for a panel streamed live to YouTube from the Abrons Arts Center. Mellány Sánchez, curator of the installation is joined by Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Jessica Gonsalves, co-owner of Lower East Side vintage store Procell, and Kathryn Lloyd, Vice President, Programs & Interpretation at the Tenement Museum for a discussion about how and why we form collections, and the role of garments in community storytelling.

Click here to learn more about the new exhibit from the Abrons Arts Center, Objects of Permanence.