Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City
A NYSCA-Funded Community Participatory Walk Exploring Urban Resilience, Waterfront Life, and Local Connection
Interdisciplinary visual artist January Yoon Cho, in partnership with Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, invites the community to The Walk Project: Umbilical City, a community participatory walk exploring urban ecology and environmental interconnection at Gantry Plaza State Park along the Long Island City waterfront.
Supported by a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) FY 2026 Support for Artists Grant, Umbilical City combines community participatory walks with a series of drawings that capture resilient life forms focused on Long Island City. During the walks, participants walk together through Gantry Park while holding a single connecting string as a symbol of our shared link to nature. Each walk session opens with an artist talk by January Yoon Cho, followed by an urban ecology talk led by Hunters Point Parks Conservancy.
“Umbilical City offers an immersive experience connecting urban residents with the natural world, marking a pivotal, community-grounded shift in my practice,” says artist January Yoon Cho. “Through participatory walks, the project engages the community in vital conversations about ecological fragility in the face of a changing climate.”
Public Walk Schedule & Location
● Walk 1: Animals and Food Chain of Gantry Park — Sunday, Nov 1, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
● Walk 2: Waters and Wetlands — Saturday, Nov 7, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Meeting Location: The Oval near Borden Ave. & Center Blvd., Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City
● Admission: Free and open to the public
About the Artist & Sponsorship
January Yoon Cho is an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Long Island City, Queens, exploring environmental consciousness and living systems through digital drawings, performance, photography, video, and installations.
The Walk: Umbilical City is awarded a NYSCA FY 2026 Support for Artists Grant. The Walk Project is a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), a 501(c)(3) organization, presented in partnership with Hunters Point Parks Conservancy.