{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/251fj2c99d/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Isa Dorvillier Oral History (2021)"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e22-year-old artist and Ridgewood resident Isa Dorvillier speaks with interviewer Maryanne Olson about growing up in a family of artists and completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to discussion of Dorvillier's art practice (which includes sewing, weaving, making clothes, and photography), this interview covers her involvement in the Ridgewood Tenants Union (RTU), an organization that fights gentrification and displacement in Ridgewood. Dorvillier specifically discusses RTU's Homeless Outreach Project and the support it has provided to unhoused people in Ridgewood during the pandemic. Dorvillier reflects on why artists often engage in advocacy and activism work, plus the influence of Ridgewood's local history on her own life and artwork.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2021-06-30 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Video"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Isa Dorvillier (Interviewee)","Maryanne Olson (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview recorded as part of the Artists of Ridgewood project at Ridgewood Library."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["2000s-2021 (temporal)","Ridgewood, Queens, NY; Baltimore, MD (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e22-year-old artist and Ridgewood resident Isa Dorvillier speaks with interviewer Maryanne Olson about growing up in a family of artists and completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to discussion of Dorvillier's art practice (which includes sewing, weaving, making clothes, and photography), this interview covers her involvement in the Ridgewood Tenants Union (RTU), an organization that fights gentrification and displacement in Ridgewood. Dorvillier specifically discusses RTU's Homeless Outreach Project and the support it has provided to unhoused people in Ridgewood during the pandemic. Dorvillier reflects on why artists often engage in advocacy and activism work, plus the influence of Ridgewood's local history on her own life and artwork.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/303/543/small/thumbnail_303543_1771600855.jpg?1771600858","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - dorvillier_isa_20210630_edit.mp4"]},"duration":1214.31,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/303/543/small/thumbnail_303543_1771600855.jpg?1771600858","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/303/543/original/dorvillier_isa_20210630_edit.mp4?1771599197","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":1214.31,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: Do you agree with the terms and conditions outlined in the Queens Memory informed consent and copyright permissions form that I shared with you over email?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=0.0,8.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=8.0,11.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: This is Isa Dorvillier with Maryanne Olson. We are recording on June 30th, 2021 for the Queens Memory Project. Could you say your full name and spell it?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=11.0,23.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Isabelle or Isa Dorvillier. Isabelle Dorvillier. I-S-A D-O-R-V-I-L-L-I-E-R.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=23.0,31.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: Thank you. So we're gonna start with the first question. What neighborhood do you currently live in?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=31.0,37.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: I live in Ridgewood.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=37.0,39.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: And how long have you lived in the area?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=39.0,41.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Since I was nine, so thirteen years.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=41.0,47.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: Great. And—we're gonna talk a little bit, first of all, about how you became an artist and kind of more generally your experience as an artist. And then we're gonna talk a little bit more about your time in Ridgewood and how that influenced you. So when did you decide to become an artist?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=47.0,70.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Probably when I was really, really young. Both my parents went to art school. My grandparents went to art school. So I'm third generation art student. And I think my first memory I have of—probably I was like five, and I started doing some embroidery with my mom. And I was always really supported by my family, which I know is unusual, but I think it was just always kind of a given that I was an artist in my family [laughs]. So I don't know. I don't have, like, a particular time at which I decided to be an artist. I think I, like, knew that I wanted to do that from a really young age.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=70.0,124.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: When you were young, were you exposed to different art classes, different artists? It sounds like, you know, you had family who were artists. Were there other members of your community as well?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=124.0,134.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yeah. So I went to elementary through high school at, like, public schools in Manhattan. And, you know, I was really fortunate they had good art programming usually. In high school we didn't have an art class, so I took classes on the weekend and during the summer. And then I had, you know, my grandmother was a ceramicist, so I worked with her. And, you know, my aunt is a choreographer and I would go to her shows, or if she was teaching or rehearsing sometimes she would also be babysitting me. And, yeah, as I'm saying this, I'm like, \"Wow, I was really, really fortunate.\" Yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=134.0,183.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: That's great. Do you wanna talk a little bit about some of the art—like, what do you specialize in now? Do you have particular areas that you're particularly interested in or have studied?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=183.0,194.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yeah. I just finished my BFA [Bachelor of Fine Arts] in fiber. And I was doing a ceramics concentration that I had to drop because of, you know, pandemic and online schooling and I wanted to graduate on time. So primarily what I'm doing right now, a lot of sewing. I make clothes. I'm still trying to figure out how that kind of fits into my, like, fine art practice. I weave. I have a rigid huddle loom that I weave on. I make really small weavings and I photograph them in the neighborhood.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=194.0,234.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: A lot of my art practice also is, like, based in walking and I, you know, sometimes that's more a personal practice that I don't necessarily share with other people. But I also do take photographs of my walks and share them with other people. And I take walks with others that, you know, maybe don't have the same experience that I do. And so I, you know, I'm like, \"Oh, and this is where this happened.\" And I consider that to kind of be part of my art practice and I'd like to kind of make it more of that. Yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=234.0,277.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: That's great. Are there people or organizations or museums that particularly inspire you?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=277.0,285.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Ridgewood Tenants Union [laughs]. Definitely that. I—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=285.0,294.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: Do you wanna explain a little bit what the Ridgewood Tenants Union is?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=294.0,297.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yeah, so the [laughs]—it's very funny, obviously. You know, and others won't. So the Ridgewood Tenants Union is an organization based in Ridgewood that is, you know, working to fight gentrification in Ridgewood and, like, Greater Ridgewood surrounding areas, advocate for the rights of tenants and unhoused people and, you know, small homeowners. And it's, you know, its mission is to be, like, run by immigrants and by women mostly. I think it's mostly run by women of color, which is really cool.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=297.0,339.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: You know, I've been most involved in the Homeless Outreach Project, so building relationships with our unhoused neighbors. And I think, you know, a lot of the people that I work with in that project are housed, but a lot of them are also, like, artists or educators or doing some kind of work in the community. And it's a really fascinating group of people to be around and, like, really lovely, genuine people. And I think, you know, for me it's, like, having this community of people who share a vision for the neighborhood has been really beautiful and important for me and I think is one of the reasons that I've chosen to stay here after finishing school.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=339.0,397.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: You had talked earlier about having to make some adjustments because of the pandemic. I wondered if you wanted to talk a little bit more about how the pandemic has changed your experience, both as a Ridgewood resident and also as an artist.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=397.0,414.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yeah, so at the beginning of the pandemic, I was attending school in Baltimore. So I was kind of, like, living part of the year in Baltimore and part of the year back home in Ridgewood. And, like, right at the beginning of the pandemic, it kind of coincided with my spring break and I was planning to come home and visit family anyway, and I just kind of got stuck here at first and was doing online class.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=414.0,439.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: At that time I really had, like, a stronger community of peers in Baltimore and it was really hard to be home. And, like, that shift was so abrupt for me. I think though my art did change pretty quickly, even though my practice—it's mostly things that can be done at home. I didn't go to the studio a lot when I had access to it anyway 'cause, you know, I can knit, I can weave at home, and it's more comfortable for me to do that. And then over the summer I had a lot of, you know, time to work on my practice on my own. I was—and then I kind of got involved with Ridgewood Tenants Union then and started to build a stronger community here and decided to stay in Ridgewood rather than moving back to Baltimore.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=439.0,498.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: I think one really big way that my practice has changed in the pandemic is as an art student, like, I think there's a lot of pressure to kind of make your art in a certain way, or make it about certain subjects, or using certain techniques or whatever's kind of, like, in vogue in whatever, you know, field you're studying. And I felt like I was really kind of freed from that because I had so much less contact with my peers, which was really hard on the one hand to be isolated, and on the other hand I felt like I really got to focus on what I wanted to be doing and I've made work that I never envisioned I would ever make.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=498.0,549.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: Great. What are you working on right now? Is there anything in particular post-BFA that you've been working on or starting?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=549.0,558.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: I've been making a lot of clothes, and kind of trying to take a break from—maybe not even trying, just, like, it happened naturally—from making things that are more intellectually focused. And I don't wanna, like, kind of put things in a hierarchy because I know that making functional objects kind of can have this connotation of not being as smart or interesting. And I've been working on kind of like developing technical skills in sewing on my own through experimentation.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=558.0,602.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: I'm also, you know, considering ideas about how to—I don't know. I'm really interested in creating, like, context for people living in Ridgewood because the neighborhood has changed so much since I've lived here, and, you know, people have lived here longer than I have, and it changes rapidly. And so when I go out for a walk with my friend and I'm like, oh, this chiropractor used to be an art store, like an arts and craft supply store, or this phone store was a deli, and, you know, there's kind of things like that. Or, you know, public infrastructure that used to be built differently. Who used to live here? And I think these are things that we're not really encouraged to think about.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=602.0,666.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Actually, another, kind of going back to another question you asked about, like, what organizations and things I've been influenced by, I also have worked with Greater Ridgewood Historical Society. So I volunteered there in high school and then had a paid job there, kind of like a summer job in college, and they have a really great historical library that I got to, you know, read a lot of things in there. So, you know, I would like to kind of bring my personal knowledge of Ridgewood and, like, historical knowledge kind of more into the public space and help people understand the place we live.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=666.0,721.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: If you were gonna introduce someone to Ridgewood for the first time or tell them about it for the first time, what would be some of the things that you would highlight about Ridgewood that you think are most important people know about?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=721.0,732.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Hmmm. I think that—I always tell them about how Ridgewood seceded from Bushwick [laughs] and Brooklyn. I think a lot of people don't know that, but Ridgewood's political history is very, very interesting. And, like, I think there's a lot of lore also, and that's where I've gotten a lot of my information, and I'd like to kind of like have a more academic, maybe, understanding of the history. But I think it's really interesting to talk to elders in the neighborhood about their experience growing up here as well. And my, you know, neighbors are a lot older than I am, and listening to them talk about growing up in the neighborhood is really interesting.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=732.0,779.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: So I think I would probably talk a lot about, like, you know, the Nazism and that stuff. I think also—you know, and the current political things that are happening, like, it kind of like hasn't really changed and I think that's important for people to know. Especially, like, I think what you see on face value in Ridgewood is, like, it's a cute residential neighborhood, and that's true. And I think there's a lot of, like, you know, enjoyment that people can get from that. Like, it's fun to just walk down a street and see how people keep their homes and go into 99 cents stores and, you know, eat really good food. But yeah, I think kind of like providing some of that context is really important and it's something I do try to do when I have a friend over or, you know, meet someone who lives in Bushwick who moved here and I'm like, \"Hey, did you know this?\" [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=779.0,842.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: That's great. I'm trying to think if I have any other questions for you. Do you wanna talk a little bit more about what specifically the work is that you've been doing with the Ridgewood Tenants Union? I know that you mentioned the Homeless Outreach Project. Sort of if you wanted to expand on that at all.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=842.0,861.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yeah, sure. So yeah, there's definitely a history of, like, intense, violent animosity towards unhoused people in Ridgewood. And, you know, people went to that community board, that infamous community board meeting where somebody threatened—I don't know if they threatened or—no, they said, like, \"I hope somebody burns down the proposed homeless shelter.\" So, you know, that's kind of like the environment that is in the kind of like old guard kind of mainstream. You know, I call it, like, the community board side of Ridgewood. Not everyone on the community board holds those beliefs, but, you know, I kind of—you know, there's that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=861.0,911.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: And so the Homeless Outreach Project started I think in May of 2020, when the city shut down the subways at night. And that, you know, the subways are a place that a lot of unhoused, street homeless people go to get shelter at night. They weren't—the city was not doing a good job of making congregate shelters safe. There's not really any way to, I think, probably do that in a pandemic though. And so a group of RTU [Ridgewood Tenants Union] members, like, I wasn't involved at this point, but they mobilized to go to the last stop, you know, go to stations when the subway closed to see how people were doing, bring them hand warmers and food and whatever.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=911.0,971.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: And then the project really grew over the summer and, like, over the past year we have regular routes and we've built relationships with people. And really upsettingly, we've lost a lot of people because the, you know, the support was so not there. And it's really, really, you know, it's dangerous to be in a shelter and it's also dangerous to be on the street and the city really doesn't offer any alternatives that are, like, workable. And, you know, a lot of our neighbors face harassment from the cops or sanitation or just people in the neighborhood.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=971.0,1012.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: And right now, you know, we've—our work has been more, like, service oriented and maybe a little bit of advocacy. Really we're, like, providing some material comforts to people and building interpersonal relationships, but our focus, you know, as a greater organization, as part of Ridgewood Tenants Union, is to be doing organizing. And we haven't really done a great job of that so far, or, you know, we've done some, but, like, that's not our primary, where we're putting our energy. So that's kind of, like, how the project is—that's the direction that we are trying to push the project. Maybe it's political education, maybe it's, you know, trying to, like, change some laws, push politicians in a better direction. But, yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1012.0,1073.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: So earlier you had talked about how a lot of the people that you've met through that community are tied to the arts in some way. And I wonder if you have any thoughts on, even if it's just from your own personal experiences, why that might be. Because, you know, there's a history of arts and activism, and arts and advocacy, and I wondered if you had any thoughts on, like, even if it's just talking about what personally as an artist draws you to this sort of work.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1073.0,1096.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yeah, that's a really interesting question. I wonder if it's, like, partly just kind of disposition that you need to be an artist is having some empathy and, you know, considering the experiences and emotions of other people. And I think that definitely for me is probably part of it. And, you know, not every artist is an activist necessarily, but I [laughs]—there is a big overlap, for sure.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1096.0,1129.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: I think also just kind of, yeah, the nature of art making is you're taking something that is, you know, a personal subjective experience and amplifying it to an audience, and I think that it just really lends itself to activism. It can be, I don't know, there's so much, like, there's really an overwhelming amount of information that we're all exposed to because of the way that media is set up. And I think that, you know, kind of like being able to bring an emotional context to particular issues is something that art does really well, or effective art does really well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1129.0,1186.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: Great. That's all the questions that I have for you today. Is there anything else that you wanted to add that we didn't touch on?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1186.0,1195.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: No, I think that's pretty much it. I—this was very lovely. Thank you so much.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1195.0,1205.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: Thank you so much for having this conversation with me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1205.0,1208.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Isa Dorvillier: Yeah, thank you for asking me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1208.0,1209.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543/transcript/91193/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Maryanne Olson: [unclear] thanks again.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/166828/file/303543#t=1209.0,1214.31"}]}]}]}