What We Bring: New Immigrant Gifts Exhibition Opening

What We Bring: New Immigrant Gifts adds to the national dialogue on immigration, bringing in to focus the cultural contributions of new immigrants.  With this exhibition, we mark the 50th anniversary of the Hart-Celler Immigration and Nationality Act, implemented in 1968, which inaugurated a new era of immigration from Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean. What We Bring celebrates the rich layers of creativity, tradition, and increased cultural diversity that the law set in motion, especially in New York City, where 6-in- 10 residents are first generation or the children of immigrants. The selected artists, some widely known, some known primarily in their own communities, span 25 countries and artistic disciplines ranging from music to cooking, poetry to dance, visual arts to theater. After a four-month run at City Lore, What We Bring: New Immigrant Gifts is planned to travel to each of the five boroughs. A national tour is also in the works. The exhibition is funded by The National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew Mellon Foundation, along with the New York State Council on the Arts. The exhibit is cosponsored by CityLore and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance.