In the last few years we’ve seen the busy intersection respond to the perceived needs of City residents and tourists alike: once traffic-heavy avenues have been transformed into spaces for those who want to kick back, sit down, and surf the net (yes, there’s free wifi in Times Square). What we’ve also seen in this commerce-heavy district is an increasingly intimate relationship with Art. Public Art. From Paul Ramirez Jonas’ Key to the City to the Fashion Center’s Sidewalk Catwalk, The Times Square Alliance has seemingly placed Public Art at the top of their agenda.

Their latest offering? The Department of Transportation (DOT) commissioned “Cool Water, Hot Island,” by Brooklyn-based artist Molly Dilworth. The 50,000 square foot sidewalk painting on the asphalt winding through pedestrian plazas was created to invoke…what else? A river. Various shades of blue create a ripple effect that the DOT hopes will not only help to cool down the city streets–”the design’s color palette of striking blues and lighter hues reflects more sunlight and absorbs less heat,” they say–but also provide a sense of aesthetic balance, “a compelling counterpoint to the reds, oranges and yellows of the area’s signature marquees an billboards.”

“Cool Water, Hot Island” stretches from 42nd street to 47th street and is set to grace the square until the DOT begins construction of permanent pedestrian plazas by 2012. Check back in the coming days for more news about the (so far very successful) marriage between times square and public art.

Signing Off,
Alina and Jordana

Whew!

I’m a sucker for Art that asks question (think Key to the City‘s, “how public is public space?”) which is why I feel particularly excited about the Public Art Fund’s latest offering. When I think of a statue, Rodin’s “The Thinker” and Michaelangelo’s Pieta come to mind. Statue-making is an art form steeped in tradition which raises the question, what does it mean for something to be “statuesque” in our modern times? Is it inextricably linked, a reference to, a bygone era to which we no longer have access? With Statuesque, the Public Art Fund has brought together six artists to create works that tip their hats to classical sculpture both through their use of traditional materials and the depiction of the human body while simultaneously subverting the form. Sculpture is brought out from the realm of the purely representational and into one of “myth, dream and fantasy.” Interesting stuff! Please drop us a line telling us about your experience with Statuesque down in City Hall Park.

This Wednesday, the 21st, Emerging Leaders of New York Arts will be hosting a Creative Conversation on impact of Public Art called “Public (Art x Space).” I know I’ll be in attendance. All the need-to-know information is below. It promises to be a lively and informative evening.

In recent years, New York City has become a major locus for exploring the role of art in public spaces, art as public space, and the art of public space. These valuable initiatives represent not only a means for engaging and developing vibrant communities, but give us new ways to think about managing the arts. For this Creative Conversation, four local champions in public art practice will share behind-the-scenes cases of projects they have managed; reflecting on motivations, strategies for success, and lessons learned as advocates for dynamic, livable cities.

Panelists:
David Koren, Executive Producer, Figment
Lauren Ross, Curator and Director of Arts Programs, The High Line
Representative from Department of Transportation, Urban Art Program

Moderated by:
Katie Denny, North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition

Wednesday, April 21, 6:30pm
WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space
44 Charlton Street (at Varick Street)

The conversation continues after the panel!
9:00 pm at the Dog Ear Tavern, 333 Hudson Street (at Charlton Street) with an ELNYA Happy Hour!

Participate!  $10 suggested cash donation at the door.
RSVP here: http://tinyurl.com/cc-public-art

Garish billboards are no stranger to Los Angeles– there’s even a non-profit organization, Ban Billboard Blight, dedicated to protecting the landscape against their takeover– and as the Art Production Fund did with taxi-tops earlier this year in NYC, so did the MAK Center for Art and Architecture with 21 billboards scattered throughout West Hollywood with their How Many Billboards? Art In Stead initiative.

Kimberli Meyer, Director of the MAK Center, feel about billboards as we at ArtBridge feel about blank panel scaffolding. In her words, “Los Angeles public space begs for smart art to break up the monotony of everyday media fare.” Amen. Have a look below at some of the pieces that were part of the campaign. Smart indeed.

Beautifying the City’s many public spaces has been on our minds since the founding of ArtBridge in the Fall of 2008 and we’re happy to know that it’s a top priority for the Department of Transportation, too. Just this week, they released a Request for Proposals for their latest initiative, reNEWable Times Square. Like ArtBridge, they are looking for artists to propose “surface treatments” for public space. The difference? While ArtBridge uses the surface panels of construction sheds that hang above street level as its canvas, reNEWable Times Square seeks to transform the asphalt surfaces beneath our feet.

Visit the reNEWable Times Square page within the Department of Transportation website for more information or download the Request for Proposals directly from the ArtBridge blog by clicking HERE. We look forward to seeing what innovative design scheme is ultimately chosen to be realized at the “Crossroads of the Universe.”

Since the 2007 launch of their “Re:Construction” initiative, our friends at the Alliance for Downtown New York have been channeling “the energy of Downtown’s rebuilding process by recasting construction sites as canvasses for innovative public art and architecture.” Their most recent installation, “Walking Men 99,” by photographer Maya Barkai, will be unveiled at 99 Church street on Saturday and features images of 99 variations of the internationally-known Walking Man, the symbol by which pedestrians the world over are guided to safety as they cross from one street to the next. Curated by ADA Art Consulting, the installation cleverly references the pedestrian experience (each walking man is life-size and on street level) and acts as a larger-than-life address marker; 99 men for 99 Church Street. Congratulations to the Elizabeth Berger, President of the Alliance, ADA Art Consulting and artist Maya Barkai for turning such a compelling idea into a fully realized Public Art Project.

The title of this post says it all. Have a look for yourself HERE.

Seen any other public art around the City captured with Street View? Send us your screen shots and we’ll post a few of our favorites next week!

Looking for something different to do this week? Why not stop by the American Institutes of Architects this Thursday evening to see the finalists present their proposals for the re-imagining of the urban shed? Over 150 individuals and design teams responded to the AIA’s Fall ’09 call for entries and after a rigorous juried selection process, just three finalists were selected. We’ll certainly be there so show our support (and to check out the 20 other entries that will be on display). Hope to see you there!

When: Thursday, January 7th. 6-8PM
Where: The Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place, NYC

Happy New Year public art makers and appreciators! Our friends over at Public Art Fund have recently put out a call for entries for In the Public Realm 2010, a program that, according to their website, is “designed to champion innovative public art projects by New York-based emerging artists.”

As we know from our March ’09 installation, the effect that art has when exhibited in the public sphere is very different from that of work shown in galleries and studios and all applicants to In the Public Realm “are encouraged to submit an application that considers how to translate his or her specific studio practice and interests into a new public artwork.”

The deadline for submissions is February 16th. Head on over to the Call For Entries section of PAF’s website for all the details. And Good Luck!