Mulling over the title of this installment, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” I initially thought, how does a fence, a structure designed to keep something out, reinforce the ideas of immigration and embracing good neighbors? Visiting the various structure was enlightening. Walking along Washington Square Park, I noticed something quite interesting about the installments of Ai Weiwei: from each angle there is an experience. Starting with the lampposts, the banners that hang from them are unique in the way that they can be viewed from either side while each banner remains consistent. Weiwei took these photos of hundreds, if not thousands, of different immigrants across an entire socio-economic spectrum; yet, they are all represented in the same form. They are all unified in the same fashion. 
The second photo taken was the same type of installment as the first, but the idea behind the actual photograph seems to differ greatly. This banner shows smiling children looking towards a bright future, whereas the other illustrates the hardships of immigration, the hardships of leaving a home behind. This made me consider my own place in society and those around me and think about the possibility of having to uproot a life. But at the end of the day those barriers that differentiate immigration create a beauty in understanding the whole. In this sense, the good fence makes the good neighbor. 
The final installment that I visited, and by far my most favorite, was the Arch at the entrance of Washington Square Park. From far, the path through the arch itself seemed like any other, but looking inside, Weiwei’s narrative became quite clear. The walls of the inside are distorted mirrors, like those of a fun house. Seeing the people around me and their reflections in the mirror like some sort of embrace, transformed the security-like aspects of the Arch into a unifying factor. The wires of a prison-like fence became symbol of unity for good neighbors, whether they are from this country or another one. 
Weiwei certainly did an amazing job engaging the community surrounding his pieces, as they are all relatively simple to understand, appreciate, and interact with. It is this aspect that I would aim to capture in an installment of my own. Ideally, the installment would bring awareness to the Inclusion movement, a movement dedicated to bringing awareness, acceptance, and accommodation to people of all abilities. They would be placed throughout the city in places everyone visits, in places that we often pass by without notice and are ignorant of the struggles they present to others. One such location would be decrepit street curbs that can no longer accommodate those in wheelchairs. Perhaps I would mend it, and somehow create a piece of art out of it with the use of colors to draw attention to it. Often, people are looking down while on their phones, so they will come to notice such locations. Another such location may be the train platforms that lack elevators. Along the stairs, I would paint a world of inclusion and the coexistence of all people of all abilities. Perhaps the paradox may bring about some questioning and, along with it, change. Another aspect may be a sculpture of something caged in wide-open area, such as a park, although those locations are quite limited throughout the city, to illustrate that while living in such an open-minded world, some are still living restricted by societal notions. I would want people to see things that seem to be out of place and question their purpose, for it is only in asking questions that a person receives answers and becomes aware. I believe this idea is essential to raising awareness to any issue. There has to be some means by which the public’s attention is captured; it is only then can we expect to see change throughout society and within ourselves.
Grace Kassin
Your relation of the artwork to the plight of immigrants is spot-on and I believe Ai himself would be thrilled to see such great thinking stem from his art. Your ideas regarding fences being inherently unfriendly also isn’t shabby. Wonderful stuff!
Grace,
I loved your interpretation of the Arch in Washington Square Park as a symbol of unity in our world. Your connection between the wired lines of the arch and the those of a prison cell was truly insightful. I completely agree with this idea as well. As all of the people observing the arch collect underneath it, we are all placed in the same reflection. We are one community in New York and in the world which I think is a really beautiful thing to think about.
Grace,
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to walk through Ai Weiwei’s journey of artwork with you. You stopped and truly analyzed every piece and explained how you felt about it. After reading your blog, I am amazed that you were able to take what you said while we were walking and reflect on it on a deeper level than you had before. Your thoughts about the second lamppost you picked really speak to me. I think that in this day and age we assume we can get everything so quickly and get annoyed at the smallest thing, but then we look at these kids who were going through a much more difficult time than we are and they’re able to smile. I think that teaches us all an extremely valuable lesson. I also really enjoyed reading the description of the installment you would create. I think inclusion is so important and your idea would bring a lot of awareness towards it. Great work!