My project is a diorama of an immigration courtroom, showing how overwhelming the space can feel for people who have to go through it without an attorney, an interpreter, or any legal aid. I added details like the court calendar, the “We the People” light box, and handwritten signs to show the confusion and fear that come with the process. On the outside, I put QR codes linking to real legal aid and advocacy groups in NYC and the Hudson Valley, because many immigrants do not even know these resources exist. What I want people to take away is that immigration court is not just paperwork and laws. It is actual humans walking into a room where the system already feels stacked against them. Art let me show that feeling in a more personal way than just explaining it.
Working on this project helped me see how art can call attention to issues that people in New York experience every day but are not always visible. A lot of New Yorkers go through the immigration system quietly, and art gives a way to show their reality without speaking for them. It also reminded me that art is not just something you look at, and it can connect people to real resources and real communities.
