The city’s construction sites will soon be easy on the eyes as artists compete to beautify the most unlikely spots for the urbancanvas Design Competition.
Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri and Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin are inviting professional artists and designers to use construction fences, sidewalk sheds, supported scaffolds and cocoon systems as a canvas for their inspirations.
Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the competition is meant to “bring the beauty back to our buildings and encourage developers to maintain their sites in a safe manner,” said LiMandri. Registration is open until July 19.
Eligible submissions, called an Artwork Package, should include five individual designs that can be displayed both as a unit and individually. Winning designs will have the flexibility to be installed at a variety of construction sites, which often have more than one type of temporary structure up at the same time. The artwork should also appeal to a diverse audience of all ages and cultural backgrounds.
LiMandri and Levin hope the new aesthetics will complement the functionality of renovation. “Construction is vital to keeping our city’s economic engines running, but the temporary structures needed to protect New Yorkers during construction can become a nuisance to neighbors” said LiMandri.
Four winners will receive an award of $7,500, made possible by a generous grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization committed to public-private partnerships throughout NYC.
“The Rockefeller Foundation has long believed that creative expression is central to both New York City’s identity and economy, and we are excited to seize on this opportunity to further enhance New York City’s image by combining that unique and cherished creativity with building, construction and architecture that is a vital economic engine,” said Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin.
Each Artwork Package will initially be judged by a group of world renowned artists, designers and civic decision makers: Polly Apfelbaum, Dan Brodsky, Ignacio Ciocchini, Carl Galioto, Sagi Haviv, Jennifer McGregor, Eddie Torres, Robert LiMandri, Kate D. Levin, Paula Scher and Susanna Sirefman.
They will select between six to eight submissions to send to the Design Commission for review. Once approved, the public is encouraged to vote for their favorite designs at www.nyc.gov/urbancanvas.
