In 1905 the artist’s grandmother immigrated to the United States from Hungary. As a lone teenager, she left her home and twin brother in search of a better life in America. Nagy reflects on this journey and wonders who translated the following portion of Emma Lazarus’s The New Colossus to her grandmother as her ship entered the New York Harbor.
…’Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
The wretched refuse from your teaming shore.
Send these the homeless tempest-tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door
The Golden Door Project is an ongoing series that brings together the voices of people with a shared dream. Based on audio and written translations from individuals that immigrated to the US between 1950-2010, this multi-media installation documents over 55 years of transcontinental experience.
J O Y N A G Y
Joy Nagy is a native New Yorker. She is an interdisciplinary artist who works in a variety of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and assemblage.
Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions at The Staten Island Museum-New York, Koussevitzky Art Gallery-MA, Moray Art Centre in Findhorn, Scotland, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts-Pa and curated in group exhibitions in the United States and abroad.
She earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science at the Fashion Institute of Technology where she majored in Apparel Design and has studied at The New York Studio School and The Art Students League in New York City. She lives and works in Manhattan.
