DATE: Sunday, October 25, 2026
TIME: 2 PM – 3:30 PM
Led by André Knights
Ages 5 & Up Recommended
Presented in conjunction with Portraits of America, this participatory workshop invites visitors to explore portraiture as a way of seeing, connecting, and building community.
The afternoon will begin with a guided meditation and facilitated conversation, followed by a collaborative portrait-making activity. Participants will create portraits of one another using transparency sheets and dry-erase markers, experimenting with a playful and accessible approach to drawing. Portraits of Queens offers an opportunity to meet others, exchange perspectives, and consider how portraiture can reflect both individual identity and shared community experience.
No prior art experience is necessary. All materials will be provided, and all experience levels are welcome.
About André Knights
André Knights is a Health and Wellness Instructor and certified LMT. He has worked with at-risk youth in an alternative school setting in the New York City Department of Education for more than 20 years. Prior to this he worked in the Adult Literacy Program at the Brooklyn Public Library and as a Docent at the Brooklyn Museum.
André has presented numerous community art projects since 2021, collaborating with NYC-based organizations such as Queens Public Library, Queens Center for Gay Seniors, Chashama, and Culture Lab as well as Euro Games (Vienna) and We Are Village Berlin. As an artist, he strives to achieve the idea of Beloved Community referenced by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a Health and Wellness Instructor, André received Yoga Teacher Training through Integral Yoga, Meditation Teacher Training through The Interdependence Project and New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, is an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist (ADS) National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, and is a certified Shape Up NYC Instructor NYC Parks and Recreation.
