Curated by Kaylie Pykkonen and Tabitha Haugen

Mentored by Yohanna Magdalene Roa, Curator at Large, WhiteBox

Open Call

Presented within the framework of WhiteBox Portable, a curatorial model developed by Yohanna Magdalene Roa that treats exhibition-making as situated, relational, and responsive to context, Touchstones extends WhiteBox’s commitment to intersectional, site-aware practice beyond the traditional gallery format. Portable understands space as contingent rather than neutral, shaped by the social and material conditions in which art circulates.

Building on this trajectory, Touchstones emerges as the second curatorial initiative developed within the WhiteBox SIP—Staff & Internship Involvement Program. Following Have a Good One!, this new chapter extends the program’s commitment to collaborative methodology and site-responsive inquiry, shifting from the internal mechanics of exhibition-making toward the lived structures of the city itself.

Curated by Kaylie Pykkonen and Tabitha Haugen, and mentored by Yohanna Magdalene Roa, Curator at Large at WhiteBox, Touchstones investigates the neighborhood as a dynamic system shaped by memory, repetition, and encounter. Grounded in the East Village, Touchstones positions place as dynamic, fluid, and constantly in flux. Rather than understanding the neighborhood as a fixed boundary on a map, this project approaches it as something shaped through time, detail, encounters, and experience. Additionally, in a city shaped by rapid change, displacement, and economic pressure, the neighborhood is never neutral. Artists, activists and migrants have long called the East Village home, though they have not been unthreatened by rising rent and mass corporatization.

Touchstones honors the everyday, minute, and mundane motion that carries our connections to a neighborhood’s true character. Intimate recognition becomes a process built by the subway route we take to work each day, the familiar faces who share our journey but may never exchange a word, and the reliable neighborhood havens that offer sustenance and warmth. Touchstones seeks to elevate the specificity of place and celebrate the people who turn blocks of concrete into a shared beating heart.

Extending from this foundation, the project unfolds across Tompkins Square Park, Two Boots on Avenue A, and the Tompkins Square Library, with a connected exhibition in the Times Sq–42 St subway station. As a citizen of New York, the MTA, pizzeria and local library are foundational and functional spaces, though each takes on its own tangible character over time. These are also spaces where visibility, access, and belonging are continuously negotiated. Our exhibition reflecting on these interwoven qualities will take place May 2–3, and we are calling for a range of work that recognizes both the individual and the collective.

Touchstones invites artists who feel they’ve strongly determined idiosyncratic pathways through NYC. Work may take the form of evanescent installations that depict metaphorical maps and prioritize sustainable sourcing, performances that recreate neighborhood transformations, or visual portraits of local heroes. For the public sections, inspiration stems from ephemeral and thought-provoking interventions such as David Hammons’ Bliz-aard Ball Sale, or the temporary drawings honoring fallen firefighters through Tape Art by Michael Townsend, recently featured in the film Secret Mall Apartment. Additionally, as Lotty Rosenfeld’s NO+ inscriptions called for public resistance in 1970s Chile, Touchstones seeks to promote civic unity toward a stronger future. Politically engaged work that strengthens the community is central to the exhibition, whether through installation or other forms. The exhibition understands public space as contested, shared, and actively constructed.

Performances will take place outdoors, and artists should be prepared to adapt to the lively atmosphere of the park in spring. Touchstones welcomes musicians, poets, playwrights, and interactive artists who consider the neighborhood formative to their New York City livelihood. Those aiming to host a workshop may do so in the Tompkins Square Library or the park. Workshops should activate the community through writing or conversation, collective making, or resource and knowledge sharing through study-ins and presentations. Finally, Touchstones will showcase visual works that depict neighborhood portraits, conceptual maps, or emotional and economic shifts over time. Displayed in Two Boots and the Tompkins Square Library, works should be relatively small-scale and able to fit within a case, on a shelf, or on a wall. Installations may also be considered, provided they do not disrupt normal operations.

Ultimately, Touchstones seeks to honor the diverse individuals and spaces that make this city a vital force. We look forward to reviewing your submissions. Please reach out with any questions.