3. The Passage, Staten Island Memorial Green

Mary Miss installation at Staten Island Memorial Green

Situated right by Staten Island’s courthouses near the St. George Ferry Terminal, The Passage is an installation created by Mary Miss on the Memorial Green. The memorial commemorates immigrants who were quarantined and buried on the grounds of the Memorial Green. The installation tells stories of immigration through multi-faceted steel and glass columns that stand six feet tall. On one side of the column is a ruby red piece of glass that gives off a bright red glow, which becomes further accented at night. Each column tells stories of immigrants settling in New York following catastrophic events like the Irish Potato Famine, and the inside of each column is lined with mirrors which allows for a kaleidoscope-like display. Glass panes as part of the project are also found at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and on some ferry windows.

According to the project’s booklet, “The ride on the Staten Island Ferry is turned into an opportunity to follow the experiences of immigration: stories of departure, crossing and arrival are sequenced from Manhattan, to the ferry, to the Staten Island Terminal, to the Memorial Green. This is a unique opportunity to reveal glimpses of the experience of immigration as a journey rather than through the static experience of being inside a museum.”