‘Field of Dreams’ Installation Encourages Hope For a Better Future

Fluctuating COVID-19 numbers, questions regarding the vaccine, and concern for the well-being of loved ones have outlined a future of worry and vulnerability. The “Field of Dreams” art installation at the Queens County Farm Museum aims to take these uncertainties and channel them into inspiring a better future.

From July 31 to August 12, 2021, the walking paths within “Field of Dreams” are open for people to explore and write a personal message on a piece of botanical seed paper. After completing the message, the staff at the Queens County Farm Museum will bury the message in the earth with a wooden stake. As more people share their messages with the land, the streamers attached to the top of the stakes will populate the installation, bringing it to completion. The installation will remind those within the exhibit and those viewing it from afar that people’s hopes and dreams interact with and build off of one another.

Local artist Aaron Asis — who is also Untapped’s Artist in Residence — worked with public art collective Illegal Art to turn “Field of Dreams” into a reality. After familiarizing himself with various neighborhoods throughout the city, Asis now aims to activate under-the-radar spaces and connect New Yorkers with their city. His mission coincides with the mission of Illegal Art: to create participatory-based public art that encourages rumination and human connection.

“This project is an invitation for all New Yorkers to join us at the Queens Farm and to share messages of hope and optimism with each other, and help create a temporary Field of Dreams, in our city,” Asis said.

Asis worked with the Queens County Farm Museum to create another installation in August 2020. This project, “Cover Crop,” was the farm’s first public art installation and marked its reopening following COVID-19 shutdowns. Beginning as a three-room farmhouse in 1772, Queens Farm has survived centuries of natural disasters and societal maladies. It is the longest continuously farmed site in New York State. Asis‘ “Cover Crop” enabled visitors to learn about agriculture and celebrate the land in between crop cycles. Parallel paths within the installation allowed for a sense of togetherness amid physical distancing. In the fall, the farm also is bringing back “The Amazing Maize Maze,” the city’s only corn maze.

By sharing their hopes with the world, visitors to the “Field of Dreams” installation can bring them to fruition alongside other visitors. Each streamer denoting a dream will stand out against the vibrant green of the planted meadow within the “Field of Dreams.

Queens County Farm Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free for all who wish to visit the museum and the “Field of Dreams.” Upon arrival at the museum, take a stop at the Welcome Center to collect a map that outlines different aspects of the farm along with special events occurring that day. If visiting the farm between Wednesday and Sunday, arrive early to purchase farm-fresh eggs.

Next, check out 13 public art installations currently up in New York City!