We Thrive: Stories & Portraits from the Heart of Bed-Stuy
Pia Monique Murray, Interviews & Documentary
Marienne “Yen” Thomas, Painted Portraits
As Quiet As It’s Kept, We Thrive: Stories & Portraits from the Heart of Bed-Stuy (Reel Compilation), 2021-23
Interviews and Video by Pia Monique Murray
It’s Never Quiet, 2023
Music composed and performed by Kevin and Michael Hill
Produced by Hill Brother NYC
Read the press release for AQAIK We Thrive (Public Installation)
A NOTE FROM THE ARTIST:
As Pastor Sheffey says in her interview, “...we are the they.” I chose to use a cell phone to capture these interviews because it is simple and accessible. We do not need fancy equipment. We do not need an expensive budget. We do not need a large team, but we do need each other. We do need to care. We do need to show up. We do need to look at what we have in our hands, and consider how we can help ourselves. WE ARE THE THEY.
I conducted 8 interviews with 9 individuals who live in Bedford Stuyvesant with different connections to the Jackie Robinson Housing Complex (Fulton Plaza) and varying methods for addressing the challenges they see of living in Bed-Stuy. They also share their hopes and dreams for Bed-Stuy, and I invite you to do the same through the interactive installation. What do you hope and dream for Bed-Stuy? WE ARE THE THEY.
This project is multi-layered, the gallery opening is just the first phase. The next phase is a continuation of our participants’ stories in a longer documentary format and additional 2 min reels on our social media platform. In Summer 2023 we will launch a public exhibit of the portraits around Jackie Robinson Park Playground, in partnership with Photoville. Follow the project as it continues to grow: https://asquietasitskept.space and support the initiatives led by our participants:
Antoine Cassidy: No Gun Smoke Tour https://www.nogunsmokeschooltour.com/
Barry Cooper: The BRO Experience https://www.thebroexperience.org/
Ralph James: The Urban Dad https://www.facebook.com/groups/360799478231714/
Credits and Biographies
Pia Monique Murray is a choreographer, performer, teacher, arts administrator, stage, tour/company manager, rehearsal assistant and creative producer. She has worked with nora chipaumire, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Camille A. Brown, Dianne McIntyre, Chanon Judson, Monica L. Williams, Vangeline Theater and the late Blondell Cummings in various capacities. She performs contemporary dance with RAKIA! and leads the Pia Monique Murray Dance Collective (PMMDC). Pia is is Bailey’s Cafe’s Producing Artistic Director, Creative Producer of Kendra J. Ross’ The Sankofa Residency, an Urban Bush Women CCI 2.0 Producing Fellow, Associate Producer of Haint Blu by Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis. and creator of Black Daisies. Pia was a 2022 LMCC Artist-in-Residence on Governors Island and is a 2023 ICAC Artist-in-Residence with BRIC and University Settlement. Her multidisciplinary project (installation & photography) Black Daisies was recently on view at Bailey’s Cafe in Brooklyn, NY.
Bailey’s Cafe is a space of community healing and belonging -- a secular church, a home, a kitchen table. Bailey’s welcomes all with an open heart, compassion and love, generating a culture of belongingness, non-judgment, acceptance, community, and space to be your full self. This is Bailey’s unique value. Please consider making a donation to Bailey’s Cafe.
Marienne "Yen" Thomas, artistically known as Yen, is an amazing multipotentialite. She is a multi-talented painter, jewelry maker, natural hair stylist, choir director, playwright, actress, and youth leader, bringing her passionate, outgoing, and energetic personality to all that she undertakes. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Yen is a self-taught artist. Yen came to Bailey’s Café, a Brooklyn-based arts and cultural center, as a volunteer in the fall of 2007, and quickly became our lead teaching artist, then director of youth programs. Yen has always been a lover of the arts since she was a child but, It was her variable experiences as a new caregiver for her Mom that awakened the dormant painter inside her. It was there, where she found her true craft and tool for her own wellness. Her experiences with Bailey’s Café has deepened her understanding of her own talents. Painting has become Yen’s primary focus of her creative work. It is through her connection with Bailey’s that Yen learned about the Fulton Art Fair organization and became a member. Her work has been exhibited in the Weeksville Heritage Center, the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State building, Art On The Ave NYC and the El Barrio Art Space to name a few.