top of page

Mood Medallions. (2023)

A participatory welcoming ceremony commissioned for Perelman Arts Center (PAC NYC)'s inaugural Family Day.

NOTE: This event was canceled at the last minute due to extreme flooding. 

PROJECT SUMMARY: 

​As families from across our five boroughs approach the Perelman Performing Arts Center they will be warmly greeted near the bottom of the large staircase by two colorfully dressed performers. Their whimsical cirque-inspired costumes are covered in dozens of colorful nametags, which invites curious people to inspect more closely. Instead of displaying a person’s name, these tags are ways to honor, remember, and celebrate whatever someone may be carrying with them that day. Attendees will be invited to select their own name tags, which are designed to offer opportunities for individuals of all ages to acknowledge the many feelings they might be experiencing as they enter the space. (Sample name tags attached.)
 

The families are welcomed into conversation: Welcome to the Perelman Performing Arts Center. We’d love to invite you to fill out one of our name tags, as part of a special Family Day art project. Those who wish can choose among the 6 different name tag templates, and are offered a colorful array of felt-tipped markers to do so. Inside, they enter a sea of interesting people who also wear name tags, which we hope will serve as little ice-breakers for conversations and connection throughout the day. As their visit comes to an end and they approach the exit, they will encounter a third performer stationed at the top of the stairs. They will be invited to donate their name tag to the growing sculpture – colorful sheets of translucent plexiglass displayed on easels in front of them – which will become a time capsule of who was here today, and what they were honoring, remembering and/or celebrating. Extra name tags will be present for anyone who lost theirs, or who has a new idea of what to write.


Throughout the day, the performers will embrace opportunities to engage the families in discussion – where they are coming from, what they are most excited about, what about today they enjoyed the most– in the spirit of placemaking.

COMMISSIONED BY: Baba Israel and the Perelman Arts Center (PAC NYC)

CREATED BY: Jess Applebaum, Nic Benacerraf (director), Kate Fry (costumes), and Bea Martino

COLLABORATORS: Dorothea Gloria, lisa nevada, Ishmael Muhammad, Axh Marie, and Dante Jeanfelix. 

© 2024 by Edge Effect Media Group

bottom of page