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

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:

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
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