 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
While galleries in Chelsea, SoHo, and Williamsburg struggle to keep their doors open during the current recession and museums across New York make staff cuts to counter the loss to their endowments by the stock market collapse, a new destination is gathering attention and establishing a track record as a free, exciting venue for new art. The name of this new art hot spot is Governors Island, and over the past four years it has been the site for avant-garde exhibitions, installations, performances, and a variety of other alternative events.
Located in the New York Harbor, just minutes by ferry from Manhattan and Brooklyn, Governors Island was first settled by the Dutch in 1611, when it was called Noten Eylant (Island of Nuts,) and later taken over by the British as the home for the New Yorkfs royal governors, where it got the name Governors Island. It was later turned into a military base, which it remained for more than 200 years. The homes and buildings of the former military outpost now house contemporary art and the islandfs parks and lawns have become sites for adventurous sculptures, installations, and performances.
The Public Art Fund (PAF) commissioned one of the first projects related to the island in 2004, when it sent photographers Lisa Kereszi and Andrew Moore there to document whatever they desired. The following year, PAF sponsored The Muster, a one-day project by Allison Smith that featured folksy, military-inspired events, such as mock battles, quilting bees, and soapbox speeches. FIGMENT, a festival of emerging art and fun, which is roughly based on the famous, carefree Burning Man festival in California, followed in 2007 and continues to the present, offering all kinds offbeat art activities.
Creative Time has also joined the art pack on the island this year, presenting PLOT, a public art quadrennial that features projects by 19 international artists. The Dutch are also back this summer, as the city celebrates the 400th anniversary of the discovery of New Amsterdam, which later became New York, with the New Island Festival, that celebrates visual and performance art. Meanwhile, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council is working on a plan to bring artist studios to the island, which would make it not only a destination for seeing art, but also one where art is made.
Governors Island is open to the public Friday through Sunday from May 30 to October 11, 2009. For more information see http://www.govisland.com
|
|
|
|
