Attend

We hope you’ll join us for Open Engagement on May 11-13 at the Queens Museum and a host of other sites throughout New York City. Advance registration is required to attend and handled via Eventbrite. The registration fee for Open Engagement 2018 – SUSTAINABILITY is on a self-selecting sliding scale ranging from $75 – $1000. Volunteers, presenters, and collaborators attend the conference for free. If our lowest ticket price is still a barrier OE offers a scholarship program and volunteer opportunities. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Message to attendees: You do not need your physical pass to attend Open House programming across NYC on Friday, May 11th. THERE ARE NO EVENTS AT THE QUEENS MUSEUM ON FRIDAY. Please enjoy our Open House Programming throughout the day on Friday, and join us at the Bronx Museum of Art for our first featured presentation and our opening night party. Plan your day. Click here for the comprehensive Open House Map.

Click here to register on Eventbrite

Taking the Subway to Queens Museum
Take #7 Train in the direction of Flushing, Queens. Your stop is Mets-Willets Point, the second to last stop on the 7 train. Follow the signs to Flushing Meadows Corona Park (exit left after the turnstiles), walk up the exit ramp of the station, over the boardwalk and into the park. Follow the path past the tennis center to the Unisphere. The Museum will be on your right.

You can also get off at the 111th Street subway stop. Walk south towards 49th avenue and take a left into the park. Follow the path, past the garden roundabout and over the highway. You will see the USTA National Tennis Center on your left. The Museum will be on your right.

The closest constantly wheelchair accessible stop is the Flushing-Main Street Stop. If you exit at this stop, head Southwest on Roosevelt for a mile until you reach the entryway for Mets-Willets Point subway stop. Follow the above directions from there.

The #7 Express train stops at the Mets-Willet and Flushing-Main Street / Roosevelt Avenue stop but not the 111 Street / Roosevelt Avenue stop. The #7 Local train makes all listed stops.

Food & Coffee on Saturday and Sunday
Queens Museum’s cafe will open early to accommodate OE attendees. The cafe features a selection of coffees, teas, and pastries and will be open from 9:00-5:00. The cafe will also be stocked with box lunches at an affordable rate, including Gluten-Free and Vegan options.

The Queens Museum has invited several food truck vendors to be present during lunchtime hours on Saturday and Sunday of the conference. Please have cash on hand.

Bathrooms at Queens Museum
The Queens Museum strives towards a culturally affirming shared space. As such, their restrooms are gender-affirming to those on a masculine or feminine spectrum. There are no gender-neutral bathrooms, but all folks are encouraged to use whichever bathroom is in closest alignment with their chosen gender identity.

Accessibility
Open Engagement is committed to becoming an ADA Welcoming space. We partner with venues who share with our goal, and we work to ensure conference spaces are accessible to all. However, there are challenges with being an itinerant conference and we are sometimes not able to provide access to every venue. We make every effort to note where venues are challenging or inaccessible to persons with limited mobility.

Please email [email protected] or call 503-319-6015 to request accommodations or ask questions about accessibility, or visit us at OEHQ during the conference.

Quiet and Family Rooms
Unfortunately, we don’t have a designated lactation room or quiet room this year, but we will do our best to make these available as needed. Please visit OEHQ if you’d like to arrange for either of these.

Welcome Families
Open Engagement and its partners are committed to intergenerational spaces and will support children, parents, and caregivers to the best of our ability. We ask all conference participants to be supportive of kids, parents, and caregivers wherever they are. As prison abolitionist Jason Lydon of the Community Church of Boston said, “kid noises are the sign of a growing movement,” so please join us in the community responsibility needed for a supportive and truly intergenerational environment.

Language adapted from the NYC Anarchist Book Fair Collective’s statement on child care.

Youth Activities at Queens Museum
Saturday, May 12
Sustainable Art Camp: Gardens of Reduced Recycled
Presented by Georgie Flores
Use collected cardboard, recycled plastic, Styrofoam and other materials to create recycled flower beds.
Location: Studio A (2nd floor)
Time: 10am to 12 noon and 1:00pm to 4:30pm.
Ages: 6 to 12

Sunday, May 13
Sustainable Art Camp: Sustaining our City
Presented by Miguel Ramirez
Choose from 3 Activities:
Sustainable City Blocks: Use recyclable materials to create your own “green” city block that uses solar energy, wind power, or hydraulic power.
Old Magazines/ New Gardens: Use old magazines to create wild flowers.
Old Magazines/ New Containers: Fold and roll old magazine pages to create a useful container.
Location: Studio A (2nd floor)
Time: 10am to 12 noon and 1:00pm to 4:30pm.
Ages: 6 to 12
+
Drop in Family Workshops: Mother’s Day – Caregiver’s Day
Celebrate Mom, caregivers and nature by creating a postcard with 3-D flowers.
Storytelling: Stories about moms from all over the world. English and Spanish. Ages 4 and up.
Fundreds All Over New York: Take action against lead poisoning in children by creating Fundreds to remind us that every child has value.
Location: TBA (Just ask at the Admissions Desk)
Time: 1:30pm to 4:30pm
Ages: 2 to 12 (Caregivers must be present)

Queens Dinner Options
Queens is home to some of the most diverse cuisine in the country, particularly along the 7 train corridor, which covers parts of Flushing, Jackson Heights, and Long Island City. OE has created a map of eating options within the area, along with several highlights:

Imperial Palace, Cantonese, 136-13 37th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354

The Lemon Ice King of Corona, Italian Ice, 52-02 108th St, Corona, NY 11368

Nick’s Pizza, Neapolitan, 108-26 Ascan Ave, Forest Hills, NY 11375

Tortillería Nixtamal, Mexican, 104-05 47th Ave, Queens, NY 11368

Spicy and Tasty, Szechuan, 39-07 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354

Spring Shabu Shabu, Japanese Hot Pot, 136-20 38th Ave., 2nd Fl., Flushing, NY 11354

White Bear, Dumplings, 135-02 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing, NY 11354

Hotels and Hostels
In addition to dining, there are many hotels and hostels in close proximity to the Queens Museum and at a variety of price points. The map of dining options mentioned in the previous section additionally includes hotel and hostel recommendations. We also recommend checking out Human Hotel.

Budget ($)

The Local, 1302 44th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101

Kamway Lodge, 40-36 77th St, Queens, NY 11373

Moderate ($$)

Holiday Inn Express LaGuardia, 113-10 Horace Harding Expy, Flushing, NY 11368

Paris Suites Hotel, 109-17 Horace Harding Expy, Corona, NY 11368

Wyndham Garden LaGuardia South, 61-18 93rd St, Rego Park, NY 11374

Grandview Hotel, 31-6 Linden Pl, Flushing, NY 11354

High end ($$$)

Boro Hotel, 38-28 27th St, Long Island City, NY 11101

Prince Flushing Hotel, 133-43 37th Avenue, Queens, NY 11354