Join Flushing Town Hall in partnership with Escuela Santuario for an exhibition along with a series of public family art workshops. Flushing Town Hall and Escuela Santuario will present the work created by children from the Immigration Clinic at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bay Ridge. During this partnership, part of Flushing Town Hall's Gallery will be transformed into an artmaking space called Laboratorio Santuario. Visitors will be able to create art to contribute to one of the installations hanging in the gallery, create a book/zine in an artist-led creating station, and have the opportunity to be a part of an audio-visual project aimed to strengthen the Immigrant Community.

About Escuela Santuario:
A sanctuary is a place that provides refuge, safety, and protection where individuals or groups can seek solace, healing, or spiritual renewal.

Escuela Santuario is a mutual aid platform that aims to provide support and artistic education to migrant children during their visit to the immigration clinic at the Good Shepherd Sanctuary in Bay Ridge. Escuela Santuario provides alternative forms of learning through a wide range of pedagogical methodologies: playing, listening, touching, dancing and art making. Escuela Santuario creates dialogues and interdisciplinary connections between educators, artists and social researchers in order to strengthen the adaptation process of immigrants who have just arrived in New York City.

Since April 2023, Escuela Santuario have been working with children mainly from South and Central America. The children at Escuela Santuario are between 2 and 14 years old making the environment buzzing with energy. Escuela Santuario approach the Reggio Emilia Pedagogy where most of the materials like clay or paint, tend to be “open ended.” Clay, for instance, is a material widely used in art teaching. When children were manipulating the material, they came up with stories about their family experience crossing the Darien Gap.

Escuela Santuario team is made up of volunteers who generously bring their expertise to the sanctuary sessions. With their support we have the opportunity to expand the limits of what we are capable of doing. From a radio program created by and for immigrant children to a manual of methodologies aimed to support educators facing the challenges we overcame.

In a city as vibrant and diverse as New York, the narratives of migration weave a rich tapestry of human experiences, resilience, and hope. Escuela Santuario is a poignant exploration of these narratives, as seen through the eyes of newly arrived immigrants. At the heart Escuela Santuario lies a commitment to amplifying not often heard voices and fostering empathy and understanding across communities. In Escuela Santuario we recognize the power of art to transcend boundaries, challenge perceptions, and catalyze social change.

Laboratorio Santuario:
During Laboratorio Santuario activation, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an audiovisual project, create a book and collaborate in a collective piece.

Schedule of Events (Gallery is open 12 - 5pm 7 days a week):

Sunday, April 14th 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Exhibition Opening + Laboratorio Santuario Activation

Saturday, April 20th 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Earth Day Workshop + Laboratorio Santuario Activation