Transcript: Mayor Adams Announces City Hall to Display Artist Elena Del Rivero's Home Address Exhibit on International Women's Day

March 8, 2023

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Economic and Workforce Development: Good morning everyone, and thanks to all of you for joining us here today to help celebrate International Women's Day. My name is Maria Torres-Springer, I'm the deputy mayor for economic and workforce development, I'm the deputy mayor for economic and workforce development. And let me tell you, I have the wild fortune of walking into this building every day and really getting to work with some of the most amazing people and women of this city. The other deputy mayors are here, our chief advisor, our chief of staff. We have the great honor of serving this city. We are women, we are women of color, and we represent, I believe, all that is good and great about New York City. And if you just look right behind me, we are in extraordinary company, the company of really incredible women leading the Adams administration. And I know they are grateful for all of the courageous women who came before us, for those who pushed open the door for our generation and are extremely committed to making sure that we make it easier for those who will come after us.

And so today, on International Women's Day, we also have the opportunity to consider this year's theme of embracing equity. And this is of course a mission that we take so seriously in this administration and we work hard towards every day to create better opportunities and outcomes for the women in our great city. And we have no better person to champion the work of the people right behind me, the work of all of the incredible women across the administration than our 110th mayor, who I have the great pleasure of introducing, Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much. I want to really thank the deputy mayor for her powerful words, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, and the entire team. I think that this flag, this artistic expression of womanhood and the International Year of the Woman, I would like to say, is a real reflection because there's a message in the flag. The flag is representative of a washcloth, a dishcloth, a dish towel, something that means so much to many of us. My mom used to hang it over the stove and I could see the different stains from the different sources and foods that she would dry her hands on.

And it was really a symbol of the struggle that she went through to try to feed six children and the challenges and how often she would use that rag, not only to wipe her hands after cooking the meal, but she would use it to wipe her eyes, to hide her tears of the uncertainty of the next day. Would she have a roof over the head for her children to hide the tears of the domestic abuse that she experienced as a woman growing up during that time, to hide the tears of trying to figure out why her son couldn't learn in school and she had to continue to inspire her. And that towel, that dish towel, I'm pretty sure if you go into every neighborhood, every community and you speak to every woman behind me, they can tell you the towel that their mothers have used during the times of their upbringing.

So this flag is significant because it also sends another message that oftentimes we lift up of those women who had prominent, notable roles in our society and we ignored the fact that behind Thurgood Marshall, there was a mom, behind David Dinkins, there was a mom, behind some of the great men who participated in the things that they have done, they had great moms that inspired them. I say it often and as many times as possible, because I don't want people to get it twisted, I am who I am because of Dorothy Adams. That's why I am the mayor of the City of New York. And we lose those women within the shadows of, if they didn't have some degree, if they didn't occupy some prestigious role in our society. We forget all about them, but I don't.

And I understand why this flag is so important that it is put in place, and I want to take my hat off to the artist who understand the significance of using this flag. Because the flag is a symbol of power, of we pledge our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And so when we pledge our allegiance to this towel that has been created a flag out of, we are pledging our allegiance to the importance of women in this country. And I don't just talk about it, I talk about it often, as Deputy Mayor Wright, as I stated yesterday, when she walked us through the Museum of the City of New York, one day, my administration is going to be in that museum. And my administration is going to state, for the first time in New York City's history, New York is the most powerful city on the globe. And for the first time in New York City's history, the city is now being run by woman, run by woman. Women chief advisor, women chief of staff, women first deputy mayor, the power of New York City, the top three positions that run the City of New York are women. First woman firefighter commissioner, first woman police commissioner. A woman is running the Department of Sanitation to keep our streets clean, our streets safe and to protect us against fires. All of these roles that we have placed women in is to really break down those barriers to state, you've gone from just wiping your hands from washing the dishes to making sure that everyone that's sitting in the kitchens of this city will have the safety, the cleanliness, all the opportunities that they deserve.

And at the end of the month, we're going to lean into our women's health agenda. This is going to be something that all of us, all of you that are part of the administration, all of you are going to be able to walk through the Museum of the History of New York, and you're going to see that this administration tore down the barriers that historically did not allow you to participate in showing your strength and your courage. All I could do is say, thank you Dorothy Adams for inspiring me and allowing me to cascade that inspiration out to others. And no matter what anyone says that the reason we're able to get here is all through the power of God, in God we trust.

Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: Thank you, mayor. And I think I could speak for my colleagues as well in also thanking and celebrating Dorothy Adams, so thanks to her. So today wouldn't be possible without some amazing partners. I just want to give a shout-out to a few of our colleagues who made this possible, including Andrea Davis Shapiro, Sreoshy Banerjea, and the entire team at the Public Design Commission. Give her a hand. And now I am very pleased to introduce our amazing commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs who's going to say a few words. But before that, I did also want to acknowledge that we have some representatives from the Consulate General of Spain in New York who are here with us today. So welcome, and thank you for being with us. And now Commissioner Laurie Cumbo.

Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, Department of Cultural Affairs: Thank you. Good morning.

Mayor Adams: Good morning.

Audience: Good morning.

Commissioner Cumbo: Happy International Women's Day. Don't you feel inspired today?

Audience: Yes.

Commissioner Cumbo: This is so powerful. When you see the assemblage of women that are represented right behind me, you are really seeing a revolution in terms of women, on every level of government are stepping up and leading in ways never imagined. We are certainly our ancestors' wildest dreams. And what you're seeing here today in terms of leadership speaks so much about those that came behind us, who fought so hard for us to be in these positions and our ability now to usher that new energy forward. And when women are in charge, things work a little bit different and a whole lot better. I always say to the many men in my life that they will be so much more powerful, our men will be so much more stronger, they will have so much more energy when under the leadership of women. So we're going to continue to push that forward, and we're going to continue to make sure that women are at all aspects of city government.

And I really want to applaud Mayor Eric Adams for recognizing the strength, the courage, the power, the fortitude, the intellect, all that women bring to the table. The ability as he spoke about his mom, to raise six children, that is the ultimate multitasker that you need in city government to know how to make it all happen and how to make it all work. So we're going to continue to push forward, we're going to continue to break boundaries, and we're going to continue to push forward the next generation of women who are going to take this city and this state and this nation to whole new levels and heights.

So I'm so proud to be the commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and I really want to applaud artist, Elena del Rivero, for her extraordinary courage and work in showcasing the respect and the fortitude and the sacrifice and the energy that every day working mothers, moms, grandmothers, aunties, cousins, nieces that really put in that energy to hold our families together. And that energy is certainly what makes New York City a stronger city. Our families and those family units are certainly what strengthened us. I'm so proud to be a part of this administration. And for me as a working mom, I have a five year old and I understand the dynamics of trying to put food on the table, trying to make that dinner, trying to keep a house together and going to work at the same time, and navigating two parents who are also over the age of 80.

We really do an extraordinary job, and that's why days like this are so important for us to pause and to recognize just how extraordinary we are, just how amazing we are, just the courage and the strength that we use every day to get up and to make New York City and our families better doing both at the same time. So I thank you. I want to shout out our public art committee that's here today at the Department of Cultural Affairs led by Kendal Henry. Kendal has done an extraordinary job, and his entire team, of making today possible. But I also want to recognize at the same time my deputy commissioner, Alton Murray, who worked very hard at making this happen.

And I will say in closing, I am so excited because Mayor Eric Adams has said he wants every single city agency to be filled with art. He wants City Hall to look different, like it's never looked before. He wants to see Gracie Mansion with the images of the people that built Gracie Mansion and City Hall. He wants to usher in a new visual image of City Hall and our city agencies so that every New Yorker will see that their contributions, their history, their culture, and their image is a reflected in all that we do. So we are going to carry that charge forward. Thank you so much, and I'm excited to be here with you.

Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: Thank you, Commissioner Cumbo. And now I have the great honor of introducing, and we'll hear from her, the artist who is responsible for this very powerful work. And as the commissioner mentioned, art, not just in this building but in all of the spaces that we occupy, is so incredibly important because art tells stories. And the types of stories that are told are so critical to, not just our wellbeing, but how we identify as people and the dignity that we give each other. And the stories of the people behind me, the people in this room, these are stories that carry echoes of generations of survivors and strivers, doers and we have to tell those stories. And so I am so grateful that Elena del Rivero's piece, Home Address, is visiting here with us. A powerful reminder of course of the struggle of women, not just in this city, not just in this country, but really across the globe. A reminder of the progress that we have made and how much further we have to travel together. And so with no further ado, let me introduce Elena del Rivero.

Elena del Rivero: Thank you so much. It is an honor for me, Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer and Commissioner Cumbo to have my project, [inaudible] installed in this house to celebrate International Women's Day. Thank you very much. I also want to thank your team who have helped me with the success of this wonderful installation of monstrous common dish towels. Thank you as well to the representatives, to the first female consul general of Spain, Caridad Batalla.

To my friends and family, and to all of you who came here to celebrate with us today, the transposition from the kitchen, for so long seen a place to confine women, to the public space and seat of New York government, this installation transfers often overlooked or underestimated textiles into a sort of anti-monument, which also works as a metaphor for home. Home, the place that welcomes everybody like the true feminism. The place where we took refuge during the pandemic. This project is a celebration for the struggle of women in history, their conquests and hard won advances that we commemorate today. We know, however, that there is still a lot of work ahead of us. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: Thank you so much. Another round of applause for Elena, please. Okay, thanks to everyone. And now I think we're taking a couple pictures. Thank you.

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