NYC Health + Hospitals Hosts “We Belong Here” Art Exhibition Celebrating Local Immigrant Artists, Promoting Health Care Access For All New Yorkers

NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS HOSTS “WE BELONG HERE” ART EXHIBITION CELEBRATING IMMIGRANTS AND PROMOTING HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Art exhibition at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Broadway features three recently commissioned works by New York-based immigrant artists and works from its historic collection

Launched in commemoration of Immigrant Heritage Month, the exhibition encourages New Yorkers to access health care through the NYC Care health care access program

Editor’s note: We previously covered the opening announcement here. See below for a video and photos taken at the exhibit on opening day.  

(NEW YORK, NY – On June 4th, NYC Health + Hospitals hosted the opening night reception of the “We Belong Here” art exhibition at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Broadway in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Launched in commemoration of Immigrant Heritage Month in June, the exhibition celebrates the immigrant experience and reminds us that belonging is not just a feeling but a fundamental aspect of health. In a health care setting that provides care without barriers, “We Belong Here” affirms that true healing happens when we recognize each other’s complete humanity. The exhibition includes works by eleven artists from ten countries, including recent commissions by New York City-based artists Viktoriya Basina, Carla Torres, and Zeehan Wazed, offering portraits that reflect their own journey navigating immigration and finding belonging. Through a diverse range of materials including fingerprint impressions, aircraft parts, glitter, and road cases, they embrace both literal and conceptual approaches to portraiture, moving beyond political categorizations to reveal infinite facets of immigrant experiences. The exhibition was organized by NYC Health + Hospitals’ Arts in Medicine department in partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals’ NYC Care health care access program and Gotham Health, with support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.

“In ‘We Belong Here,’ it is artists that lift up the voices and shared experiences of immigrant communities. I am particularly proud of how this exhibition highlights immigrant’s significant contributions, especially to art and culture. Collaborating with teams in our system, like the NYC Care team, to raise awareness for resources and services is an essential part of the mission of Arts in Medicine. In addition, I hope this exhibition humanizes the immigrant experience at a time when there is much that is misunderstood about their journeys,” said Larissa W. Trinder, Assistant Vice President of NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine.

“Creating a healthier city for all starts with cultivating an environment where everyone can feel that they belong and are welcomed,” said Jonathan Jiménez, MD, MPH, Executive Director of NYC Care from NYC Health + Hospitals. “This Immigrant Heritage Month, I hope more New Yorkers can experience the ‘We Belong Here’ exhibition as we celebrate the contributions of immigrants and distribute information about the Health System’s critical resources, including NYC Care, a health care access program available regardless of ones’ immigration status or ability to pay. Thank you to our colleagues from the Arts in Medicine and Gotham Health teams, the incredible team of artists and performers who contributed to the project, and to all who were in attendance yesterday for the joyous occasion.”

“Gotham Health is proud to partner with NYC Care and the Art in Medicine department to host ‘We belong Here’,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis. “This exhibition celebrates the resilience and humanity of our immigrant communities and reminds us that health begins with belonging.  We are honored to share this powerful work with our patients, staff and community.”

“We are pleased to support the Arts in Medicine department at NYC Health + Hospitals and to help make exhibitions like this possible,” said Rick Luftglass, executive director of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. “Gotham Health and NYC Care are lifelines for our most vulnerable New Yorkers, including our immigrant population, and ‘We Belong Here’ shines a light on the beauty and dignity of their lives, while celebrating the rich diversity of our city.”

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The opening night reception featured live music by Sing For Hope, a performance by artist Fadi Khoury, and a speaking program with brief remarks by Gayle DiLorenzo, CPXP, FPCC, LSSGB, Care Experience Officer for Gotham Health; Dr. Jonathan Jiménez, MD, MPH, NYC Care Executive Director; Larissa Trinder, Assistant Vice President of Arts in Medicine; and Ryan Patrick, ‘We Belong Here’ Exhibition Curator. The reception also included a table with information about the Health Systems’ multilingual resources to connect local community members with the services available at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Broadway and other facilities. For those unable to attend the exhibition, selected works from the show will be displayed citywide for one month on LinkNYC kiosks linked with a QR code to access NYC Care resources. The exhibition will run through the fall.

NYC Care has grown to approximately 140,000 active members and has provided over one million primary care appointments for its members. Since launching in 2019, it has provided hundreds of thousands of specialty care appointments, including 365,226 women’s health appointments, 284,766 eye care appointments, and 187,425 behavioral health appointments. NYC Care’s community-based organization partners have reached over 1 million New Yorkers, scheduled over 43,000 enrollment appointments, and facilitated over 17,000 direct enrollments. Last month, the program hosted a media roundtable to remind immigrant New Yorkers of their rights and the resources available to them, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay. From working with the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene to launch the Groceries to Go program providing discounted groceries for members, to developing multi-lingual video series about the program and deploying public awareness campaigns, NYC Care continues to champion the health needs of all New Yorkers.

Banner Image: We Belong Here intro page. Image Credit – NYC Health + Hospitals