Join us on May 1, for Labor of Love: An Interactive Celebration of Our Hardworking Ecosystems, part of the Creative Labor, Creative Conditions campaign, presented in partnership with Doris Duke Foundation. Celebrate the hardworking art and aquatic ecosystems that shape life in our city. Through performance and interactive art-making, we’re throwing a party for these mighty workforces!
Take part in an experiential puppet procession, featuring giant, larger-than-life aquatic creations that bring the climate-resilient magic of the underwater oyster reef to the surface. Join in workshops to create your own personal regalia, drawing inspiration from May 1st’s significance as International Workers’ Day. Be in community with artists and creatives, including the latest cohort of Arts Center Residents, for a morning of action, artmaking, food, and live music.
The event takes place Friday, May 1 from 9:45 - 11:30AM at LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island. To arrive on time, please take the 9:30am ferry from the Battery Maritime Building ( 10 South Street, NYC). Depart on the 11:45am ferry to continue the day of festivities across Manhattan with Doris Duke Foundation and partner organizations like the Apollo Theater, The Moth, and New York Theater Workshop.
The ferry fee will be waived for guests who RSVP!
The Processional
The climate and ecological crisis calls for urgent, imaginative responses. This participatory performance invites audiences to consider their role within interconnected ecological systems by centering the restoration of the oyster reef—an essential component of New York Harbor's health and resilience. Upon arrival on Governors Island, participants engage in a site-responsive procession that honors the ecological labor of oysters, which filter water, create habitat, and support biodiversity. The experience combines performance, sculpture, and collective movement to translate environmental restoration into a shared, embodied act.
Art Making Workshops
Drawing on the history and labor legacy of May Day, participants are invited to design and create buttons that celebrate creative labor and advocate for fair working conditions in the arts. This activity connects contemporary artistic practice with broader labor movements and collective action.
Create wearable artworks inspired by the oyster reef using reclaimed oyster shells and mixed materials. Finished pieces may take the form of pins or necklaces, allowing participants to carry the visual language of the reef throughout the event. Presented in partnership with Billion Oyster Project.
Arts Center Residency Open Studios
Visit the Art Center Residency Studios and meet the 2026 cohort of artist residents at the beginning of their residency with LMCC. See samples of their past work on display, and observe the beginning moments of their current creative processes.
Creative Labor, Creative Conditions
On May 1, the International Day of the Worker, the Doris Duke Foundation, in partnership with iconic New York City arts organizations, will host a multi-site Labor Crawl from Governor’s Island to the Apollo Theater in Harlem to uplift the essential role of artistic labor and the conditions needed for artists to thrive. The event launches the second year of Creative Labor, Creative Conditions, a national coalition and campaign championing artists as creative laborers and the need to provide them with proper resources, compensation and support to live and work.
Learn more about the campaign here.
