To be a foreigner - one who is defined as "not from here" - often means unknowingly breaking rigid social and cultural rules.

Definitions of these social and cultural standards often say a lot about the "native" society. Outlining national identities has proven to be a subject of global political interest - the French government has put up a website forum advising what it means to be French; the Russian government has recently focused on defining "Russian Identity"; and here in the United States "what it means to be an American" is loudly and frequently discussed on national television.

As the proverbial "Land of Opportunity," the United States has always had a steady stream of new Americans.

For their Cultural Tips For New Americans project, Alina and Jeff Bliumis gathered advice to help recent arrivals assimilate and understand their new home. The artists took advice from published guides, public forums, streets questionnaires, social websites, and friends.

Alina and Jeff Bliumis have illustrated these tips and created posters to be placed on telephone kiosks on the Bowery and in Chinatown and Soho, from May 1 to May 28, 2011.

Accompanying the street-level posters, the artists are also producing a handbook of 8 tips.

Alina and Jeff engaged with the lower east side community and gathered one hundred and four new "cultural tips" from visitors, in exchange for their handbook on Saturday May 7, 2011 at NoLongerEmpty booth / Rivington and Chrystie Streets NYC, during the Festival of Ideas for the New City organized by the New Museum

CULTURAL TIPS takeaway at Toomer Labzda gallery, NYC. November 4 - December 16, 2012

Inhabiting the gallery as a procession of objects, a gift shop of sorts. Each of one hundred and four tips, gathered during the Festival of Ideas for the New City, claimed an international souvenir stripped of color and ethnic identity.

There were one hundred and four objects, for one hundred and four tips, for one hundred and four dollars each - with the aim that each tip would be acquired and taken from the gallery before the exhibition closes.

Thus bringing the project full circle and presenting the cultural tips back to the local lower east side community from which they derived.

History of the project: Alina and Jeff started Cultural Tips For New Americans project in 2009 and t created eight cast foam objects in a shape of an open book. Every object has a tip and illustration. Those objects were part of our Casual Conversations in Brooklyn exhibition at Black and White Project Space, Brooklyn, March - May 2009. After seeing public reaction to the work and receiving a steady stream of new "cultural tips" from visitors they decide to proceed with an idea of placing the project in the public realm.

This performance/variable media art work was made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Major support of the Franklin Furnace Fund was provided in 2010-11 by the Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation and Jerome Foundation. This project was also made possible by the Center Without Walls project of COJECO, funded by the UJA-Federation of NY and Genesis Philanthropy Group. This work is produced by No Longer Empty for the About Face exhibition, part of The Festival of Ideas for the New City, organized by The New Museum.