A public art initiative in New Jersey is celebrating the cultural diversity and contributions of its immigrant community, amidst the current anti-immigrant sentiment. Three monumental outdoor commissions by artists Michelle Angela Ortiz, Chat Travieso and Immanuel Oni were inaugurated this summer through the New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor (NJMML) project.

The strategically placed works, a result of consultations with over 1,000 community stakeholders, aim to channel the culturally specific experiences of the predominant demographics in North, Central, and South Jersey. The project’s director, Andrew Urban, notes that the monuments encourage both celebration and reflection in times of crisis.

Supplementing the NJMML installations is an upcoming symposium from October 15–17, which will take place across multiple venues including Rutgers University and Zimmerli Art Museum, the Paterson Museum, and the city of New Brunswick. This event will allow for deeper engagement with the stakeholders who shared their time, perspectives, and personal stories related to being migrants and laborers.

The initiative seeks to carve out a space for celebration and reflection amidst the current discourse. Urban lauded the stakeholders for their willingness to share their stories, highlighting that these works are not just secondary pursuits that can be sacrificed during times of crisis.

Through art and dialogue, this project aims to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contributions of immigrants to New Jersey, and indeed, to the United States as a whole.