About Governors Island Arts

Gov­er­nors Island Arts, the pub­lic arts and cul­tur­al pro­gram pre­sent­ed by the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island, cre­ates trans­for­ma­tive encoun­ters with art for all New York­ers, invit­ing artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the con­text of the Island’s lay­ered his­to­ries, envi­ron­ments, and archi­tec­ture. Gov­er­nors Island Arts achieves this mis­sion through tem­po­rary and long-term pub­lic art instal­la­tions and exhi­bi­tions, an annu­al Orga­ni­za­tions in Res­i­dence pro­gram in the Island’s his­toric hous­es, and the curat­ed mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary INTER­VEN­TIONS per­for­mance series. Learn more at www.govisland.com/arts.

About The Billion Oyster Project

Billion Oyster Project is a nonprofit restoring New York Harbor’s oyster reefs and rebuilding the conditions that once made it one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. To date, the organization has restored more than 150 million oysters across nearly 18 acres of reef, recycling over 3 million pounds of shell from New York City restaurants. Billion Oyster Project connects restoration with education—engaging students, teachers, and communities across the city. By putting people at the center of the work, the organization is helping New York rediscover itself as a water city. Learn more www.billionoysterproject.org.

The Oyster is supported in part by the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, the Lambent Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

The YoungBlood Singers are an acclaimed Northern drum group founded in 1975 on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, New York. Formed by a group of young men who grew up together and shared a love of singing, the group emerged from a commitment to carry forward the traditions their elders had entrusted to them while inspiring the next generation. Since 1984, YoungBlood has served as a central presence at the Shinnecock Powwow, where many of its members first learned to sing as children. Their repertoire includes songs in the Shinnecock and Cherokee languages, alongside original compositions and songs passed down through generations. Over more than four decades, the group has performed at major powwows across North America—including Crow Fair, Cherokee, Schemitzun, and Narragansett—and has toured internationally, earning recognition for preserving and celebrating Indigenous musical traditions while fostering community, cultural continuity, and intergenerational connection.