2026 Theme: Island Reverence — Art, Ecology, and Community
House 17, Nolan Park, Governors Island
Grand Opening: May 16, 11 AM–5 PM
The 2026 season at House 17 brings together studio residencies, exhibitions, workshops, and performances—both indoors and outdoors—creating a dynamic platform for artistic exchange and public engagement.
Island Reverence evokes a feeling of profound respect—
a deep awareness of the land, ecology, and layered histories that shape this place.
It invites reflection on interconnected meanings: nature, memory, and community.
It is not only a feeling, but a way of approaching and engaging—with care, attention, and intention.
2026 主題：《島嶼禮讚——藝術、生態與社群》
地點：總督島 Nolan Park 17 號屋（House 17）
開幕時間：2026年5月16日（週六）上午11時至下午5時
2026年，House 17 將結合駐村工作室、展覽、工作坊與表演，涵蓋室內與戶外空間，打造一個促進藝術交流與公共參與的動態平台。
**「島嶼禮讚」**象徵一種深層的尊重，帶著敬意與感知的回應。
對土地、生態與其多重歷史脈絡的體察與感知，
並引導我們反思彼此交織的意義：自然、記憶與社群。
它不僅是一種情感上的感受，
更是一種帶著關照、專注與意識的接近與參與方式。
#taiwaneseamericanartscouncil #govislandarts #governorsisland #Nolanpark17
@governorsisland@taac2014@luchia.lee
Our TAAC hoyse 17 rand opening Saturday, May 16 went well. It was great to see many artists, and I am especially grateful to see our long-term friend @tomfinkelpearl make an effort to visit house 17 talk to artists. #taiwaneseamericanartscouncil #governorsisland #govislandarts #house17 #tomfinkepearl
Ricardo Woo will present his Our Everyone Our Everytree series at Island Reverence at TAAC House 17, Nolan Park, on Governors Island. A live portrait performance and interactive artwork will take place during the Grand Opening on Saturday, May 16, from 11 AM–5 PM. #taiwaneseamericanartscouncil #governorsisland #govislandarts #exhibition #ricardowoo
This artistic couple, Chih-Hui Chuang and Sumin Yang (楊素敏), have arrived in NYC and are ready to join the TAAC House 17 studio residency and exhibition program at Nolan Park on Governors Island.
After a long flight from Taiwan, they efficiently set up their studio and beautifully arranged their exhibition works within just a few hours. Looking forward to sharing their inspiring works with the public this season.
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 16, 2026 11 AM – 5 PM TAAC House 17, Nolan Park, Governors Island #taiwaneseamericanartscouncil #governorsisland #House17 #Nolanpark17
Sarah Walko’s exquisite and inventive sculptural works transform everyday objects from daily life into poetic forms filled with rhythm, memory, and transcendence. Through delicate material exploration, layered assemblage, and a sense of visual opulence, her works evoke the atmosphere of ritual and ceremonial presence, elevating the ordinary into something contemplative, luminous, and spiritually resonant.
Opening: Saturday May 16 11am to 5pm
TAAC House 17, Nolan Park on Governors Island #taiwaneseamericanartscouncil #governorsisland #govislandarts @taac2014 #exhibition #sarahwalko
Bipasha Hayat at House 17, Nolan Park, Governors Island.
Work on view this Saturday, 11 AM–5 PM, as part of the 2026 season of “Island Reverence: Art, Ecology, and Community.”
Thank you to Epoch Times reporter Jenny Tseng for the news coverage of our Taiwanese community leader, Ming Chiang, being honored at the QCC/CUNY 2026 Gala.
/NewYork/20260509_1602F/usEast_1602F_A16_CMYK.jpg.html #2026gala #mingchiang #HelloTaiwan #leadership #EpochTimes QCC
Chia-Che Tsou (鄒佳哲)
Through the Gate of Ritual《穿越儀式之門》
2026
Oil on canvas
20 x 24 inches (50.0 x 60.5 cm)
Presented in Island Reverence: Art, Ecology, and Community
TAAC House 17, Nolan Park, Governors Island, New York
Grand Opening: Saturday 16, 2026
In Through the Gate of Ritual, Chia-Che Tsou captures a powerful moment of spiritual transformation rooted in Taiwanese folk culture and temple procession traditions. Three ritual performers, adorned with elaborate ceremonial costumes and painted faces, stand before the richly ornamented architecture of a traditional temple, evoking a liminal space between the earthly and the sacred.
Rather than presenting ritual merely as spectacle or folklore, Tsou approaches it as a living cultural memory—an embodied passage connecting community, history, belief, and identity. The expressive brushwork and luminous colors create an atmosphere that feels both immediate and dreamlike, where movement, sound, incense, and collective energy seem to vibrate beyond the canvas surface.
Within the context of Island Reverence, the work reflects on the island as a site of layered spiritual and cultural inheritance. Ritual becomes a form of reverence itself: a gesture of continuity between generations, between humans and unseen forces, and between contemporary life and ancestral traditions. The “gate” in the title suggests not only the entrance to a temple but also a symbolic threshold through which memory, devotion, and cultural resilience continue to pass.
Tsou’s painting reminds viewers that reverence is not static—it is performed, inhabited, and renewed through communal acts of gathering, ceremony, and artistic expression.
I was happy to step onto Governors Island and move into House 17 today after my journeys through Asia and Europe. Thank you to Taiwanese artist Tsou Chia-Che, who just arrived in New York and immediately helped with our move-in work.
I’m glad to finally have the chance to start viewing some original artworks in person as everything comes together for the new season. I look forward to seeing many artists around Nolan Park, and our House 17 sunflower banner is there once again. Breathing the fresh island air felt truly great! #taiwaneseamericanartscouncil #governorsisland #House17 #Nolanpark17 #taac
