Episode 2: Arlette Cepeda
Shaolin Art Party co-founder and co-host, Melissa West, recently sat down with special guest Arlette Cepeda. They discussed all things arts and culture and Cepeda’s work as an artist, civically engaged educator, and cultural leader. Their conversation can be listened to and viewed here, alongside resources from this month’s episode.
About Arlette
Arlette Cepeda
Arlette Cepeda is a New York City visual artist of Dominican descent. She received a B.A. in Studio Arts from Hunter College and a Master’s degree in Higher Education and Learning Organizations Leadership from Wagner College. Cepeda’s artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Santo Domingo, DR; at the Staten Island Museum, Wagner College’s Spotlight Gallery, and NYPL St. George’s Library Center, among other venues.
Recently, Cepeda is one of the thirty six artists participating in the Yes, And Art Exhibit at the Staten Island Museum, the recipient of the Staten Island Arts 2022 DCA Art Fund Grant for her photo project Celebrating Places of Belonging and the 2021 DCA Art Fund Grant for the Essential Immigrant Stories photo project and a New York Foundation for the Arts 2021 City Artist Corps grant recipient. Her projects aim to make art accessible to the Staten Island community where she lives and works. Currently, she is the Deputy Director of La Colmena Community Job Center, working to improve the lives of immigrant day laborers, domestic workers, and other low-wage workers.
Visit Arlette’s website: https://arlettecepeda.com/
Learn about La Colmena: https://www.lacolmenanyc.org/
Connect with the New York Latin American Art Triennial: https://nylaat.org/
Community Events
Visit https://statenislandarts.org/culturecalendar/ to find out what’s going on in the community!
Marlene McCarty and Donald Moffett: ONE DAY
Exhibition
Seminal artists Marlene McCarty and Donald Moffett debut a previously unseen photo series from the 1990s at the Alice Austen House.
On view in the contemporary galleries of the Alice Austen House until May 24, 2025. Gallery hours are Thursday through Friday, 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and Saturday + Sunday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Strangest Times Open Mic on Wednesday, 05/21
Open Mic - live performance
Sign up at 8 PM, and perform at 8:30 PM. Phoebe Blue and Nancy Richards will host at Mother Pugs. It's an open invitation. Sign up to share two songs or seven minutes of material. Visit: https://www.instagram.com/motherpugs/
Joan Caddell & The Midnight Choir
Performance (Music)
05/22 at 6 PM at The Jewish Community Center (Bernikow). 1466 Manor Road
We Who Are Weary: Untold Stories of Sailors’ Snug Harbor
Noble Maritime Collection, Opening Event: May 29 at 6 PM (Pay what you wish)
Exhibition
This new exhibition—staged in the restored Writing Room, an original Sailors’ Snug Harbor amenity—will present a fresh, people-focused perspective on the history of the venerable, 19th-century retirement home for mariners. Art, artifacts, and documents on display will convey typical yet fascinating aspects of life at the institution, while highlighting new research about the sailors and employees of color who lived and worked there.
The opening reception on the evening of Thursday, May 29, will begin at 6 PM. Noble Maritime Collection at 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building D, Staten Island, NY, 10301. To RSVP, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exhibition-opening-we-who-are-weary-registration-1319002665479
La Colmena: Partners Against the Hate (PATH) Tabling Event
Community/Family-friendly
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Tappen Park
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
To learn more, visit: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1113802520786272
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY (work-in-progress) by Grace Yi-Li Tong
Performance (Dance)
Experience new work by Grace Yi-Li Tong, the current PASS artist in residence at Snug Harbor. A movement collage probing the act of “cleaning” at the sites of: the female body, the Asian diasporic experience, and our atmosphere. In this early draft of the work, elements of sound, costume, character, and dance create MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY as a whimsical, make-believe game that celebrates the American “bathtime” as both an act and an experience. June 7 at 2 PM (pre-show refreshments starting at 1 PM). RSVP here
La Colmena: Port Richmond Mural Unveiling Event
Community/Family-friendly
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Anderson St. & Port Richmond Ave.
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Indeterminacy Festival: Into the Charmed Churned Circle
Performance (Multi-disciplinary)
Composed by Philippe Treuille and Vaubel, with choreography by Melanie Aceto, the work draws inspiration from the architectural motifs of the Newhouse Center at Snug Harbor and Herman Melville’s epic seafaring story Moby Dick. Large, intergenerational cast including Brooklyn Youth Choir Bass Ensemble, Grace Chorale, Brooklyn Treble Choir, New York Choir Project, and Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra surround the audience, giving viewers a 360-degree immersive experience amid an authentic, historic, unforgettable maritime setting. June 14, 7:30 PM at Snug Harbor. Learn more and RSVP here!
Artist Opportunities
Art Lab Open Call
Visual Artists
“Gold” – An Open Call in Honor of our Golden Anniversary on display at Art Lab from June 14 – July 12, 2025. Visual artists. There is a hanging fee, and it must be ready to hang. https://artlabsi.com/gold-open-call-2025/
NYSCA Reserve Fund Grants
Non-profit arts organizations
NYSCA and New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) have announced the NYSCA Reserve Fund Grants, which will help New York State-based nonprofit arts organizations that have received funding from NYSCA in the last three years with operating budgets of less than $3 million to establish a reserve fund or build on an existing reserve fund. The application cycle is *open* and will close on Tues, June 17 at 5 pm. https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/nysca-reserve-fund-grants/
Call to Action
In this episode, we discuss cuts to federal government agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. To participate in actions and awareness, we invite you to—
Raise your voice:
Write and call your representatives to let them know you do not support cuts to the NEA and other agencies or the proposed elimination in the 2026 budget proposal. https://5calls.org/issue/national-endowment-for-the-arts-nea-cuts/
Vote:
NYC residents can vote in the upcoming primary and fall mayoral election. https://www.nycvotes.org/