Curating Public Narratives 2018: October 2018

Course Description

This course will investigate the ways in which artists have presented narratives in the public realm and the organizations that have made the presentation of those works central to their curatorial practices over the last 40 years. Focusing on recent works presented in New York’s public spaces by Creative Time, The Public Art Fund, the Percent for Art Program, Arts for Transit and other non-profits organizations, this course will look at what it meant to tell stories and open discourses that challenged or interrogated widely-held value systems, the events and the politics of their time. In addition to the specifics of current and other key works and projects, we will discuss the conditions that governed the development of public performance, temporary and permanent installations, the ways in which those works were influenced by public approval processes and governmental agencies, media coverage and community response. Each student’s final project will be an on-line proposal for an exhibition that conveys a “narrative“ developed in the context of this course, referencing other relevant works .

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Project Proposal: West Village

Cities within the city: I propose a project in which the city is juxtaposed against itself. I would like to explore and contest neighborhood identity and its visual language. To do this, I would use wheat paste posters, sidewalk graffiti, stickers, and other media like this that is easy to place and does not interfere with what is allowed within the space (as these are media already used by advertisers and common in the space). I would like to create an immigrant city within the West Village, a city of outsiders, overlaying images of sidewalks in other places onto sidewalks in the village. Walls onto walls. Buildings onto buildings. Plants. Photographs of corners and people and life in other places. Life of other places in other places.

Narratives + Project Ideation + Organizations

The community I am focusing on is the West Village from 14th to Houston Street on the side of the Hudson river. The neighborhood is mostly composed of townhouses with the exception of a couple of buildings. The people seem to be mostly older and white or families, a lot of them have pets. Issues that I identify to work around are:

Absence/emptiness: the community seems very quiet and into their own routines, there are some restaurants and commercial activity in the area but they are mostly smaller and upper scale. I could work around revealing this silence in the neighborhood through a project.
Bubble: the area seems like a city within a city, it seems disconnected from the realities most New Yorkers live. The community seems to have everything they need/use close by and not be very familiar with other areas of the city, other demographics, other realities.
History: as evidenced by the murals in the Christopher St. station, the history (particularly queer history) has been straight, cis, and white washed from the space. There are small reminders in places but no evident recognition at large.

Organizations in area:

Government:

Community Board 2 - 11 committees
http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb2/html/home/home.shtml
NYPD 6h precinct
NYC District Council

Cultural:

Westbeth
IFC
Whitney
Stonewall Inn
Cherry Lane Theater
New Ohio Theater

Public:

The High Line
Corporal John Seravalli Playground
Abingdon Square
Bleecker Playground
James J Walker Park
Piers

Other:

Brooklyn Fare
Gansevoort Market

Project Research: Lacey and Monica

Early Narrative Idea: The narrative I'd like to explore is the role of women in New York city. I am drawing inspiration from the recent hearings of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
and nomination of Brett Kavanaugh and the result that this whole situation has had on our country. I think that I'd specifically focus on this newfound idea of how men
"should now be afraid" around women and what that means for both men and women and for people who agree and disagree with that sentiment and why. The highly liberal
nature of the city may make it difficult to get an even comparison of people for and against Kavanaugh and their thoughts on the issue. Looking into the effects of the Women's
Walkout against Kavanaugh may be interesting in order to get some statistics on the beliefs women (and men) in the city and the detriments of their leaving their workspaces.

What hasn’t already been said about the case?
“men/boys should be afraid”

Location (flexible): 148 W 14th St (between 6th and 7th Ave)

Possible Pieces:

Physical interactive sculpture that somehow incorporates a survey of how people feel about the situation
Mural

Combine illustration and communication design skills
of or including QR code leading viewers to ??
Intersection: use corners of 4 buildings on intersection

Maybe make a 360 image
Or 4 people talking to each other across the intersections

Statistics on male sexual assault

“The real #HimToo is that men are more likely to be sexually assaulted than falsely accused” @amandawallwin on Twitter

Research:

What projects have already come out of #MeToo?
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/downloads/pdf/NYC%20Public%20Art%20Links.pdf
Callen Lorde (lesbian/gay health center)
Anti-Violence project
Get info at Lesbian/Gay Community Center

Stats on sexual assault and men

Look at women as perpetrators
List of specific questions

Look at Anthony’s interview project

Netflix: Nanette, Hannah Gadsby
https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/04/male-rape-in-america-a-new-study-reveals-that-men-are-sexually-assaulted-almost-as-often-as-women.html
https://1in6.org/get-information/the-1-in-6-statistic/
Sexual Violence Statistics https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sexual-assault-statistics_us_58e24c14e4b0c777f788d24f

Chelsea Demographics

Pretty even split of men and women
https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/New-York/New-York/Chelsea/Race-and-Ethnicity
Crime Statistics in Chelsea: https://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Chelsea-New_York/5061/crime/

Statistics in general:

Goals

Increase public knowledge and understanding

Existing #MeToo Projects/Activity

Museums exhibiting works of artists accused of sexual misconduct

“How #MeToo is changing the way museums do exhibits” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StVK_pvctGY
“How Should Museums Deal with Art by Alleged Harassers?” https://walkerart.org/magazine/soundboard-me-too-sexual-harrassment-tyler-green

“The #MeToo Moment: Art Inspired by the Reckoning” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/us/reader-art-inspired-by-the-metoo-moment-sexual-harassment.html
https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/visualarts/Two-art-exhibits-tackle-social-issues-MeToo-and-Palestine_171179685
“Turning Pain into Art for Women’s History Month” https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article204250389.html
Couldn’t find much art from male victims’ perspective***

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Scott Bowlby - Project

Flashing Lights

My project will consist of the creation of the cube-like structure that I will place in the area of the of the cub I was possibly even thinking of covering the cube. The cube would have white walls. They can be dull during the day but as the sun starts to go down the light and project on the inside will turn on. I randomly generate time the project will turn on a play some censored content, but during this time it will as turn on UV Sheild which will block camera, as when individual try to take a picture their camera will be blocked to promote the censorship. I believe that with this structure I can make a commentary on the internet as well as censor topic from around the globe to bring attention and the block will repeat it character through the night for people to see. I main issue that I’m going to have will be putting a structure around the screen and projects. The other problem will be dealing with the possibility of traffic with bright lights and the chance of there being a traffic issue based on the light that is going to be shown. Some of the issue that could be raised and global problems that are arising around the world to a local issue like the metoo movement. Content that has been censored by the internet, or the Brazilian election. Or children book that is altered to make a point of the way away from love and passion. I want the sight to be beautiful to the people in the area and the tourist that are going through the city, as this will spread the word of the topic that is being shown. As more people that are seeing the project the better chance of their people that want to look through into the matter that is being presented.

https://archives.cjr.org/cover_story/21st_century_censorship.php

Food Instillation - Natasha & Huzaima

NYC overtime has become a huge hub for new and innovative cuisines. As a result of that, and the diversity of cultures in the city, we have seen an increase in the popularity of "street food" and "to-go foods". Food and gathering for a meal has always been an act in which brings people and communities together. Restaurants, food halls, markets, food festivals, and even street carts are often spaces in which we see many gather and meet. However, the common trend in the food industry, specifically in NYC, has been to stereotype appetite based on how much you can pay. We believe that food should be accessible to everyone, our installation wants to target and break the concept of food “stereotyping” and increase the social mobility and awareness of food equality. This public installation, though accepting donations of recycled materials and found objects, celebrates inclusivity and equal opportunity. Our target location is the Flatiron District, from 18th st until 30th, spanning across Lexington Avenue until 6th Avenue. The Flatiron district is a dynamic hub for retail, business, and restaurants; It is considered a central meeting point in the city where communities come together to enjoy their amenities. Through collaborations with different local restaurants and chains, we would like to partner and grant more food access to the public. As stated above, through donations into this installation, there will be an exchange where the individual will receive a coupon to redeem at local food vendors. Our mission is to bring people from all economic and social status together to celebrate and enjoy food as it is a human right.

Permits / Requirements

General Street Vendor License

General Vendor Distributor

Flatiron District - 18th st → 30th st

- Lexington → 6th Ave