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Water // Ways Projects

 
 

estamos en el agua (we’re in the water)

Emilio Martínez Poppe - On Going

Estamos en el Agua / We’re in the Water, a community artwork by Emilio Martínez Poppe taking the form of a newspaper. It recounts the stories of Queens residents and brings together historical maps and practical tools to confront the growing reality of cloudbursts—sudden, intense rainstorms that flood streets and homes.

Cloudbursts are becoming more frequent as the climate warms. In Corona, Queens where historic marshlands were paved over and streams buried, heavy rains have nowhere to go. Water rises, disrupting daily life. This newspaper shares firsthand stories of preparation and survival, from flood barriers and sump pumps to neighbors helping neighbors.

It also connects residents with resources, including information on new green infrastructure and free flood kits. By combining memory, science, and action, this project invites us to see flooding not as an isolated event but as a shared challenge to face together.

 
 

entire el aire y el agua (Amid the air and the water)

Niceli Portugal - 2025

Entre el Aire y el Agua was a multidisciplinary art initiative, composed of multiple workshops and a cumulative procession that responded to the phenomenon of cloudbursts; a sudden, intense rainfall event impacting Corona. This project seeks to deepen residents’ personal and collective connection to water as a source of life, migration, memory, danger, and renewal. It explores water not only as an environmental concern, but as an emotional, ancestral, and cultural presence in their lives.

During the workshop participants created, banners, posters, costumes, and more that were used in a procession, and an Aztec ceremony led by Calpulli Tletl Papalotzin, at the Queens Museum and through Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Through art making, ceremony, and community engagement, we aim to reconnect with water as an emotional, ancestral, and cultural presence in our lives.

Watch the video here!