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ONE UMMAH, ONE BARRIO
🌱 chin@cuban@ archiving📍yew nork
🪷 curator @oneummahonebarrio
💌 rooted + relational @centropr
📚 formerly @younglordescollective

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In partnership with Maia Villalba’s One Ummah, One Barrio, an archival exhibition on Muslim Nuyorican movements in NYC, 1495 presents a collection of media capturing the vibrancy and diversity of New York City’s Muslim community. These works enrich a collective archive by highlighting community, collaboration, and lived experience, offering a concise yet powerful exploration of shared histories.

The culminating portrait, 1495 Special Report: Islam in NYC, was inspired by Michael O’Neill’s Newsweek Special Report: Islam in America (July 30, 2007) and sourced from the Ibrahim González Papers at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies Library and Archive. Cast by Sumaya Bouhbal, the portrait is anchored by the NYC Muslim community, whose involvement shapes the creative process throughout. It is now on view with works by other artists in Villalba’s debut exhibition at El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109 until Sunday, August 30.

Production Company: 1495 @fourteeninetyfive
Portrait Photographer: Renee Simone @thereneesimone
Doc Cinematographer: Blasian Womack @blay.mw
Casting Director, Producer : Sumaya Bouhbal @sumaya__nazar
Producer: Brooke D’Addio @brookedaddio
Wardrobe Coordination: Madison Rose @m4disonrose
Assistant Camera: Jordyn Malone @blastermooon
Lighting Department, Grip, Gaff: Stanley Ligon @_stanley_l

Featured in Image :
Imam Khalid Latif
Shahnaz Hassan
Yaser Mimidinovski
Anisah Rashid
Natasha Zaletel
Jorge Pabon
Seif Santiago Gharsellaoui
Lamia Tahsin
Taliyah Bradford
Karim Kaylani
Safiatu Diagana
Amer Zafer
Wandalynn Miftahi
Dawud Cabuenas
Mohammed Kaba
Moustapha Kaba
Soufiana Kaba
Sultana Ocasio
Melissa Hayes
Sumaya Bouhbal
Maia Villaba by @maiaaaiaaa

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2 months ago

Subhan’Allah, Thank You GOD! Making change all year long on the Global #Dazed100 List @dazed ⭐️

I am so incredibly grateful to be a part of this year’s #Dazed100 List, one of the world’s most influential index of emerging culture pioneers. This is possible because of my family, friends, mentors, professors, classmates, and neighbors who challenge me to be a better community member every day. My efforts are merely a reflection of the wonderful people doing wonderful things around me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Dazed Magazine: What do you do and how would you describe your practice?

Maia Villalba: I am an early childhood educator, cultural worker, and community organizer based in New York City. I would describe my style as subversive and timeless.

Dazed Magazine: What’s been a career highlight so far?

Maia Villalba: I am proud to be one of twelve recipients of the 2025-2026 Rooted and Relational Micro-Grant Program at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. My research-based exhibition, "One Ummah, One Barrio: Alianza Islamica and the Legacy of Muslim Nuyorican Revolution" will open in New York City in August 2024. Stay tuned!

Dazed Magazine: If another kid wanted to try what you do, what advice would you give them?

Maia Villalba: Remain steadfast to uncompromising principles. Use your pen as a weapon, and do not be afraid to lean into discomfort.

Dazed Magazine: What does it mean to be on the Dazed 100?

Maia Villalba: Being on the Dazed 100 means a renewed committment to revolutionary practice. As the late Assata Shakur one said: "Dreams and reality are opposites; action synthesizes them.”

We all have the ability to make change; it doesn’t have to be spectacular, it just has to be sincere.

🎞️ photo by my fellow 100 lister + dear amigoooo @maxwellvice at maria hernandez park (2025) by @maiaaaiaaa

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10 months ago

In partnership with Maia Villalba’s One Ummah, One Barrio, an archival exhibition exploring the historical and contemporary struggles of Muslim Nuyorican movements in NYC, 1495 presents a compelling collection of media spotlighting the rich diversity of New York City’s Muslim community. The short film and official exhibition trailer, 1495 X One Ummah, One Barrio, directed by Blasian Womack, weaves together the stories of both prominent and everyday members of this vibrant community. Featuring interviews by Villalba and Womack, the film offers a powerful window into a world in motion, complementing the exhibition and Villalba’s year-long research. Experience the full film on 1495’s Vimeo and YouTube, or watch in person tonight at El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109, Friday, August 21, 2026, for a landmark panel discussion on Alianza Islámica, the nation’s largest and most influential Latino Muslim organization.

Production Company: 1495 @fourteeninetyfive
Doc Cinematographer: Blasian Womack @blay.mw
Casting Director, Producer : Sumaya Bouhbal @sumaya__nazar
Portrait Photographer: Renee Simone @thereneesimone
Producer: Brooke D’Addio @brookedaddio
Wardrobe Coordination: Madison Rose @m4disonrose
Assistant Camera: Jordyn Malone @blastermooon
Lighting Department, Grip, Gaff: Stanley Ligon @_stanley_l by @maiaaaiaaa

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2 months ago

For three weeks this past August, a traveling exhibition archiving the history of the Alianza Islámica, was on view at @elbarriosartspace just blocks away from where the Alianza’s office once stood.

Arman Deendar visited the exhibit to understand the legacy of the work the Alianza did alongside Nuyorican Muslims from the late ‘80s through the early 2000s. Deendar says, “They were among the first Muslim organizations to perform ritual washing (ghusl) for Muslims who had died of HIV/AIDS. They ran GED and skills workshops, set up food distribution services, advocated for incarcerated Muslims, and established programs for Muslims recovering from addiction. In coalition with the Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn, whose members led patrols in the late 1980s to shut down drug houses in the neighborhood, the Alianza contributed to a security force that provided protective detail for the likes of Fidel Castro.”

Read their review at the link in bio. by @maiaaaiaaa

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17 days ago

curating is light work when you’re inspired by The Creator! #alhamdulillahforeverything taken in El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 by @maiaaaiaaa

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21 days ago

As the One Ummah, One Barrio: Alianza Islámica and the Legacy of the Muslim Nuyorican Revolution exhibition @elbarriosartspace came to a close, we wanted to highlight Artists for Puerto Rico member Alyssa Monet @alyssamonetnyc and her featured work, Bendiciones.

‘Bendiciones’ (2026) was originally conceptualized as a hand-sewn prayer rug made entirely out of bandanas.
Though the original work continues to develop,
the artist created this print to
express similar sentiments.
The bandana, a testament to Black culture,
forms the shape of the Puerto Rican flag with elements
of Islamic symbolism, reflecting the artist’s ethnic and
religious backgrounds.
Scattered elements beside the prayer rug represent the artist’s close-knit relationship between prayer, knowledge, culture, and resistance.
The title,
‘Bendiciones’
–meaning ‘blessings’ in Spanish–
is used as a greeting in Puerto Rican culture,
especially toward elders. It is part of the culture the artist holds dear since her conversion to Islam.

Alyssa Monet
Bendiciones, 2026
Digital Illustration
24 × 36 in.

Writer @raitahlikewriter described Bendiciones as “a painted poem,” noting the way Alyssa weaves the Puerto Rican flag, prayer, memory, and everyday objects into a work that “welcomes you home.”

We’re proud to celebrate Alyssa and the ways her work holds faith, identity, culture, and resistance all at once. Follow Alyssa’s work @augustmind.cs to stay updated!

Special shoutout to @maiaaaiaaa for curating @oneummahonebarrio and bringing together such a beautiful group of artists and stories. taken in El Barrio, East Harlem, New York by @maiaaaiaaa

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a month ago

As One Ummah, One Barrio: Alianza Islámica and the Legacy of the Muslim Nuyorican Revolution at @elbarriosartspace came to a close, we wanted to also highlight Artists for Puerto Rico founder Imán Abdul-Rassoul and her featured work, Tasbihat (تسبيحات).

Tasbihat (تسبيحات) (2026) is a photo series documenting an ongoing wearable textile sculpture series by Opiyel, the multidisciplinary art and design practice of artist Imán Abdul-Rassoul.

The work reimagines a New York Yankees fitted cap through Arabic calligraphy inspired by Islamic devotional traditions, crafted from leather and felt, alongside lace and beadwork inspired by the artist’s Puerto Rican and Lebanese heritage.

Photographed in the artist’s family home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, the work is modeled by her sister @ayahabdulr .
As daughters of a Puerto Rican migrant mother and Lebanese immigrant father, the series explores devotion, migration, ancestral memory, and the shared language of belonging between barrio and ummah.

Imán Abdul-Rassoul
Tasbihat (تسبيحات), 2026
Photo series + wearable textile sculpture

Imán’s work was also highlighted by @theindypendent and writer @raitahlikewriter, whose review Knowing Other Tribes singled out the Sultana cap as one of her favorite works from the exhibition.

We’re proud to celebrate Imán and the ways her work explores identity, faith, ancestral memory, migration, and belonging through adornment and storytelling. Follow her work @opiyel.co to stay updated!

Special shoutout again to @maiaaaiaaa for curating @oneummahoneybarrio and bringing together such a beautiful group of artists and stories. taken in El Barrio, East Harlem, New York by @maiaaaiaaa

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a month ago

Alhamdulillah! Thank you all for attending an unforgettable evening of Muslim Nuyorican history, art, and community care at the opening night ceremony of One Ummah, One Barrio: Alianza Islámica and the Legacy of the Muslim Nuyorican Revolution. There are THREE DAYS LEFT before we close on the lower level @elbarriosartspace, so please visit us this weekend from 9AM-9PM before it’s too late!

Since August 6, 2026, we’ve welcomed over 215 guests to our public programming events, including an artist showcase, featuring poetry readings, film screenings, and a community quilt-making workshop, where we successfully raised over $500 for Sudanese relief efforts.

Given the revolutionary spirit of Alianza Islámica, we also distributed 10 free copies of Alianza Islámica: Spanish Harlem’s Islamic Odyssey by authors Rahim Ocasio and Juan Galvan, and 5 copies of Boricua Muslims by Ken Chitwood, as part of our political education initiative for One Ummah, One Barrio. Thank you Juan and the team @utexaspress for providing essential literature to our vibrant community!

Moreover, we had the deep pleasure of hosting 6 vendors, including Papa Lolo NYC (@papalolonyc), HijabGlamour (@hijabglamour_), FlyGirlGoods (@flygirlgoods), Jorge “POPMASTER FABEL” Pabon, Palestine Skating Company (@palestineskatinggame), and Sazón & Scent (@sazonandscent), who generously donated 5 of of their deliciously aromatic candles to to the One Ummah, One Barrio community.

Lastly, we hosted a panel for the people, exploring first-hand accounts of the history of Alianza Islámica with former members and panelists such as Sultana Ocasio, Jorge “POPMASTER FABEL” Pabon, and discussed its broader legacy across the Muslim community in NYC with public historians, Asad Dandia (@asadfromnyc), Dr. Hisham Aidi, and spiritual leader, Imam Wesley Lebron (@thepuertoricanimam)!

More updates to come soon, but please enjoy these incredible film photos taken on opening night by esteemed public housing advocate, photographer, and friend, @dylandeluge!

#nycexhibition #muslimhistory #oneummahonebarrio #latinos taken in El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 by @maiaaaiaaa

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2 months ago

Knit Tilework Monobloc Chair. Designed, programmed, knit, and hand sewn for @oneummahonebarrio, @maiaaaiaaa’s archival exhibition on Alianza Islámica by @maiaaaiaaa

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2 months ago

Together with Ramona Jingru Wang (@ramonadai), 2026 Magnum Foundation Fellow (@magnumfoundation), “We Carry Each Other Home” is a 12-week documentary photography project which explores everyday practices of care in intergenerational Chinese immigrant families in New York City. Ramona is currently seeking submissions for the remainder of her fellowship, so please reach out to her for more details!

After my dear Agong, Tzen Chen, passed away in February, outliving my Lao Lao by nearly 25 years, my family and I rediscovered trunk loads of their Peking opera ephemera, from traditional Chinese costumes and makeup to even prop swords. In an effort to honor my grandparents, now guardian angels, and some of their most prized possessions, this photography project is a heartfelt ode to the very activity which led to their meet-cute and love story: Peking opera.

Hu Hung-yen Chen was a prominent Peking Opera dancer, singer, actress, and my Lao Lao—meaning grandmother in Mandarin. Trained at the nationally renowned Nanking Chinese Opera School, she rose to become a leading soloist with a traveling opera company and later the headmistress of a training school in Hong Kong during the 1950s. A highly skilled actress, acrobat, and mime, with masterful command of both the military and civil styles of Peking art drama, she built a career teaching and performing in university lecture halls, underground ballrooms, and publicly funded arts institutions across the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and major cities throughout the United States before immigrating to the country in 1961.

“More broadly, I’m exploring how care operates as a kind of infrastructure, something that is rarely seen but fundamentally holds families and communities together, and how photography can make that visible without simplifying or romanticizing it,” shares Ramona.

“I see this project as something that will evolve significantly through time, relationships, and feedback. While I’m beginning with a focused group of intergenerational Cantonese families, I expect the direction to deepen as trust builds, potentially shifting toward fewer families but more layered, long-term engagement with each.” taken in Chinatown, Lower Manhattan by @maiaaaiaaa

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4 months ago

Subhanallah! There are TWO days left to view One Ummah, One Barrio: Alianza Islámica and the Legacy of the Muslim Nuyorican Revolution until closing this Sunday, August 30. Please visit us @elbarriosartspace from 9AM-9PM, and take the elevator downstairs to the lower level at 215 East 99th Street, New York, NY.

🎥 Film photos are taken by one of our incredibly talented resident artists, Ikram Loutfi, who has two photographs on display. Check out her pieces, Knicks in Five and Knicks: Game One, and other powerful community submissions from One Ummah, One Barrio: A New Latino Muslim. taken in El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 by @maiaaaiaaa

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2 months ago

Together with Ramona Jingru Wang (@ramonadai), 2026 Magnum Foundation Fellow (@magnumfoundation), "We Carry Each Other Home" is a 12-week documentary photography project which explores everyday practices of care in intergenerational Chinese immigrant families in New York City. Ramona is currently seeking submissions for the remainder of her fellowship, so please reach out to her for more details!

After my dear Agong, Tzen Chen, passed away in February, outliving my Lao Lao by nearly 25 years, my family and I rediscovered trunk loads of their Peking opera ephemera, from traditional Chinese costumes and makeup to even prop swords. In an effort to honor my grandparents, now guardian angels, and some of their most prized possessions, this photography project is a heartfelt ode to the very activity which led to their meet-cute and love story: Peking opera.

Hu Hung-yen Chen was a prominent Peking Opera dancer, singer, actress, and my Lao Lao-meaning grandmother in Mandarin. Trained at the nationally renowned Nanking Chinese Opera School, she rose to become a leading soloist with a traveling opera company and later the headmistress of a training school in Hong Kong during the 1950s. A highly skilled actress, acrobat, and mime, with masterful command of both the military and civil styles of Peking art drama, she built a career teaching and performing in university lecture halls, underground ballrooms, and publicly funded arts institutions across the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and major cities throughout the United States before immigrating to the country in 1961.

"More broadly, I'm exploring how care operates as a kind of infrastructure, something that is rarely seen but fundamentally holds families and communities together, and how photography can make that visible without simplifying or romanticizing it," shares Ramona.

"I see this project as something that will evolve significantly through time, relationships, and feedback. While I'm beginning with a focused group of intergenerational Cantonese families, I expect the direction to deepen as trust builds, potentially shifting toward fewer families but more layered, long-term engagement with each." taken in Chinatown, Lower Manhattan by @maiaaaiaaa

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4 months ago