Enduring Culture Spotlight: Neighborhood Heritage in West-Central Queens

EventIn Person

In Partnership with Queens Memory Project

The neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens and its surrounding areas have long been a melting pot informed by Indigenous histories, diasporic communities, and an eye toward what’s next. Vestiges of Indigenous trail building still exist today, but so do remnants of Dutch and English conquest and settlement. In more recent decades, the area has become home to a vibrant, multicultural Latin American community that has also earned a reputation as a flourishing hub for the arts—all situated against a backdrop of charming townhomes and historic districts. Ridgewood is far from a stranger to change, but with the Interborough Express making its way into the neighborhood, how can we build and foster cultural resiliency?

Join us for an afternoon exploring Ridgewood’s past, with conversations focused on cultural resiliency within a neighborhood undergoing transition. We’ll be hearing from Isa Dorvillier, artist and longtime Ridgewood resident, and Meral Agish, the Queens Memory Project Coordinator at Queens Public Library, who will discuss the layered histories and rich cultural fabric of Ridgewood, Middle Village, and Glendale. Following the conversation, Isa will guide us on a walking tour along the historic Fresh Pond Road, two future Interborough Expressway stops, legacy businesses, and beloved cultural gems. Reception to follow at Peg’s Cavalier!

About Queens Memory Project

Queens Memory is a community archiving program founded in 2010 and supported by Queens Public Library and Queens College, CUNY. We engage with Queens residents in our mission to both (1) make the public aware of our local history collections through programming and online resources, and (2) continually add new materials to our collections from the diverse communities of Queens. The goal is to raise awareness and a sense of ownership in the creation of our shared historic record, and our dream is that all Queens residents who visit these collections feel their experiences and perspectives are represented. Learn more here >

Saturday, November 14
2:30 PM — 5:00 PM

Queens Public Library, Ridgewood Branch
20-12 Madison St
Ridgewood, NY 11385

Tickets:
Free!

Attend
  • Madison Street and Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood, Queens. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Dillan Payne. Modifications: cropped.
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  • Meral Agish, Queens Memory Project Coordinator, Queens Public Library and Isa Dorvillier, artist and longtime Ridgewood resident.
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Speakers

Meral Agish, Queens Memory Project Coordinator, Queens Public Library

Meral Agish joined Queens Public Library in December 2019 and now serves as the Queens Memory Project Coordinator, working closely with volunteers, partner organizations, and library colleagues on community-led archiving and oral history projects that reflect the diversity of Queens. An oral historian with more than 20 years of experience, she oversees the library’s growing collection of 1,300 interviews and works to add new voices and stories to Queens Public Library’s Digital Archives. Meral was born and raised in Queens, in an immigrant family that has called the borough home since arriving in the U.S. in the 1960s and ‘70s. 

Isa Dorvillier, artist and longtime Ridgewood resident

Isa Dorvillier is a place-based multidisciplinary artist from Queens, NY. She researches human relationships with the urban environment through material experiments, work with public archives, and physical engagement with the landscape. Most recently she served as Storyteller in Residence with Newtown Creek Alliance and Melting Metropolis, researching the impact of extreme heat on communities around the Newtown Creek.