Public Projects On Display Sept. 27
Thirty temporary projects with artistic elements located outdoors on Queens streets will be part of Queens Art Intervention Day, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, with a rain date of Saturday, Oct. 4.
It is the brainchild of the Rego Park Green Alliance, a nonprofit studio that uses creativity to address complex community problems.
“Queens is incredibly diverse,” said alliance executive director Yvonne Shortt, “and that diversity translates into immense creativity.”
There will be interventions meant to be contemplated like Uraline Hager’s “Revolving Door,” an installation that asks the audience to consider the school-to-jail pipeline. And, installations that are more interactive like Niizeki Hiromi’s “Poketto,” which asks, “If you could find anything you like in a pocket, what would it be?”
The answers can be revealing. For example, one person might ask for bubbles while another asks for a new home after the tsunami.
There are other exhibitions that try to make a difference; for instance Stat Girl, a super hero who “tells it like it is” on Queens Boulevard, often referred to as the Boulevard of Death. This superhero provides locationspecific accident statistics while encouraging the viewing audience to “Be Safe.” Then there are hands-on projects like Costal Resilience and Placemaking by GREENSPACENYC & Operation Resilient Long Island.
This is the pilot year for the program and, in the coming years, Shortt hopes to expand the event to over 150 interventions lasting four days.
“We had over 160 submissions in its pilot year and we had only funding for 25,” said Clarissa James, a selection committee member from the Divas for Social Justice organization.
For the Rego Park Green Alliance, it’s important to have creative programs across Queens to benefit all Queens communities and the artists as well. Participating artists get the chance to network and help each other. They share ideas, materials, and experiences.
One artist even helped another secure less expensive insurance for her installation. The Queens Art Intervention is an example of the impact that can occur when diverse people come together.
The Rego Park Green Alliance is committed to translating that impact over time into more interventions and more opportunities for creative people in the borough of Queens.
To see all of the interventions and their locations go to Rego Park Green Alliance, or to download a map listing all the events, visit their website, www.regoparkgreenalliance.org.
