Art in Odd Places

Carolina Mayorga, AiOP 2011 artist, is making soup! Make a donation to her Kickstarter campaign

2012-01-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

Make a donation here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1396760857/the-la-times-food-cart

You are invited || Flora Choi's Daeng'gi Kimchi Factory - Opening Reception Dec. 22

2011-12-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

Flora Choi, Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, has an upcoming exhibition at Cuchifritos Gallery and Project Space. The opening reception will be on Dec. 22 from 5 to 7 pm. Flora's work will be on display until January 15. Flora talked to us about her work:

Daeng'gi Kimchi Factory - Dec. 22

"Daeng'gi Kimchi Factory is a performance--installation piece where I will be taking chopped off daeng'gi braids ( a traditional Korean hairstyle that was once worn by adolescent girls) for cabbage, and make my own special version of kimchi. This piece confronts the male-dominated traditions of the past and investigates the state of women in Korea today. This piece will be accompanied by several live performances"

Performance Dates are as follows:
Dec 22- 5-7pm,
                                                  Dec. 30 3-4pm,
                                                  Jan 6, 3-4pm, and
                                                  Jan 13 3-4pm.

CUCHIFRITOS Gallery and Project Space is located at 120 Essex Street, inside Essex Street Market between Rivington and Delancey Street.

We are very excited for your exhibition, Flora! See you on Dec. 22 for the opening

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: SOCIAL MEDIA POSITION AT ART IN ODD PLACES 2012

2011-12-08T18:32:00.001-08:00

There are currently open volunteer positions to join the Art in Odd Places team.

http://www.idealist.org/view/volop/WKB4TNH579h4/

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR / INTERN

Art in Odd Places (AiOP) presents visual and performance art in unexpected public spaces. AiOP also produces an annual festival along 14th Street in Manhattan, NYC from Avenue C to the Hudson River each October. Art in Odd Places' mission is to stretch the boundaries of communication in the public realm by presenting artworks in all disciplines outside the confines of traditional public space regulations. AiOP reminds us that public spaces function as the epicenter for diverse social interactions and the unfettered exchange of ideas.

We are seeking a dynamic and creative social media coordinator who can assist our PR strategy and further our branding within the NYC arts community. Ideal candidates must have a strong interest in arts and/or public art; have flexibility and the initiative to work both independently and as part of a team, have demonstrated familiarity across different social media platforms and possess excellent communication and writing skills. This opportunity will allow you the freedom to create/implement strategies and establish digital relationships to boost the organization's online presence. Check out our past festivals and press at www.artinoddplaces.org

AiOP is a grassroots organization with no office so candidate must be prepared to work from home and have computer/cell phone availability. Ideal candidate must commit until the end of the AiOP festival in mid October 2012.

HOW TO APPLY
To apply please send an email and your resume to artinoddplaces@gmail.com

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CALL FOR PROPOSAL | Un-Space Ground - Deadline: Nov. 27, 2011

2011-11-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

College Arts Association Conference

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Ed Woodham of Art in Odd Places (NYC) and Deborah Oliver of Performance Exchange (LA) invite artists working with visual and performance strategies to propose projects for Un-Space Ground, a visual and performance event that is part of ART IN THE PUBLIC REALM, presented by ARTSpace at the 100th annual College Arts Association Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Saturday, February, 25, 2012.

Projects selected will be part of Un-Space Ground: The unvisited, unnamed, and uninhabited empty areas beneath the normally used parts of the urban landscape. We seek to program site-specific social and spatial interventions, performances, and new media that will activate spaces outside the Convention Center entrance and selected inside spaces.

The Un-Space Ground presentations will be coordinated with three panel sessions as part of the ARTSpace day long program "ART IN THE PUBLIC REALM", which will explore themes of activism and intervention, the environment, eco-systems and sustainable practices. Plus the role of artists and designers as dynamic catalysts in social and civic life, and how they can “feed innovative ideas into the bloodstream of society” through strategies and processes that activate the public arena.

Photos of LA Convention Center can be found at http://caasitephotos.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

For application and full guidelines visit http://artinoddplaces.org/Unspace.php

Proposal Deadline: November 27, 2011 Midnight

Curators: Ed Woodham (AiOP) and Deborah Oliver (Performance Exchange)

YOU ARE INVITED | "Parts and Labor" opening November 4 at Abrons Art Center

2011-11-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Parts and Labor
November 4 - December 23, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, November 4 | 6-8pm

The Abrons Arts Center is proud to present Parts and Labor, an exhibition presenting the work of five New York City-based artists - Daniel Bejar, Cecilia Biagini, Juanli Carrión, Jonathan Durham, and Noah Loesberg. These artists allude to machinery, technology and architecture through a series of geometric and non-objective compositions, tracing back to the Suprematism and Constructivism movements by the Russian avant-garde at the time of the fall of the tsarist regime. Through the use of industrial materials and motifs the artists salvage the wreckage from a years-long global recession and explore a promise of utopia and utility.

The radical change following the October Revolution inspired a rational, social function for art, emphasizing the artist as engineer. This exhibition adopts those principles, referencing the calls for democracy and economic reform in the social uprisings across the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Formally engaging the Brutalist architecture of the Abrons gallery and adjacent amphitheater, the artists yield essence over representation and process over product.

In his Realistic Manifesto Naum Gabo saw the Revolution as the beginning of a renewal of human values. As demonstrations flourish in Manhattan's Wall Street and across the globe demanding economic reform, Parts and Labor looks to Constructivism and its examination of the fundamental properties of art and its place in the coming society.

Parts and Labor is curated by Adrian Geraldo Saldaña and part of the series Prized Vernacular, a platform for three exhibitions opening concurrently at the Abrons Arts Center that deconstruct a vernacular “everyday.” In light of the global economic recession, ordinary objects are presented as radicalized—prisms to a common unequally shared or realized. Reflecting cultural and economic difference, Prized Vernacular investigates this “new normal.”

Abrons Arts Center
466 Grand Street (at Pitt St.)
New York, NY 10002
www.abronsartscenter.org

Join AiOP favorite, LuLu LoLo, for a fundraiser this Saturday at Flux Factory

2011-10-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

Insect Exotica LuLu LoLo Crowns Habitable Spaces Halloween Fundraiser Party

At Flux Factory - 39-31 29th Street Long Island City, NY 11101
Saturday, October 29
6pm – 2am
Art Auction: 6pm-10pm

http://www.habitablespaces.org/halloween-party/

In the spirit of Habitable Spaces Insect Exotica LuLu LoLo will harvest the audience for materials to create a sculptured headpiece celebrating Habitable Spaces, assisted by the multi-talented Marissa Hiller. The sculptured headpiece will be on sale to benefit Habitable Spaces. http://www.habitablespaces.org/
So come to support Alison Ward and Shane Heinemeier’s Habitable Spaces project at Flux Factory.
http://www.fluxfactory.org/events/habitable-spaces/

"Wash" "Closely" as AiOP 2011 artist , Michael Borowski, shares his festival experience

2011-10-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Michael Borowski

Wash/Closely

Photo provided by Michael Borowski

During the week of Art in Odd Places, exhibiting Wash/Closely, which dealt with rituals of the domestic bathroom, acquired the rituals of daily labor. Each morning I would arrive at Wix lounge at 10am. If I hit rush hour and the trains were packed, I would be late. Not that anyone seemed to mind. The mornings were slow. I think we both hoped for more of an audience. I had only one intentional visit during the week, from a group of dutiful Parsons undergraduates. At noon I would leave for a lunch break. The first day of the exhibition I could barely eat because I was so nervous about the public response to my work. My thoughts were focused on a potentially ambivalent or even aggressive public, or even being asked to leave by the police. I should have been worried about the transportation. Moving the human-sized sculpture, on its four indoor casters, down heavily trafficked sidewalks, and across cracked asphalt streets, was no easy task.

Each day at 1pm I would walk alongside my sculpture, rolling at a snails pace. My eyes were fixed on ground in front of me, looking out for cracks or bumps that might catch my wheels. It was physically exhausting. Once I reached 14th street, I would set up the piece, take a few photographs, and then pass the hours watching people’s interactions. Most people walking past gave it an odd look, doing a double take as they passed. I heard a few people say “What’s a sink doing in the middle of the street?” or “Only in New York!”. But every so often someone would briefly stop to look at him or herself in the mirror. They did it without asking what it was, or to whom it belonged to. It didn’t matter that it was a sculpture, or part of the Art in Odd Places festival. The sink and mirror were familiar enough. These brief moments contained everything I hoped my work would address: people exhibiting a level of vulnerability that comes with fixing your hair in the mirror, and a willingness to perform these subtle, intimate rituals in public.

Call this one "Shapes in Odd Places"

2011-10-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Remember that previous blog entry about an open letter from a mother whose kids thoroughly enjoyed the Art in Odd Places festival?

Well the kids were truly inspired by outdoor art and decided to create their own. Looks like we found our next artists for the following Art in Odd Places festivals. May I introduce you to Nora (age 6) and Josie (age 3). They call this piece "Shapes in Odd Places"

This made our day! Thank you very much.

All photo credit by Alex Lando

If these cocoons could talk, what would it say? You better read this entry then

2011-10-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

There was no question "Cocoon Sojourn" was one of the many memorable performances during the festival. You saw those colorful cocoons move, and possibly heard them whimper. Sherry Aliberti of @CocoonNYC shares her Art in Odd Places experience.

The Cocoons (Sherry Aliberti in the back) photo credit Mila Matveeva

Depending on who is inside the Cocoon, the public is engaged in many ways. The "fixtures" of the city like telephone booths, bike racks, bikes and our favorite, scaffolding, become things to interact with. The performance-installation is defined by how we occupy physical space at our own human scale. When three humans perform in the Cocoon, it becomes a temporary installation. Others must move through this same space that the Cocoon has been "installed in/at." They can stay in a pack, interacting with each other or spread out so passersby meet each one separately. Each performer brings something new to the Cocoon Project, and I am beginning to call them "muses" rather than performers because people are amused by the performance, they have a hard time looking away, even interrupting their path or phone conversation to explain what they are witnessing, snap a picture, or just watch. Yes, that's right, this project can even stop traffic without even setting foot off the sidewalk. People will watch from the bus, they will cross the street to get closer. They will follow us for a block, pose for a picture, dance with us or even tickle our feet.

Photo credit by Alex Gryger

I may have conceived this project in a way to create spatial forms but it's certainly taken on a life of its own and each performer is teaching me more about the project. Learning as I go, movement, interaction, forms and noises inform how I move forward and direct performers, even describe the project. Needless to say, I couldn't have done it without these muses.
Gillian Barlow Sollenberger, Evan Leed, Stacey Shapiro, Sylvana Tapia, Suzy D, Karen Go, Laura B, Cory Snyder, John Swan, Calin Fernandez, Liz Meals, Karesia Batan, Anna Brown Massey, Bex Burton, Ryan Fitzgerald, Ken Again.
Special thanks also to photographers John Aliberti, Cindy Ruddy, Steve Aliberti, Mila Matveeva, Alex Gryger, Rose Sambrato and Daniel Talonia's crew.

I've reflected a lot on what Martha Graham learned about her Revelations performance with the "Body in a Bag." The story goes that a woman experiencing this performance was so moved because it unlocked something inside of her that allowed her to cry for the first time about her young son's tragic death. I think that many people are moved emotionally by the figure's abstraction in the fabric. Observing the Cocoons, people are clearly inspired, have a hard time not watching and smiling. They look around at each other and sometimes shake their heads. Others become upset by it, like their toes have been stepped on, or worse. Something about the body, moving, exploring this same space but in an entirely unpredictable and spontaneous way that renders these viewers entranced. No matter what, people are having an emotional response. My artist peers recognize that there is something liberating in being in a Cocoon but also by witnessing it, by taking the sidewalk and making it a not entirely empty canvas. The discussion of street art, public art, performance art, installations and interactive art gets messy, as we try to define the hazy edges of where the Cocoons belong.

Maybe it is that the Cocoon performances allow people to let go of some of their urban baggage. Those rules about personal space, about what you're "supposed" to do on the sidewalk, or "whose" it is. What, how and why Art is, even. These are ideas that the whole scope of Art in Odd Places aims to make transparent and further muddled at the same time; pushing the envelope.

People will react to the Cocoons, and as we consume the public with colorful, morphing sculptural installations, there are some truths that people can't deny. It does resemble dance, and it's hard to not be entranced by something that is recognizably another human, just acting in a completely irrational way. But it's beautiful, it's hard to not watch and photograph. Hard to take a bad photo of the Cocoons, but you're missing each performer's distinct sounds and the jingling of the costume. Sunlight, site and color are just a few things that the Cocoons do differently than Graham's piece. Clearly the performers are less sombre, sometimes even miming, squacking or barking to get laughs from the others waiting for the light to cross the street. Graham's piece, when it was first performed was revolutionary because of the abstraction of the shapes and the way it made people FEEL. I cannot deny that this is the same for the Cocoons. But we're trying it out in a contemporary way. That was almost a hundred years ago! The body is still a form of inspiration for artists and I'm fascinated that this project, so very similar to Graham's in execution can come from such different concepts and still get such a phenomenal response from people. After all this time, people still find it interesting.

THANK YOU!
Sherry

Rob Andrews presents: DOOR WORK --> OPENING OCTOBER 22

2011-10-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

DOOR WORK
October 22-November 5, 2011
/opening Oct 22 - performance begins at 8pm/
English Kills Art Gallery

English Kills Art Gallery presents DOOR WORK, the first full solo exhibition of Rob Andrews' work after a decade of rigorous investigation into the nature of myth, ritual, and the role of the storyteller.
DOOR WORK hews at the genesis and location(s) of private moments of spiritual transformation, the intersection of the spiritual and profane, the role of ritual in our social landscape, and the boundaries we accept and those we will ourselves to cross.
DOOR WORK bridges the psychic and material distance between performance and the static art object. Rob will present two new major performance works: one, on October 29th @ 8pm for Bushwick BEAT night, Clean Hrag, is a collaboration with Hrag Vartanian, founder and visionary at Hyperallergic.com, and the other which opens the show October 22nd @ 8pm: Ant--Bird 2, is a ritual designed to open a spiritual and metaphysical door using the power of blood, sweat, spit, and the vocal power of a human chorus.
In 2003, Rob cleaned the floor of the gallery Exit Art for three months. Roberta Smith of the New York Times wrote, "In a piece that suggests interior reconstruction Rob Andrews has been and will continue cleaning the gallery's entire floor with a toothbrush, a few square feet each day. His air of meditative concentration contrasts noticeably and nicely with the prevailing sense of bustle and bulk." DOOR WORK balances performance and the object towards speaking to interior reconstruction: destroying old doors, and opening new ones.
Rob is proud to officially join English Kills Art Gallery. He has shown work at the Museum of Modern Art, Exit Art, Grace Exhibition Space, and travels to Bitola, Macedonia in early November to take part in Exchange Radical Moments, a Pan-European live art festival that takes place in 11 European cities on 11.11.11

DOOR WORK is dedicated to the memory of Jeanette Ingberman.

This performance/variable media art work was made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Major support of the Franklin Furnace Fund was provided in 2010-11 by the Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation and Jerome Foundation. Special thanks also to the Gowanus Studio Space, United States Artists, and numerous private donors.

LuLu LoLo as “The Gentleman of 14th Street” in “A Tip of the Hat on 14th Street”

2011-10-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

As I strolled up and down 14^th Street—in my top hat, white tie, and tails—tipping my hat and greeting the passersby on 14^th Street—I was taken aback by the response of the public—this simple gesture of humanity to them—really touched them to the core—they returned a nod, a smile, a thank you—even though they were absorbed in their tech world of communication—for a moment the human exchange replaced the tech exchange. We all connected on 14^th Street. On Saturday, Oct. 8^th I tipped my hat to and/or exchanged a greeting with 1,074 passersby. Thanks to you all for your artistic support—I enjoyed interacting with all of the artists and staff of Art In Odd Places.

I tip my hat to each one of you.

LuLu

Did he finally get his clothes back? Art in Odd Places Festival 2011 artist Lawrence Graham Brown shares his story

2011-10-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

From Lawrence

Just wanted to share my experience, overall my experience was awesome my last day of performance I had a very pleasant experience when I was at Union Square Park performing a cop came over within ten minutes of performance and my assistants thought he was going to disturb the performance in a negative way but it turned out he had been a fan of the performance and wanted to get more information on my next event, he also stayed around to keep some order insisting to watch the performance from behind me, my only bad experience I was attacked by mosquitoes even though I was wearing repellent and now I am nursing wounds.

Photo provided by artist

An open letter from a mother during the Art in Odd Places festival

2011-10-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Responses such as this help us carry on what we do. Thank you Jenny for participating!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howdy,

I just wanted to say thank you for giving my family the oppprtunity [sic] to explore 14th street today.

The girls were happy to hunt for hidden art and to be presented with performance art as they walked down the street.

Even when we returned home to Astoria they were still looking on lamp posts for magnetic art and wondering if that oddly dressed person was "doing a show".

I have attached a few photos from our day. more than one email will be arriving.

Feel free to use them on your blog.

: ) Jenny Herdman Lando

I should add that my daughter, she's 6, wants to do it in Astoria next year. Just now she emptied out the little box Amy Young used for her project, filled it with her own drawing and wanted to go stick it on something metal outside on 30th Avenue,

Something to consider.

: )

Can't get enough Art in Odd Places 2011 ? Here are more images from the festival.

2011-10-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Edith Raw, "Human Rites"

Sheryl Oring, "Offerings to Nature"

Konstantin Dimopoulos , "The Tattooed Tailor"

Amy Young , "Fourteen Street Saints for AiOP 2011"

Elizabeth Demaray, "Lichen for Skyscraper's Project"

Michael Borowski , "Wash Closely"

To get to know more our artists, visit our website www.artinoddplaces.org

Video: NY Times / East Village Blog

2011-10-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Art In Odd Places 2011 from Christine Jenkins on Vimeo.

"Tourist-In-Chief" Art In Odd Places and the musings of Hamlet.

2011-10-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?"

Hamlet, Act III, Scene I
Hamlet's soliloquy ran through my mind four days before the opening of Art In Odd Places. Without a permit from the NYC Parks Department and an audience eager to know the next move, my choices in proceeding with "Tourist-In-Chief" were stark; TO BE: Install without permission -or- NOT TO BE: Don't install at all.

In my play, to be would guarantee arrest and likely blacklist me on future public art opportunities available in NYC; not to be might result in possible lawsuits and or cash refunds to Kickstarter backers and simultaneously break my obligations to Art In Odd Places. Although Hamlet's question concerned his own existence -to live or to die- my choice was the life or death of my career as attached to the outcome of a single project.

By seeking a permit to dress the statue of George Washington in Union Square, I thrusted my project into the 'slings and arrows' shot at Hamlet or any modern-day struggler. I knew my bid to dress New York City's oldest monument would come under fire. The slings, the arrows of administrative rejection hurt deeply. Yet to anyone following the permit process, the 'outrageous fortune' of my situation was clear: The NYC Parks Department intended to deny "Tourist-In-Chief" while it had permitted other parties to dress George Washington statue. Furthermore, the Department held its position even after "Tourist-In-Chief" received unanimous support from Community Board 5 Parks Committee.

My teenage graffiti impulse longed to 'take arms' and install by any means necessary; my past had certainly prepared me for such a risk. The public artist in me, the man whom considered "Tourist-In-Chief" a stepping stone in a future of larger, permitted artworks advised restraint: Demand your rights within the realm of law, "opposing" and "end them" not by bailing on Kickstarter and Art In Odd Places, or by illicit action, but by arming yourself with words and mediation.

Three days before Art In Odd Places, the NYC Parks Department granted me permission to install "Tourist-In-Chief", thereby releasing me of making Hamlet-like choices. The credit is due to attorney Phillip Z. Kimball who successfully articulated my position to those of authority. Likewise, the credit is due to the NYC Parks Department, for allowing a citizen the opportunity to exercise one of America's most sacred rights (Freedom of Speech) on a statue of America's founding father.

This year's Art In Odd Places festival inspired me to share my life and work to the public in ways that I ordinarily would not, and for that I thank AIOP and all those who stuck by me from start to finish, the "Tourist-In-Chief" team, especially my wife Caroline Reid.

Sincerely,

Leon
www.leonthe4th.com

Photos: ©Leon Reid IV 2011. Photographer: Becki Fuller

Julia Barbee, Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, shares her experience during the festival

2011-10-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Before/After Scenting New York by Julia Barbee

Photo credit: Julia Barbee

This was my first time to New York, so I proposed a simple processional performance, which gave me the valuable opportunity to introduce my practice of engaging with pedestrians, geography, and architecture by dispersing scent applied to my body. I built in the space to wander the street, collect material, and just be there; it was a calming time of reflection, within the constant flow of the city's energy. Surprisingly, the visit ended up being very meditative, an appropriate end to the festival titled Ritual.

http://beforeafterscentingnewyork.blogspot.com

http://www.juliabarbee.com

Day 8: A-Typical Saturday at Union Square

2011-10-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Nobu Aozaki hard at work making smiley bag portraits!

Lawrence Graham-Brown in Gimmie Bak Ma Clothes!

Alejandro Guzman preforming El Santaro across 14th street!

Making wishes with Andrea Cote and Michael Drisgall

Jacklyn Soo performing Circling Square at Union Square

Cocoon NYC Ambushing 14th street

Edith Raw "Human Rites" taking a stroll

Alejandro Guzman "El Santero" found 14th and 4th

Rob Andrews in Union Square doing "Union Square Clean"

The Miraculous Artist, Caroline Mayorga giving her blessing along 14th and 1st

Gretchen Vitamvas "Automaton" walking east

Missa Coffman made us some Haiku Toast along Hudson River Park

Sheryl Oring "Offering to Nature" in action

Harvey loves Harvey recorded a moment in time along 14th street

MASKI day 8.

2011-10-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Workshop + procession!
2 new masks came alive!
Reaction of the day:

"That's it, fight them with questions!"

Maski's progress during day 4, 5, 6 and 7.

2011-10-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

Things people said, or shouted:

"Nice masks!"
"Get a job!"
"That freaks me out!"
"Oh, that's so neat."
"Want a dollar?"
"Oh, look."
"That's so funny."
"What are you doing?"
"Is this what they teach you in college?"
"Well done, guys."

Come and join us! Workshop on Saturday. Or mail me: geert.vaes@gmail.com

More Festival action from Day 5 - Art in Odd Places

2011-10-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Doreen Kennedy, Flower Bed

(photo by artist)

Felix Morelo, Prescribed Procedure for the Obsessive_Compulsive

photo credit @nyc8675309 Jenny Herdman Lando

Gene Schmidt , Nine Word Walk

photo credit @nyc8675309 Jenny Herdman Lando

Konstantin Dimopoulos / The Tattooed Tailor

photo credit Marlon Brando WNYC

Julie Puttgen , Pilgrimage

Concerned New Yorkers , I Call NY

Joanna Chak / Passing Time

photo credit Allison Meire of hyperallergic

Seth Caplan / And Then I Said...(Bench Stories)

photo credit Allison Meire of hyperallergic

Patricia Cazorla / Bodhi Tree

photo credit Allison Meire of hyperallergic

Leo Selvaggio / Reflection

photo credit Allison Meire of hyperallergic

Lois Weaver / Commit an Act of Domestic Terrorism

Liana Strasberg / Wall

FESTIVAL UPDATE: Day 4 of Art in Odd Places (TUESDAY)

2011-10-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

CAROLINA MAYORGA, THE MIRACULOUS ARTIST

ALBAN LOW, TWEET STREET

LAURIE LEBRETON, PILGRIMAGE

FLORA CHOI , "UPBRAIDING TRADITION", & COCOON SOJOURN

SCOTT MASON , EMPIRICAL IMMANENCE
PHOTO CREDIT: JENNIFER JUNG

CORINNE CAPPELETTI , CARRY YOUR BURDEN
PHOTO CREDIT: LAURYN GERSTLE

The Miraculous Artist, Carolina Mayorga, shares her Art in Odd Places festival experience

2011-10-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

Most people like the Miraculous Artist and the Mobiraculous, like the guy in the photo who sat on it and checked out all its parts. Others thought it wasn't strong enough to hold them but it proved them wrong, some guy even asked if it was "a magic chair" and others were really offended by it, read carefully, not by the Miraculous Artist but her chair: As I was walking along, a guy approached me and asked rudely and repeatedly what was the chair for, I responded I sat on it, we handed him a flyer with the information of the festival which he decided to throw back at me while saying we should leave and didn't belong there. Thankfully he threw it back as I was already walking away so everything was cool, just wondering what was so offensive about the cart and not my big Miraculous Heart shirt, etc... and after all he's right the Miraculous Artist belongs in Heaven as she's temporarily visiting the terrestrial realms of NYC-14th street. Just want to share some stories/reactions and some pix,

Carolina

Art in Odd Places 2011 artists, Nobu and Carolina

New Yorkers Restreeted.

2011-10-05T01:17:00.000-07:00

Words and phrases buzzed round my head as i placed my magnets along 14th Street.

Does anyone else think while

roaming New York:

what the hell is this stuff

and who buys it?

@jusbass

It had been a long road to get to this point and...... a heavy night. I'd taken 75 tweets from New York residents and along with a drawn bird, turned them into magnetic vignettes. Their thoughts still resonated...

I was embarassed

and I didnt want it to lead to

other embarassing things.

@afgutierrez

It was quick and effortless. Between The Highline and 9th Ave it is adorned with metalllic surfaces. I put out all 150 magnets and photographed every one.

What is the etiquette

for when your ex-BF calls you to ask where in NYC

would be a good place to send

his new GF shopping

@contraryashley

When you're out there you realise how little personal content exists on the street. Apart from names like Stella McCartney, where are people heard? I'm a quiet man and a good listener and I wanted to change that. Maybe New Yorkers get a bad press for being unapproachable but I have found the opposite. Twitter made it possible to hear them.

They got on the bus together

that was unexpected.

I was sure they already said goodbye

but then he offered to walk her to the bus stop.

@tiedyeina

As if to reinforce my postive suspiscions about NY, I was taken under the wing of @mikedirubbo, the first tweeter i featured on this project 6 months ago. I will never forget the experience. Thank you.

Alban Low

My heart

bleeds no more.

@_mikegreene

DAY 3 RECAP - Art in Odd Places: Ritual

2011-10-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a recap of what happened last Monday. You can get to know our 2011 festival artists by visiting our website

KATIE URBAN "PROCESSIONAL WALKWAY"

Margarita Garcia & Xinglang Guo / Moving Mediations

Konstantin Dimopoulos / The Tattooed Tailor

Alban Low "Tweet Street"

Julia Barbee Before/After Scenting New York

Michael Borowski / Wash/Closely

Carolina Mayorga, The Miraculous Artist

Fossil Authorship DENIED

2011-10-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

On Sunday October 2, "Backlit" my installation of fossils images on light fixtures was halted.

In brief, if there is one ritual common to all New Yorkers it is energy use. These fossils are backlit with *fossil* fuel energy - the visual pun is that the organisms that generate your electricity at the East River Electric Generating Station are illuminated by the light of their own combustion.

In brief, I was installing large images of the fossils on the north side of 1 of two, 15'x15' square box commerce stations owned by Uniqlo and located on public property. After calling the police the Uniqlo(TM) employe ripped off the fossils I installed. And poof! they were disappeared! Unfortunately, my installation "Backlit" has been halted as I was found to be a civil disobedient by the police (But I was able to tag many light fixtures prior, so keep your eyes pealed!).

It is true, I did not have a permit for my 1.5'x1.5' ladder (It is also true that my feet take up roughly 1 square foot of public space every day if I don't count my shoulders) and it is true, I placed removable decal images of fossils to one side of just one of the very large Uniqlo retail box stores (What heavenly light they give off and such brisk design). It is also true, that the Uniqlo rep, the police officers, and myself, were all on the same piece of public property. It is also true, I received $5 from a charmed person on the street who donated it to my art project on the Uni-qlow flashcube just before my incident w the officers, so one could say I too was retailing, (it bought me the warming calories in 1 slice of pizza bc by that time I was shivering w rain).

The police were not bad, they were just trying to respond to a fearful rep of the hegemonic Uniqlo Design Implementation of Increased Sales and Accounting (UDIISA). I was accused of defacing private property (on public land) and was obstructing the side walk w my 1.5 square foot ladder. When I questioned the officer for a distinction between my ladder and a car, he told me I could park my car on the street bc my car was private property, but I could not park my ladder. In a delightful repartee of wit the officer responded to my proposed solution – a scenario of a ladder on top of a private car. He said it would ok for me to put my ladder on top of my car, since my car would be legal on the public street since my car was private property and my ladder would be on top of said privately owned car and would no longer be an issue (NOTE: I purchased the ladder for $39.99 at home depot just last week, tho it is true, I most likely will return it this week, so it is also true, that it is questionable whether or not that ladder is MY private property). He also said it was not nice (my words) to deface private property. And I reminded him I was not defacing, as these were pretty removable stickers of fossils and asked him to note that there was no evidence of my having done anything at that time since the Uniqlo rep took all the fossils down in a matter of minutes — Sigh -- Just like a power plant gobbling fossils up in an instant! Such a new era of enlightenment!

The officer told me to bone up on civil disobedience by calling 311. (I have called 311 - they directed me to NYcourts.gov, which directed me to the public access law library reference desk. I still don't know what the rules are and what exactly I have done wrong. In fact, it remains unclear to me whether or not, Uniqlo was defacing the private property of my decals w their light box on public property, or if my decals were defacing their retail boxes. Frankly, I found it to be a lovely synergism as my activity brought lots of attention to the boxes, and the fossil-light was bringing attention the finite resource of fossils). Was I really a civil disobedient?

Regardless, use this image as a legend for identifying the more than 50 decals that were successfully placed on light fixtures and elevators all along 14th St. Soon I'll post a broadcastR journey soon if you are too impatient to make your own archeological transect across this east-west thruway of Manhattan. They are of varying size and location. Just look to the Light!

DAY 2 - SUNDAY : ART IN ODD PLACES 2011 FESTIVAL

2011-10-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Cocoon Sojourn and LuLu LoLo

Daniel Bejar "Get Lost"

Alicia Grullon "Dominoes"

Cocoon Sojourn

"El Santero" Alejandro Guzman

Julie Puttgen "Pilgrimage"

Flora Choi "Upbraiding Traditions"

Margarita Garcia & Xinglang Guo / Moving Mediations

Carolina Mayorga "The Miraculous Artist"

Lois Weaver & Lori E. Seid / Commit an Act of Domestic Terrorism

MASKI day 3 (2 masks!).

2011-10-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day!

Juha Valkeapää arrived and made his mask!

So two masks met, and decided to have a procession together...

Watch some slides here:

NEW IDEA FOR THE COMING DAYS!!!

EVERYDAY WE WILL GIVE A FREE WORKSHOP MASK AND VOICE ON 14TH STREET (ON THE HIGH LINE)!

FOLLOWED BY A PROCESSION.

FEEL FREE TO JOIN US!

AND... SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS GOING ON ON 14TH STREET!!!

Maski, day 2.

2011-10-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

Second Day. Workshop Day 1: making mask.
Unfortunately no customers...
Have to beat that jungle drum louder!
But today the world famous (in Europe) Juha Valkeapää arrived to join the MASKI-force!
Today was one MASKI going from 2nd Avenue up to the High Line.
Yesterday's mask was significantly pimped:

See you all on the street tomorrow!
And in the workshop space (Y 14th Street)!

DAY 1 - Art in Odd Places Festival: Ritual

2011-10-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

LuLu LoLo "A Tip of the Hat on 14th Street"

Anne-Katrin Spiess (middle) / Urban Purification Ritual

Cocoon Sojourn at Highline

Daniel Tolonia (right), photo director, together with his photo assistant

Tourist-In-Chief by Leon Reid IV Union Square

Linda Montano "Glandathon Workshop
@ Kellen Auditorium

Linda Montano as Mother Teresa
@ Kellen Auditorium

Notes from A Domestic Terrorist ...

2011-10-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

We just got word from our Art in Odd Places 2011, Lois Weaver, about her project:

"Notes from A Domestic Terrorist

Tomorrow is Monday and Monday is always wash day, so I will be out from 9am to 11 am on 14th between Avenues C and A hanging out my laundry. Then I will make my way across town 2 blocks a day until I arrive at the Hudson River on Friday. Come find and bring some clothes to hang on the line.

Thanks,
Lois Weaver"

Photo credit: Lois E. Seid

More photos from the opening reception at Theaterlab on Friday, September 30

2011-10-02T13:03:00.001-07:00

MASKI, day 1: solo procession

2011-10-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Walking on 14th Street.
Found/created the perfect mask! :-)
Procession from Hudson to 2nd Avenue.
Shot before, during and after some footage and recorded some sound.
Then mixed it:

Check out AIOP-site for workshop info!

AIOP OPENING IMPRESSIONS

2011-09-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

September 30th

Opening of AIOP RITUAL 2011

Here some opening impressions by G. Vaes (partcipating with MASKI):

Art in Odd Places Opening Reception @ Theater Lab

2011-09-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

TheaterLab was packed with performers and guests last night as we kick off the 2011 Art in Odd Places Festival.

Subscribe to our blog or follow us on twitter (@artinoddplaces) to get daily festival updates

Images from Dahlia Elsayed "Really Real" project for Art in Odd Places

2011-09-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Art in Odd Places 2011 artist Dahlia Elsayed. You can check out her work , "Really Real", between 2nd and 3rd Avenue along 14th street

Follow this artist on twitter @dahliaelsayed

Why should anyone take part in MASKI at AIOP?

2011-09-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Because recreating your environment is as important as breathing. Anyone can be an artist and have a profound effect on his or her surroundings. Just stepping into a creative process releases energy that can lead you to places you didn't know existed. Therefore I invite everybody to come to the MASKI workshops, making masks and freeing the vocal chords and have this procession through 14th Street. It's not about getting a message through, it's tuning into creative forces and surfing on a communal vibe. This will lead you further than any aim you could've set yourself... For more info, check the AIOP-site.

Don't be afraid, put on your selfmade mask!

Konstantin Dimopoulos believes the term "Art in Odd Places" is a misnomer ...

2011-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Get to know another Art in Odd Places 2011 artist before we officially kick off the festival later at TheaterLab (see invite information here) . The Art in Odd Places Festival brings artists all over the world. This year, we have Konstantin Dimopoulos hailing from Australia. Learn more about him and check out what he plans to bring to the festival.

Konstantin Dimopoulos, photo provided by artist

AiOP: Tell us about you?
KD: I see myself as a conceptual and a social artist; an artist who believes strongly that art can change the world, that we all have the capacity in us to effect and change our environment through art.

I like the idea of social art - bringing it into the very fabric of society – into the streets. In fact Art in Odd Places is a misnomer in my opinion, because art began outdoors not indoors, scratching on walls, on the ground, in caves and it has returned outdoors through the work of graffiti artists and performance artists. I see galleries and museums as being the Odd places to show art.

I am based in Melbourne, Australia, but I create public artworks around the world. I have 2 streams to my art practice - social art installations; and public sculpture.

AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?
KD: I have always loved the idea of New York. The architecture, the gritty ness, the jazz, the theatre, the arts, it’s a living artwork in itself, always breathing and evolving. And so I have been following various events in the city and feel the idea of Art in Odd Places because in some way I feel that’s where artwork belongs. I hope that other cities globally take note of what you do.

AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places.
KD: Ideas flutter around my head constantly and the idea of The Tattooed Tailor, the idea of bringing a bit of the history of my tailoring ancestry to the city that never sleeps – the idea of fabric, of material and looking at it and transferring it onto the streets like a graffiti artist was the crux of how the process began. Threads that come together to make a whole. I am using lace patterns to describe RITUAL because lace is often used in ritual - we see it in ecclesiastic robes, christening gowns, wedding dresses.

Lace on Bench, photo provided by artist

AiOP: How is the preparation coming along?
KD: It's all going really well. What is particularly exciting is that this type of work involves getting on the street and beginning the process right there so that its both experimental and performance. The unknown is something that appeals to me because I may find something on the street to link my idea to something that wasn’t planned, so as I said before, to some degree the work is spontaneous, relevant to the context of its site.

AiOP: Where will we see you along 14th street during the festival?
KD: Again like all ideas they can change on the day but I like the idea of using bus shelters (terminals of exits and entrances) and covering them (around 9th and 10th Avenues) and linking those to a number of shop windows or bags of rubbish found lying out there. I like to create a work that is in effect a living, changing work - surprising people. It's an evolving, organic process so that when I get to 14th Street something from the street itself may trigger where the work will go. And you might see me at 14th Street Park.

AiOP: What do you hope to bring to the festival?
KD: I see myself as part of a beautiful tapestry and when put together with the other artists this will make sense.
I hope that people see the beauty in both the lace patterns themselves and in the structures the patterns cover. The beauty that is “their” street and when we leave “the street “ will still be there, and then memory will keep our works alive. I like the idea of memory playing a part in the work. Also I am a stranger in NY and whatever I bring I also hope to take back to Melbourne, Australia - the vibrancy and energy of ” the street” back with me.

AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?
KD: I hope people come up and talk to me while I am creating the lace graffiti forms. Interaction with the public is always part of the work I create. Life is about change and how we cope with it. It’s about the individual rituals that are created to make sense of it all. Often these are invisible because they occur behind closed doors, in churches, in homes. The festival removes these doors for a small period of time, so you can see them. Your environment changes every day but because it's gradual you don’t notice it. The festival is like fast-forwarding time so that for a brief moment the hand of the artist, "the shaman" becomes visible.

AiOP: Where can we reach you
http://www.kondimopoulos.com
http://www.twitter.com/kondimopoulos

AiOP: Any final words?
KD: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." Albert Einstein (thanks Albert you rock!)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Leon Reid IV's Tourist -in-Chief received permission from the Parks and Recreation Department

2011-09-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE:

Contact:

Caroline Reid
1-646-441-8375
caroline@leonthe4th.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New York, NY, September 30, 2011. Public Artist Leon Reid IV has received permission from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to dress the statue of George Washington in Union Square Park. The installation "Tourist-In-Chief" involves placement of five props on the statue: "I Love NY" cap, subway map, shopping bags and camera. The project is designed to transform the appearance of George Washington from military general to modern tourist. Installation is on view Saturday, October 1 from 8am-7pm as part of Art In Odd Places 2011 festival RITUAL.

The three objectives of "Tourist-In-Chief" are:

Reflect cultural atmosphere of Union Square.
Make Washington more relatable to contemporary audience.
Inform public about Washington’s role in NYC history.

The statue of George Washington created by Henry Kirke Brown in 1856 is the oldest in New York City possession and the second equestrian statue created in the United Sates. The work depicts Washington on his historic march down Broadway during Evacuation Day 1783, marking an end to British colonial rule in the city. Leon Reid IV's "Tourist-In-Chief" sets a creative precedent; it is the first instance of an artist permitted by the city to use the statue in a work of art.

Ed Woodham, founder and director of Art In Odd Places said of "Tourist-In-Chief":

"...[W]hat this project does, and what Art In Odd Places hopes to do is to see the city and its normal surroundings in a new ligh[t]..."

The project raised over $3,100 on the fund-raising platform Kickstarter, but early public support did not guarantee complete success; "Tourist-In-Chief" underwent a turbulent administrative process. Dismissed by the Parks Department, unanimously voted in favor by the Parks Committee (Community Board 5),officially rejected by the Department then ultimately permitted. The project united some and divided others. Attorney Philip Z. Kimball brought the parties together and negotiated a permit on the Artist's behalf.

Leon Reid IV is known for creating humorous works in the public realm, his first forays were experienced as a teenage graffiti writer in the mid-1990's. Since 2005 his works have been commissioned in cities throughout the world. Selected commissions include:

"True Yank" : Hip-hop props placed on bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln. Commissioned by Urbis contemporary art center2009, Manchester, U.K.

"Free As A Bird" : Larger than life vulture installed on top of a maximum security prison. Commissioned by CMS Atelier, Missouri State Penitentiary, 2008, Jefferson City, MO,

"The Grazers" : Anthropomorphic parking meters feeding from nearby tree. Commissioned by The City of Syracuse, 2007, Syracuse, NY.

"Love Is A Two-Way Street" : Pair of Brazilian street signs sitting beside each other on a bench. Commissioned by S.E.S.C, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2007

Future plans for public display include "A Spider Lurks In Brooklyn" a massive sculptural intervention to take place on the Brooklyn Bridge fiscally sponsored by New York Foundation For The Arts/Artspire.

For further information about "Tourist-In-Chief" or any other project please visit www.leonthe4th.com. Leon Reid IV is available for interviews by phone or e-mail, feel free to use the contact details as listed above.

Art in Odd Places Opening Reception Sneak Peak

2011-09-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

TheaterLab front door

Art in Odd Places Program Guide

AiOP 2011 artist, Alejandro Guzman, setting up

The view from the rooftop

Egemen doing his soundcheck

Art in Odd Places presents Ruptures in the Urban Realm Panel Discussion-October 8th 2011!

2011-09-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

Art in Odd Places Does Urban Design Week

2011-09-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Last Week, Art in Odd Places participated in the first annual Urban Design Week festival, organized by the Institute for Urban Design. Urban Design Week was created as a way to engage New Yorkers in issues relating to the public realm and to give the public a voice in re-imagining their own communities. The folks at the Institute for Urban Design structured this exchange through workshops and events across the five boroughs, and an open-call design competition called By the City/For the City, which asked designers to take ideas submitted by hundreds of New Yorkers, define a site, and design a response to public concern to make the city a more livable and user-friendly place.

Working in partnership with the interdisciplinary gallery and reading room Proteus Gowanus, our gracious hosts, we organized the panel discussion Rise and Fall: Contemporary Nautical Practice on the Gowanus Canal.

The lively discussion centered on artists and activists who take the NYC waterways as their creative point of departure, working with boat building and the creation of other watercrafts as an alternative means to reclaim our city’s complex archipelago as viable public space. The conversation was moderated by Jeff Stark, editor of Nonsense NYC, a popular weekly email newsletter listing quirky and independent parties, events, and art happenings, and included a dynamic group of artists and activists: Ludger K. Balan, Dylan Gauthier, Constance Hockaday, Adam Katzman and AiOP veteran, Tim Thyzel.

Of particular interest in this dialog was EPA Superfund site, the Gowanus Canal.

Several proposals for Urban Design Week’s By the City/For the City competition dealt with the concern over how the Gowanus area should be developed (they can be viewed on the UDW website here), and highlighted a shared belief in the potential for the canal to be transformed into something that knits the area together, rather than acting as a barrier.

The panel addressed this concern and more from the vantage point of their own creative endeavors, ranging from the creation of alternative economies, defining the artist’s responsibility to a local community through their work, how the Superfund designation has affected activity on the canal, and what relationship, if any, should grow between artists and real estate developers. We saw passionate interest on this last point from both the panel and the audience, prompting the question of whether this site should be developed at all, and if urban decay was in fact a valuable state to maintain in the face of all of the gentrification taking place across the city, and specifically in Brooklyn.

Thanks to all of those who came out and made this such a meaningful and productive conversation!

Laurie Breton's pilgrimage for the festival is longer than Holy Week

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

The festival is coming upon us soon, so it is time to get to know another artist gracing 14th street on October. Allow me to introduce Laurie LeBreton. For the festival, she promised to bring 300 figures with her. What figure you may ask? Well it has something to do with her journey, thus naming her work "Pilgrimage". Let's just say she hopes each "piece" will bring "peace" to anyone passing by. Yes, that is a lot of peace.

Watch out for these figures next week. Rumor has it she will collaborate with another Art in Odd Places 2011 artists. For now, get to know Laurie a little more.

Laurie Lebreton, photo provided by artist

Aiop: Tell us about you?
LL: I make installations of sculptures of handmade paper and sound. I often work with
multiples of objects, although the 300 figures in “Pilgrimage” is a record for me. One
important influence in my work is the popular religious art of other cultures – Indian
roadside shrines, Haitian altars, the stands selling religious objects outside Central
American cathedrals. I find my materials everywhere – fabric stores, dollar stores,
grocery stores.

AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?
LL: Doug Stapleton, the curator for the State of Illinois Gallery in Chicago, forwarded the
information to me. He thought that “Pilgrimage” would work well in the festival.

AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places.
LL: “Pilgrimage” has about 300 figures 14” to 30” tall. I start with simple wire armatures
that I cover with wet handmade paper. As the paper dries and shrinks, the figures
change shape slightly. When they’re dry I ornament them in various ways. No two
figures are alike.

photo provided by artist

I started making the figures after a visit to Laos, where I went on two pilgrimages. One
was to a cave that had 2,000 Buddhas in it; the other was to a small shrine with two
Buddhas on the side of a hill. I was very moved by both pilgrimages and decided to
create my own moveable shrine when I came back.

photo provided by artist

My figures aren’t necessarily Buddhas. They’re kind of generic spiritual figures that
viewers interpret in many different ways, as spirits, as ancestors, and as a depiction
of community. I’ve exhibited them in very different settings – a community garden, a
downtown Chicago building and in a public park.

The sound component of “Pilgrimage” – you’ll be able to hear it through Broadcastr
during the festival – is called “A Full Taste of Happiness.” It’s about both my trip to
Laos as well as the pursuit of happiness in all our lives.

photo provided by artist

AiOP: How is the preparation coming along?
LL: It’s coming along really well! I was wondering how I was going to find a spot from
Chicago, but another AIOP artist, Dahlia Elsayed, suggested I contact the 14th Street
Framing Gallery, at 225 W. 14th Street. The space is perfect! My only challenge is
getting all 300 figures into the window.

AiOP: Where will see you along 14th street during the festival?
LL: I’m installing on the 29th. You can visit the figures anytime during the festival.

AiOP: What do you hope to bring to the festival?
LL: Maybe a sense of peace? A quiet moment on a busy street? I’m always surprised by the many different things that viewers see in the figures, but it’s usually peaceful.

AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?
LL: Yes, of course. I hope you’ll stop for a minute and look Maybe you’ll catch a moment of
peace.

AiOP: Where can we reach you
LL: Laurie.lebreton@gmail.com

AiOP: Any final words?
LL: Yes – the Miraculous Artist and I will be doing something together at one point during
the festival. We haven’t decided yet what or when, but we anticipate something
spectacular when we combine her power with the power of the figures.

Brolab's Kickstarter campaign: Piazza Gratissima

2011-09-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Our friends and previous Art in Odd Places artist collective, Brolab, just started a kickstarter campaign for an upcoming project.

Learn more about it here:

Piazza Gratissima

A site for community gathering

When installed in the courtyard of New York Public Library's Mott Haven Branch, Piazza Gratissima will facilitate anything from outdoor readings to local barbecues and serve generally as an avenue for civic discourse. Piazza Gratissima will be developed entirely in collaboration with Bronx residents as well as community organizers and officials. This urban intervention will serve as an inviting temporary structure complete with seating, out-door lighting, and custom surfaces. This realization of this project will depend on public support in raising the necessary funds to make it possible. All donations will be dispersed between material costs and wages for a local workforce that will work side by side with the BroLab Collective for one week fabricating the piazza.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kickstarter, any donation amount helps and the project will be funded once we reach our set goal of $5000

We have a thoughtful array of BroLab gifts to encourage your support beginning with the black and white photos currently on view at BRAC.

To make this project possible, visit us at Kickstarter:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brolab/piazza-gratissima-a-site-for-community-gathering

All contributions are made through the Bronx River Arts Center and are tax deductible.

We hope to realize Piazza Gratissima in the spring of 2012.

We Thank you for your support

Best,
Adam, Alexander, Jonathan, Ryan and Travis

http://brolab.org

Flora Choi, Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, was featured in The Korean Times

2011-09-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Flora Choi's performance piece for Art in Odd Places 2011, "Upbraiding Tradition", was recently covered by the The Korean Times.

IT HAS BEGUN!! AiOP 2011: RITUAL press preview rocks 14th Street!

2011-09-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

A conversation with Linda Montano

2011-09-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

The plan was simple: to feature of our 2011 Art in Odd Places key note speaker, Linda Montano. I have heard of her, but wasn’t really familiar with her work. Ourteam wants to make this extra special, so I spent a lot of time thinking how to approach the feature.Typically, I send my interviewees a set of general questions that paints a goodpicture of who they are as artists. Since I, Cesar, handle the social media element of Artin Odd Places, I started brainstorming ideas incorporating technology: a skypeinterview, a podcast, responses via youtube etc. Anything that will allow me to put her in a good light.

So I began my research about Linda: I learned that for 7 years, she wore monochromaticoutfits. Her website says “living art”. Linda Montano dedicated her life to art (or should I say "her art to life"?). To her, there no such thing as a "fine line" between artand life. Life and art are two infused elements, with both influencing one other. As I read and read about her philosophy on living the life ofsimplicity, it occurred to me that my “social media plans” of interviewing might be doomed to failure. The ideas that I came up with does not seem to paint a good picture of our such a great artist.

Linda Montano , photo credit www.lindamontano.com

Then it hit me: why not follow Linda’s lead and keepeverything simple? Forget the mp3 files, the webcams and other auditing programs. Looking back, just thinking about howto approach the blog entry gave me a little headache. Finally, I decided that I am going back to basics: I will simplytalk to her. You get to know people not by sending emails or wait for theirvideo responses. Ok granted she lives far away, I might need to use a littlepiece of technology: a phone

So I picked up the phone and came clean. I told Linda the interview is more of a conversation, rather than an interview. There were a few questions to get us started, then the rest was free flowing. She agreed with the plan, but then asked me to do something that caught meoff guard: To close my eyes. Close my what? Mind you, I was in the middle of 82^nd Street and 2^nd Avenue when Linda requested for my eyes to be closed. I was a littleapprehensive on doing so, not sure if the closed eye phone conversation would be a good look in the upper east side ; I did it anyway.

Once we got started, I felt a certain sense of ease. There was something about her and my eyes closed that got me feeling relaxed. Focusingmy efforts on just hearing her responses made the conversation such atreat. It was as if I was talking tosomebody whom I have known forever. We began the conversation with hertransition of using "art" as a way of life. She talked about how her grandmother and religion played a huge role onmaking her who she is. She let me know about her first art work around the ageof 14 and 15, which was a drawing . How her tactile nature led to sculpting andthen to an MFA. We even got personal: how she was not much of a talker growing up, how art became her “therapy” in going throughlife. The responses were very honest andso unforced, that even I became more at ease.

The conversation went on, then it turned again to to somethingunexpected: She asked me a question. Aquestion? I am so used to be the giving all the question. It feels a littleweird divulging personal information to somebody whom I barely know. But I didit anyway since I said it was a conversation. She asked me to tell her a happy story, towhich I obliged. She then inquired about my parents and how I ended up in New York.

The two of us had great banter. It was a simple conversation. In some way, I felt I now understandhow art could become a form of therapy and, if I may argue, a way of life. We spoke for30 minutes, but it felt like we were talking for hours. There was just a steadyflow of words and degree of comfort we share. And I was clamoring for more.

And I realized where the power of Linda lies: the ability totouch people’s lives through her work. Her passion for what she does radiates ,leaving everyone captivated by her mystery. After knowing her, you just stopasking life's big questions and simply enjoy thepresent moment. "Everyday is a gift" she said. We worry too much about things and sometimes we need a break. Linda embodies this reminder to take the time and truly look within ourselves. We hung up the phone and

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to Linda Montano.Those who will be attending her keynote address during the festival opening arein for a treat. Art in Odd Places is truly fortunate to have her this year. We hope to see everyone on October 1st at Parson's School of Design.

Thank you Linda and I look forward meeting you in person

Cesar

Art in Odd Places Festival Opening Reception: September 30 @ Theater Lab

2011-09-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

You are cordially invited to attend the 7th Annual Art in Odd Places Festival Opening Reception happening at Theaterlab on September 30 between 6-9 PM. Come meet our biggest participating artists to date and enjoy performances from Egeman Sanli and enSubtitles, to name a few

Egeman Sanli

enSUBTITLES

Click the invite below to get more information about the opening

We hope to see you there!

A Proposal | Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, Jacquelyn Soo, will have circles fit in a square

2011-09-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

SCYAPROJECT

Proposal for Art in Odd Places 2011 (Theme: Ritual) – Jacquelyn Soo

Project Title: Circling Square

Project Description: The performance touches on the politics of space and history in 14th Street. It would be like a drawing of a visual journey of the cityscape. We would explore what it means to in today’s context on the areas of sacrifice or cremation, burial or disposal environments and explore the natural, the man-made, the cultural, psychological aspects of earth with man.

Preferred Location: Ending either at Stuyvesant Sq or Pier 54 or East River, preferably with a walk starting from Union Square Park.

Time and Duration: 7th & 8th October, 5pm – 7pm

Project Proposal:

In my work, I deal with cultural identities and engagement on the community level; discovering potential and creativity with the local community to create, re-invent, to initiate discussions and progression of development in their thinking and attitude towards urban living.

I am constantly seeking ways to connect with the community where I am able to interact on a personal level with the locals and to communicate on a day to day basis of everyday living; concerns of their situation and importantly to give back what I have learned and absorbed during my time in any residency.

I am motivated by the sincerity of people, of the human connection, the touch of another human being and the feelings we have inside of all of us which makes us a human being despite our cool exterior that we portray. I believe I have the right recipe of communication, sincerity, patience and understanding of human emotions to work in the level of community art.

In this project, I would like to discuss about the politics of space and history in a specific area. It would be like a drawing of a visual journey of the cityscape in the memory of the country’s urban planning and historical culture. We would explore untouched spaces and areas of sacrifice or cremation, burial or disposal environments and explore the natural, the man-made, the cultural, psychological aspects of earth with man.

For the performance & installation, I will use textile to conceal/cover, carry/transport, unearth sentiments of earth in NYC. I will drag these rocks and concrete and install them in another area to reconstruct a model as though they are specimens of new construction buildings and plans for redevelopment in the area.

The area of redevelopment is of concern to me as I seek to understand and give insight to the constant lost of identity/culture which have been mis-looked at amidst the struggle with modernism, globalization and national progression.

In Performance Art on September 7, 2011 at 2:12 pm

Organiser: Art In Odd Places

Supported by National Arts Council Singapore

In Support by Singapore Contemporary Young Artists

Art in Odd Places 2011 Kickstarter campaign

2011-09-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Watch the video of the Art in Odd Places Festival Kickstarter campaign to publish a catalogue of the upcoming festival. Listen to our Festival Director, Ed Woodham, as he narrates his vision for this campaign

To make a pledge, click this link

We appreciate all your help!

Flora Choi shares her Art in Odd Places 2011 Postcard

2011-09-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, Flora Choi, gave us a preview of her work for the upcoming festival. Be on the lookout for these postcards

Corinne Cappelletti, Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, will carry your burdens this October

2011-09-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

New York can sometimes become overbearing. There is so many things to do, yet so little time. We try to get by, but the challenges seem never ending. Our next artist recognizes this reality and plans to display empathy using her body. During the festival, she will ask you to share a burden, then carry it for you to provide relief. There is nothing better than seeing a body of work , so to speak, that could also be therapeutic. We are excited to have Corinne Cappelletti to join the us this year, after hearing about Art in Odd Places during the Festival of Ideas last May.

How exactly will Corinne and her team going to carry your burden? The answer is below

Corinne Cappelletti , photo credit: Lauryn Gerstle

AiOP: Tell us about you?

CC: I make dances in public spaces that alter the function and feeling of spaces. Often audience and performer interact with the environment, bringing unlikely people together. Through personal perspectives and perception of the self and the environment, I build performances to connect people to place.

AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?

CC: I found the AIOP booth at the Festival for New Ideas this Spring where I was introduced to Lucia. After speaking with her and going to the website from previous years, I realized that I had to become a participant.

AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places.

CC: When I thought about my relationship to 14th Street, I thought about schlepping my belongings throughout the city from the studio to work, to the grocery story, and an evening obligation before returning home. As a primary freeway stretching across Manhattan, 14th street is a busy transitory and yet, productive atmosphere. Too much of my time is occupied by organizing and re-organizing my time and my route. It is exhausting. My sense of New York City is wrapped up in the whirlwind of errands, meetings and events. I take in my surroundings in soundbites, at the pace of my road bike on which I speed rapidly through the city. I want to stop and connect through walking, through sharing the burdens that we endure to be here. There are small burdens that happen on a daily basis and bigger burdens in life that I bring with me. I want to use my performance ritual as a platform to listen, be inspired, share and potentially transcend the personal histories and daily encounters of people who live and work on 14th street.

Carry you burdens by Corinne Cappelletti AiOP October 2011 from Corinne Cappelletti on Vimeo.

AiOP:How is the preparation coming along?

CC: First, I am creating a map of locations along 14th where I have interviewed someone about a burden. I have completing the interviews with participants and mapped these as icons of 14th street, which will be stopping points during our performance procession. The pastor, Father Rubio at the Church of our Lady of Gaudaloupe, and Joshua Suzann who owns Rags A GoGo, are two of the landmarks. This week I plan to talk with Ahmed, a halal food vender/professional photographer (when its not lunch hour with line of costumers). I created movement profiles out of the video and audio footage, this was my source material for the choreography. Then, I developed movement and improvisation scores along with the four performers. We will start rehearsing on site this Friday, Sept 2nd. The material will really begin take form as we deal with the public interaction and physical sites! So far we have worked on-site once. Two of the performers went on site with me to work with some beginning material and perform for a photo shoot for our project. Going into intimate spaces with people and listening to people share personal difficulties and obstacles has been a moving experience.

Nigel shares a burden at Rags-A-GoGo 218 W 14th St from Corinne Cappelletti on Vimeo.

Landmark Clip from the performance map, "Carry you Burdens," Jackie Ruden 14th street from Corinne Cappelletti on Vimeo.

AiOP: Where will see you along 14th street during the festival?

CC: We are going to perform along 14th street, from the Highline Park to Ave B. There are 9/10 landmarks to our route where we stop and perform according to the people and burden that is being embodied. Anywhere along the route when we encounter a burden small or large, we stop to describe the surrounding burdens and how they affect us emotionally and physically. A map of the landmark points and the corresponding name and burden will be available soon.

AiOP: What do you hope to bring to the festival?

CC: I hope to offer a transcendent experience for the performers and the participants over the course of a ten day embodied performance procession. I will push my self and my performers beyond our tolerance for emotional and physical effort with the intention to bond more deeply with the place, the people and community of 14th street. By heightening the awareness of people on the street through physical encounter, performative voice and movement, and I hope to forge new connections, to break down barriers, and to celebrate our sameness and our difference through th sharing the burdens we carry. I attempt to use conversation, movement, and ritual as a tool for alleviating the burdens we carry, and to help people transcend them.

AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?

CC: You can view excerpts from the rehearsal process and the source interviews, which are being integrated into the performance map of burdens called "Carry your Burdens." The intention of Carry your Burdens is to engage in empathy through endurance, metaphor, and performance. Traversing Manhattan from west to east in the morning we perform at nine destination points, landmarks where a personal burden was shared. At dusk we return to the Hudson River carrying one another and the burdens we’ve embodied. When the performers encounter another person bearing a burden, they stop to feel, see, and describe it. The duets transcend elements of physical fatigue but also the emotional exhaustion of carrying the burdens of 14th Street. Expanding the map into performance, burdens are lifted. More information can be found at: http://newped.wordpress.com

AiOP: Are you currently working on other projects / Talk to us about your previous work

CC: Throughout the summer, I have been performing regularly out of public spaces tethered to walls and punctuated by bright bicycle helmets with two other dancers: Laura Bartczack and Hilary Chapman. We explore the spaciousness of sound in movement and relationship. By use of binaural beats, memory of the quality of touch and choreographic structures of repetition we transform the architecture of space. Alive in the music they shift with precision from stillness into fierce abandon. We propose Sound as process, Sound as material and Sound as mood to listen, alert in performance as practice. The ground becomes the wall and sound becomes the hand. We are called The Framers. We shift, frame, and manipulate sound and space.

Most recently I performed a new version of my public community development dance project, The New Pedestrian in Aix en Provence, France. This was a collaboration with photographer, Ed White. In May, I performed/collaborated with Lindsey Drury at the University of the Streets and St Marks/Dancespace. Previously I produced, choreographed, and performed a series of Meal-as-Performance events in collaboration with GoGoVertigoat Dance Project, which I co-directed for two years. These appeared in private lofts, at Governor's Island for FIGMENT, The Dixon Place, 3rd Ward, and Dance New Amsterdam, among others.

For the past 3 months I have been developing a Body-Based Improvisational Workshop series called IMPRINT. I co-teach/design it with my friend, Eva Perotta of Nu Dance Theater (France/NYC). This workshop teaches specific types of touch to access particular body systems, such as the skeletal system or the fluid system, in order to facilitate a different state of being/feeling/thinking. We explore the imprint, both in terms of the residual state of mind/body and the re-patterning of the nervous system, through movement and improvisation.

Thank you, Corinne! Keep an eye on her starting October 1. The Art in Odd Places Program guide will be out soon. Keep checking the blog for more details

Check out the Art in Odd Places 2011 website

2011-09-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE | Art in Odd Places 2011: RITUAL

2011-09-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

CONTACT: Charles Davis • (901) 487-4053 • AiOPpr@gmail.com
Ed Woodham •(347) 350-4242 •artinoddplaces@gmail.com

ART IN ODD PLACES PRESENTS 2011 FESTIVAL

Rob Andrews, Union Square Cleaning, interactive performance (Photo: Ryan McManus; Designer: Dan Ownbey)

RITUAL

OCTOBER 1-10, 2011 on 14th Street, NYC
A festival exploring the odd, ordinary,and ingenious in the spectacle of daily life.

OVER 60 ARTISTS TAKE ON 14TH STREET THIS OCTOBER…

Press Preview: Thursday, September 22, 1pm at Underline Gallery, 238 W14th StRSVP: AiOPpr@gmail.com

NEW YORK, NY (August, 2011) Each year, Art in Odd Places (AiOP) produces a thematic public art festival along 14th Street from Avenue C to the Hudson River in New York City. From October 1-10, the 2011 edition of AiOP will take place along this east-west corridor in Manhattan, and will center on the theme of RITUAL, including ideas of ceremony, habituation, myth, obsession, superstition and liturgy. This year’s guest curators, Trinidad Fombella (El Museo del Barrio) and Kalia Brooks (MoCADA), selected over sixty artists to participate in what has grown to become the largest festival AiOP has organized in its fifteen-year history.

The curators reviewed applications from an international open call that responded to the idea of RITUAL. The selected sixty plus projects successfully incorporate elements of the “ritualistic,” exploring the sacred and profane of everyday actions in the particular context of the urban environment. As one of New York City’s major cross-town streets heavily populated by businesses, pedestrians and commuters, 14th Street compelled the arrangement of projects that play with the behaviors of the street’s transient congregation.

Alejandro Guzman, El Santero: Seven Days Seven Nights, performance. Courtesy of the artist.

In the contemporary moment, the idea of ritual is a highly provocative concept. It is most commonly linked to the set of actions in religious ceremony or cultural celebrations, but the notion is also applicable to the socializing behaviors performed among individuals in the daily engagement with the social environment and civic space. This installment of AiOP seeks to subtly disrupt the procedures of the everyday or emphasize the ritualistic character of small gestures or acts in both religious and secular life, to establish temporary moments of ecstatic contemplation in the public realm.

AiOP 2011: RITUAL offers artists the opportunity to make art outside formal spaces by reconfiguring their artistic practice as public actions or urban interventions without the confinement of a gallery or museum space. AiOP 2011: RITUAL will engage passers-by, providing them with a new perspective of an otherwise familiar environment through site-specific installations, social and spatial interventions, video and audio projects, performance, new media, and other inventive practices. In addressing the distinct manifestations of ritual, the festival aims to broaden the public’s outlook on art, city dwelling, and social conventions.

Projects include interactive group foot cleansings in Union Square, ceremony of tree kissing, 24-hour endurance performances along 14th Street. Also featured: a video suited public disco announcer, Haikus written on toast, dancing costumed ameba cocoons, rose petal walkways, and ceramic deities placed indeterminately along 14th Street throughout the festival.

FACT SHEET for AiOP 2011: RITUAL

Who: Sixty + artists' projects from around the world.
Guest curators: Kalia Brooks, MoCADA Director of Exhibitions and Trinidad Fombella, El Museo Del Barrio Exhibitions Manager/Assistant Curator.
Festival Producer, Lucia Warck Meister. Founder/Director, Ed Woodham.

Collaborating Organizations are Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA), El Museo del Barrio, Parsons New School for Design, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, Theaterlab, 14 Street Y, Norwood Club, 14th Street Park in Hudson River Park.

ARTISTS: Sherry Aliberti, Scott Andresen, Rob Andrews, Nobutaka Aozaki, Julia Barbee, Korhan Basaran, Caitlin Berrigan & Anya Liftig, Tom Bogaert, Michael Borowski, Javier Bosques, Brodigy, Corrine Cappelletti, Seth Caplan, Patricia Cazorla, Joanna Chak, Flora Choi, Missa Coffman, Concerned New Yorkers, Bindi Cole, Andrea Cote & Michael Drisgall, Elizabeth Demaray, Konstantin Dimopoulos, Dahlia Elsayed, Margarita Garcia, Lawrence Graham Brown, Alicia Grullon, Alejandro Guzman, Harvey loves Harvey, Judith Hoffman, Alexa Hoyer, Nova Jiang, Doreen Kennedy, Laura LeBreton, Abigail Levine, Lulu Lolo, Alban Low, Mary Ivy Martin, Maski, Scott Mason, Carolina Mayorga, Park McArthur, Marissa Mickelberg, Andrea Moccio, Felix Morelo, Sheryl Oring, Joaquin Palencia, Julie Puttgen, Edith Raw, Leon Reid IV, Ryan Ringer & Jenny Santos, Jacolby Satterwhite, Gene Schmidt, Leo Selvaggio, Anne-Katrin Spiess, Liana Strasberg, Sasha Sumner, Katie Urban, Juha Valkeapää and Geert Vaes, Mary Valverde, Gretchen Vitamvas, Lois Weaver & Lori E. Seid, Caitlin Webb, Genevieve White & Rafael Sanchez, Jenifer Wightman, Alexandra Wolkowicz, and Amy Young.
Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/artinoddplaces for high res images.

WHAT: Art in Odd Places 2011: RITUAL is the 7th annual NYC festival featuring performances, interventions, visual installations, video, sound and more in public spaces. For more about the event’s history, visit the website.

WHEN: October 1 to October 10, 2010; for schedule, visit www.artinoddplaces.org.

Press Preview: Thursday, September 22, 1pm at Underline Gallery, 238 W. 14th St (RSVP AiOPpr@gmail.com).

Opening Reception: Friday, September 30, 6-9pm (Theaterlab, 137 W14th Street) featuring many of this year’s festival performers.

Special Festival Events

GLANDATHON WORKSHOP, Interactive Performative Keynote Address: Linda Mary Montano, Saturday, October 1, 2-4pm. (Parsons New School for Design, 66 Fifth Avenue, Kellen Auditorium)
Tour with curators to follow. RSVP AiOPnyc@gmail.com

RITUAL IN PUBLIC SPACE, Panel: Tuesday, October 4, 6pm. (Pratt Manhattan Gallery 144 W 14th St, 2nd Floor).

PSEUDO-PUBLIC SPACE, Public Space Panel: Saturday, October 8, 6pm. (Parsons New School of Design, 65 W11th Street, 5th Floor, Wollman Hall). Tour with the curators to follow.

WHERE: 14th Street, Avenue C to the Hudson River, New York City.

Subways: 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W to Union Square; 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, F, V to 14th Street.
L to First Avenue, Third Avenue, Union Square, Sixth Avenue, and Eighth Avenue.

Maps are available: Parsons New School for Design’s Shelia Johnson Design Centerlobby, 2 W13th Street and 66 Fifth Avenue; 14th Street Y, 344 E14th Street; Pratt Manhattan Gallery, 144 W14th Street; Rags A GoGo, 218 W14th Street and at many businesses along 14th Street & vicinity.

WHY:Art in Odd Places (AiOP)aims to present art that stretches the boundaries of communication in the public realm by presenting artworks in all disciplines outside the confines of traditional public space regulations. AiOP reminds us that public spaces function as the epicenter for diverse social interactions and the unfettered exchange of ideas. AiOP is a project of GOH Productions. www.gohproductions.com.

Art in Odd Places in Urban Design Week - September 20 @ 7pm

2011-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

You are invited!

Art in Odd Places Presents: Rise and Fall: Contemporary Nautical Practice and the Gowanus Canal

This discussion, moderated by Jeff Stark, will center on artists and activists who take the NYC waterways as their creative point of departure, and who have crafted alternative ways to reclaim the water as viable public space. Panelists: Ludger Balen, Dylan Gauthier, Constance Hockaday, Mary Mattingly and Tim Thyzel. Organized by Juliana Driever.

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm at Proteus Gowanus, 543 Union St, Brooklyn
Free / Open to the Public

Part of Urban Design Week presented by the Institute for Urban Design.

Art in Odd Places 2011 is looking for Volunteers !!

2011-09-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Art in Odd Places Festival is just around the corner, and we would love to get an extra set of hands to help. If you have time to spare during September 30 - October 10 and an appreciation for public art, then this is the perfect opportunity for you. You can get the chance to know our 66 artists this year and their work. Not to mention, hang around 14th street. Two positions are available: Artists' Assistant and Visitor Liaison

Get all the details here:

Visitor Liaisons

Artists' Assistant

The saga continues: Leon Reid IV 's "Tourist in Chief" at the NYC Community Board 5

2011-08-31T05:20:00.000-07:00

As you may heard, AiOP 2011 artist, Leon Reid IV , made an amazing presentation to the NYC Community Board 5 to allow the execution of his project, Tourist-in-Chief, for the upcoming festival in October. L magazine followed this story intently, raising questions about securing permits for public spaces. Leon shared with us what happened during the meeting

Another full board meeting will commence on September 8. We encourage you to attend and support Leon. During the festival Art in Odd Places will present a panel discussion on October 8, Pseudo-Public Space to discuss this matter. Art in Odd Places supports Leon Reid IV 100%.

Watch the video of the board meeting

AiOP 2011 artist Doreen Kennedy has something to cheer you up during Hurricane Irene

2011-08-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

Do you like flowers? I have somebody who has a lot of them

As we patiently wait for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, allow me to introduce you to one of our artist for 2011 who will brighten up our day today , and during the festival. Get to know Doreen Kennedy and hopefully her work will help our East Coast friends get through this impending mess. She is definitely sending her love from Ireland.

Doreen Kennedy

AiOP: Tell us about you?
DK: I am an Irish artist based in Dublin, Ireland. I work mainly with photography to make installations, photomontages and prints.

Bookgrids 1 – 6, from Portrait of a Library, 2011, 40cm x 84cm x 6, Giclee prints
Photo provided by artist

Endless Seascape, photographic prints, 30cm x 42cm x 10, 2009
photo provided by Doreen Kennedy

One Thousand Flowers, installation, 2007
photo provided by Doreen Kennedy

AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?
DK: I stumbled across the AiOP website. The image of 'Invasive Crochet' by Crystal Gregory caught my attention.

AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places.
DK: Flower Bed is a photo-based installation designed to appear in a public park environment. It is made up of aprox 600 photographic prints, placed upright in the grass to make up a ‘flower bed’ rectangular shape. The idea for the installation began with an earlier piece I did at the Electric Picnic Festival in 2007 ‘1,000 Flowers’. 1,000 flower prints were placed on to the bark surface of trees in a woodland area. While making it I began to think about the everyday action viewing of flowers / plant life in a public park over repeated visits. It's almost nostalgic. The work explores themes of the external environment, time capture and the process of recording time with the use of single or repeated images. The flower images can provide a type of evidence or findings from a location. The recreation of an artificial photo-based ‘Flower Bed’ in a public space aims to surprise the viewer and to reconsider the idea of what art in a public space can be.

"Flower Bed" Photo provided by Doreen Kennedy

AiOP: How is the preparation coming along?
DK: I'm looking at the logistics side of things at the moment, travel dates and checking out flight times....

AiOP: Where will see you along 14th street during the festival?
DK: The Flower Bed installation will be in a park space with a grassy area somewhere along 14th Street, the specific location is to be confirmed.

AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?
DK: It'll be great to engage with the local community there, any feedback on the artwork is welcome.

AiOP: Where can we reach you
DK: website: www.doreenkennedy.com
twitter: @doreenk

AiOP: Any final words?
DK: This will be my first time making an art installation on location in New York, I'm really looking forward to taking part in the festival.

Thank you, Doreen. Your photographs made me feel better to brace the storm. The Art in Odd Places team will see you on October.

Ma Inspira Opening - CultureFix

2011-08-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Ma Inspira is a fund raising exhibition curated by Gabriella Mesa-Jonassen that opened last August 9. Located at CultureFix in the Lower East Side, 15 artworks, made by 15 young female artists, are in display for the silent auction. Percentage of the proceeds goes to the "House of Treasure" , benefiting the victims of human trafficking in Romania. The show is on going until August 21st.

Stop by and check it out when you get a chance. Art in Odd Places was at the opening

"Lifted up, Large Children Having lost their heads." by Lauren Shaw

The curator of the show: Gabriella Mesa-Jonassen

Gabriella next to her work "Wrapped & Hanging by a Thread"

For the complete list of artists, click here

Katie Urban wants you to almost lay down on a bed of roses

2011-08-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Let me ask you this question: what happens when you combine the red carpet and confetti? Answer: you will see Katie Urban's 2011 project for Art in Odd Places. She will explore the calming and "processional" properties of rituals, while displaying an act of kindness. Using an object that is a typically symbolizes as a gesture of affection, this artist hopes to bring joy to everyone her walk way.

What exactly does she have in mind? I tell you this is much better than laying down on a bed of roses, because let's be honest here: New Yorkers really don't have anytime for that.

AiOP: Tell us about you?

KU: I live and work in a Victorian house in Brooklyn. I work in many different media, basically whatever it is that best communicates my ideas. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of photography based work.

Katie Urban, Photo provided by artist

A print from "Time Exposures", photo provided by artist

I’ve always been creative, always liked making things and felt some kind of need to express myself. A couple of years ago I found a sketchbook from when I was in fourth grade. It was filled with drawings of the covers of books that I wanted to write (think Babysitters Club meets Sweet Valley High), different hairstyles that I liked and outfits that I designed- I was big into Greek mythology then, so there was lots of drapery, wrap around sandals, lyres and columned buildings in the background. I actually worked in fashion for a spell, but decided that I instead wanted to focus on art making where I feel more creatively fulfilled.

A drawing from the artist's sketchbook

A lot of my work is very emotional. I think this is because I’m an emotional person, but generally have trouble showing that to people. So making art has become a way for me to express deeply personal things to others, but in this indirect, sort of coded way. In the end though, I think the work is less about me than it is about universal human experiences and emotions. Hopefully it is something that anyone can relate to and that makes people think, feel and appreciate being alive.

And I enjoy cooking.

"No One Receiving" Katie Urban

AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?

KU: Through NYFA’s website. It’s a great resource for artists. I check it all the time. I’m really interested in sociology, comparative religion and mythology (see fourth grade sketchbook) so I was immediately drawn to this year’s festival and its theme of ritual.

AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places.

KU: I started out by thinking about what a ritual is- how in religious contexts, it’s a highly symbolic, meaningful action, but in a psychological, more everyday context it’s a repetitive action that becomes automatic and meaningless. In my own life, I try to avoid going around on autopilot, try to appreciate the really small things like walking to work or going to the laundromat. I think kids do this, or at least I did when I was a kid. Some of my most vivid memories are of really mundane things like driving to CVS with my Dad listening to the oldies station.

So I wanted to do something that would celebrate these little moments and awaken an awareness of them in people. New Yorkers work so hard and I also wanted to celebrate the efforts that we make every day just to get by.

I was looking at pictures of ancient temples and ziggurats and was interested in the processional walkways, these demarcated paths leading up to the sacred spaces. This led to the idea to create processional walkways out of rose petals along 14^th Street to sanctify people's paths and offer them purification for the day ahead. I want the walkways to make people feel special, like they are walking on a red carpet. I also want them to remind people that life goes quickly and that the smallest, most mundane moments are worthy of celebration.

AiOP: How is the preparation coming along?

KU: Good! I’m really psyched to do this and am having fun scouting out 14^th street for prime locations and looking for freeze dried rose petal suppliers.

AiOP: Share one of your rituals with us that is part of your art or performance work.

KU: When I'm starting on something new, I always do a big clean and purge of my workspace. At the beginning of a project, my mind is usually still a little scattered trying to figure out the details and tie together lose ends and I feel like a disorganized space blocks my thinking. Also, once I'm working it tends to get messy so I like to start out on the right foot.

AiOP: Where will see you along 14th street during the festival?

KU: To be confirmed very soon! I’m considering a few different locations. There’s a really cool church between 1^st and A that would be an interesting spot. I’m also thinking about near the 6^th Ave subway stop or in the meatpacking district near the High Line entrance at 10^th.

AiOP: What do you hope to bring to the festival?

KU: Joy, awareness, appreciation.

AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?

KU: There are going to be so many cool projects this year. See as many as you can and talk to the artists. Also, if you’re rushing along and randomly happen upon something interesting, take the time to experience it, don’t just walk by.

AiOP: Where can we reach you

KU: Check out my website, www.katie-urban.com.

AiOP: Any final words?

KU: Mark your calendars with big hearts and stars for Art in Odd Places- October 1-10!

An Art for a Good Cause | Ma Inspira - Opening night August 10

2011-08-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

A good friend of Art in Odd Places, Gabriela Mesa-Jonassen , is curating a show benefiting the "House of Treasure", a shelter in Romania helping young victims of human trafficking.

Opening night: Aug. 10. 7- 9 pm

See the invite here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=220204731354657

We hope to see you there

Credit: Dave Schroeder

In exchange of your support, Rob Andrews might give you a pedicure

2011-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

We typically view the word "ritual" as a very religious, almost snooty, act. However, the word can also invoke a sense of "regularity": an activity done to simply bring order. It could be as elaborate as ceremonies, but ritual could be about doing simple things: such as cleaning or taking a bath. Our next artist has explored rituals in different ways, such as using toothbrushes as a cleaning utensil or singing to a coyote, to name a few. We are excited to have Rob Andrews to be part of this year's festival. Upon getting to know his work, the Art in Odd Places team feels this partnership is a match made in heaven.

Who is Rob Andrews and what exactly is he doing for the festival? It involves your feet and something about cleaning. You will know in just a second. I do want to take this time first to let you know about his fund raising project with a great micro-funding site called United States Artists. He is currently asking for your support for his upcoming exhibition soon after the festival. Read it all about here: http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/door_work

Now let's get to know 2011 Art in Odd Places artist, Rob Andrews.

2011 AiOP artists, Rob Andrews

AiOP: Tell us about you?

RA: I'm an artist and teacher based in Brooklyn. My work focuses on enacting rituals and telling stories using my own body and the bodies of others. I steal from tradition, religious practice, and from my collaborators in an attempt to get their stories wrong on purpose in order to make them right in another way. My practice involves personal intervention into the muck of inherited mythology, public actions, and volunteer and forced collaborations. I've shown work at the Museum of Modern Art, Exit Art, Grace Exhibition Space, and English Kills Art Gallery in New York as well as in collaboration with other innovative public programs like 40*PHI Art in the Parks.

"Assembly" by Rob Andrews

"Be Void" by Rob Andrews

AiOP: Let's talk to us about "Gowanus Minotaur". The imagery is so, if I may say, a little scary.

Gowanus Minotaur photo provided by Rob Andrews

RA:This work was a breakthrough. The Minotaur is part of our character: as Americans, as humans, as brothers, as mothers, as sons, as friends. He haunts us in his impotency and violence. This piece achieved a fidelity to its source even I couldn't have anticipated. During this work, the Minotaur was meant to be separate from the gallery (a former textile factory), and present only as a specter. The Minotaur was under the main space, chained through the floor to an industrial sewing machine. A three channel video made him visible in the gallery, but the body of the Minotaur was removed - in the labyrinth so to speak. Over the course of the piece however, audience members infiltrated the basement, and threw bottles at the Minotaur, and poured liquor on his body. Someone actually broke an 8 foot florescent bulb over the Minotaur.

AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?

RA: I've known other artists who have participated in the festival in past years and have kept tabs on it just because it is such innovative and provocative public programming. When I saw this year's curatorial point of view, I absolutely had a, "That's what I do!" moment. I'm thrilled and honored that the curatorial staff feels the same way about my project.

AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places

RA: I have been building cleaning pieces for ten years. Cleaning is a profound metaphor for human experience. Not only does it have deep formal ritual roots across world religions, it is a notable informal form of human connection. One has one's feet cleaned at a beauty salon. I clean my children at night, and in doing so honor and protect them. We clean ourselves for absolution. For presentation! We clean to get closer to each other, or to get control.

In 2003 I cleaned the floor of the gallery Exit Art for three months. Roberta Smith of the New York Times wrote of the work, "In a piece that suggests interior reconstruction Rob Andrews has been and will continue cleaning the gallery's entire floor with a toothbrush, a few square feet each day. His air of meditative concentration contrasts noticeably and nicely with the prevailing sense of bustle and bulk." My goal is to use this project as a spiritual nexus, invite collaborators from the public to meditate beyond their workaday personal interactions, and possibly experience interior reconstruction themselves.

Cleaning is a beautiful expression of absence as well. I'm attracted to actions like this: that superficially imply subtraction, but that represent metaphysical gain. I've cleaned the feet of strangers. I've convinced others to allow themselves to be cleaned by strangers. I've cleaned my body to the point that it was an open wound and, in so doing, invited threatening infections into it - all to achieve a sort of spiritual purity!

This is why cleaning is so special. It embodies our contrary nature in it's most basic form. We try to control the things that are out of our control. In a sense, that's what ritual is: an acknowledgment or our fundamental weaknesses. An appeal. The question is of course: to whom do we appeal and why?

I am going to fill Union Square with forty cloaked figures. The cloaks are black and will extend to the figures' ankles. The public will be invited to clean the feet of the figures with me. They'll be invited to do so in English and in Arabic. This is an act of communion. Of preparation for prayer. Of sublimation. Of sharing. Of acknowledgment of difference, but also of sameness. Let us be contrary, but let us find peace in our shared rituals!

AiOP: How is the preparation coming along?

RA: The piece is coming together! For the most part, the challenge in a work like this is building a trusting and courageous volunteer base. This is a threatening and vulnerable act as a "cleanee." You give yourself over to an intimate intrusion. The trick is finding the strength in that act. Again, we have this lovely paradox: gaining control by giving it up.

AiOP: Where will see you along 14th street during the festival?

RA: We will populate Union Square.

What do you hope to bring to the festival?

RA: This festival is happening at the right time in the right place for the right reasons. I have tremendous respect (and awe) for artists and people that multiply themselves and add new layers of self in this digital age. I do it too to the extent that I can thin myself out. Physical ritual however, peels us down to our essence. It reminds us of the catches and traps we had to create for ourselves before we could so easily get answers from the cloud. We need to remember about the blood, the spit, the light! We need to hold hands with one another. We need to cross the barriers that we're most afraid of crossing, so that we can learn why we were so damn afraid in the first place.

I hope that when the public engages with my work, they let it live inside them. I hope they remember the selves that are compacted inside of them. I hope they live in their memories and the memories inside those memories. We need to touch each other. We need to stop fearing each other.

AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?

RA: Do not be afraid.

AiOP: Where can we reach you

RA: My personal website: http://www.andrewsautomatic.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/andrewsautomat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rob-Andrews-Artist/218094004884832

Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/andrewsautomatic/ (or @andrewsautomat)

AiOP: Any final words?

RA: I am so thrilled to participate in Art in Odd Places and to announce that shortly after the festival, my first solo show goes up at English Kills Gallery in Bushwick, Brooklyn on October 22, 2011. As a 2010-11 Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art winner, I qualified to collaborate with an amazing organization: USA artists, a sort of specialty Kickstarter for fine arts projects. For the next two weeks (only!) I'm raising money for this show and I have a long way to go. My work is unconventional, ephemeral, and outside of the mainstream. Please consider joining my supporters in micro-funding this ambitious project. Please check out the project, where I show a video that explains a bit more about the project and my work in general: http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/door_work - I need your help! You can be a patron of the arts right now!

Every dollar counts, so visit his fund raising page and make a donation. Thank you so much for sharing, Rob. We wish you all the best with this fund raising endeavor

The Miraculous Artist, Carolina Mayorga, is coming to New York bearing not gifts, but prayer cards.

2011-07-25T20:54:00.001-07:00

There is no surprise this year's Art in Odd Places theme (Ritual) will bring a lot of projects with obvious religious undertones. Our artist for this entry does exactly that. There will be holy water, prayer cards and other religious objects present to entice fans, worshipers, and soon to be converts. Religion often is a touchy subject , and Carolina Mayorga uses art (more specifically, "public art") as an avenue to explore the matter. You might think the project has a very serious nature, but the artist assures us there is humor infused in it.

Get to know our 2011 AiOP artist , Carolina Mayorga, better and see what her work for the festival is all about.

AiOP: Tell us about you?
CM: I'm a visual artist based in Washington, DC. My work addresses issues of social and political content. Comments on migration, war, identity, translate into video, performance, site-specific installations, and Two-dimensional media in the form of photography and drawing.

The Miraculous Artist 2009
photo courtesy of Carolina Mayorga

AiOP: How did you hear about Art in Odd Places?
CM: I was forwarded the call by colleague artist Linda Hesh who participated last year.

AiOP: Walk us through your thought process in creating your piece for Art in Odd Places.
CM: After the emergence of The Miraculous Artist in the Nation’s Capital, I found that this year's Art in Odd Places theme Ritual was the perfect platform to introduce the character to NYC. The dates for the festival became the title of the piece: The Miraculous Artist Columbus Day Special. I will use the holiday week to gather followers and persuade them into adoring The Miraculous Artist in order to get prayer cards that will guarantee health, prosperity and love.

As a strategy to recruit more people and aware of the importance of the Hudson River to New Yorkers, The Miraculous Artist will claim the prayer cards have been pre-dipped in these holy waters.

For AIOP The Miraculous Artist will not be soliciting money in exchange of her prayer cards as on previous occasions. Instead she will be asking for a gesture of adoration from her worshipers. Stay tuned to find out exactly what she expects.

AiOP: How is the preparation coming along?
CM: I'm in the process of deciding props/sounds for the different apparitions and journeys. There's the possibility of a cloudy apparition at the beginning of each journey and the use of different sound bites from an infomercial advertising the praying cards.
Here's the link for the video:
http://carolinamayorga.com/series/dac_13_2.html

AiOP: Where will we see you along 14th street during the festival?
CM: The Miraculous Artist will make her first appearance during the opening reception at Theater Lab. Her processions will begin at subway stations along 14th street beginning at 1st ave. and ending at 8 ave. Basically i will be walking around all along 14th street.

AiOP: What do you hope to bring to the festival?
CM: I'm hoping to bring a humorous look at the commercialization of spiritual values. I'm also hoping participation/interaction with other artists in the AIOP festival, we can arrange a special blessing for your project! Don't hesitate to contact me, I'll be happy to participate in your project as well.

AiOP: Any message to the people who will be in 14th street during the festival?
CM: People in NYC can't miss the unique opportunity of receiving advice from The Miraculous Artist and get a hold on her Miraculous Prayer Cards. Whether you got laid off, don’t have health insurance, or are feeling lonely, these Cards, pre-dipped in the holy waters of the Hudson River, are exactly what New Yorkers need. Don't delay and find out how you can get the Cards that will turn your life around forever!

AiOP: Where can we reach you (twitter handle would be great)
CM: Facebook- Carolina Mayorga
e-mail: camayorga@gmail.com
e-mail: carolinamayorga20@hotmail.com
carolinamayorga.com

AiOP: Any final words?
CM: If there's any artist interested in a Miraculous Artist Special Blessing of their AIOP project I'd love to hear from you! I'll be happy to collaborate in your project as well.

Art in Odd Places

Carolina Mayorga, AiOP 2011 artist, is making soup! Make a donation to her Kickstarter campaign

You are invited || Flora Choi's Daeng'gi Kimchi Factory - Opening Reception Dec. 22

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: SOCIAL MEDIA POSITION AT ART IN ODD PLACES 2012

CALL FOR PROPOSAL | Un-Space Ground - Deadline: Nov. 27, 2011

YOU ARE INVITED | "Parts and Labor" opening November 4 at Abrons Art Center

Join AiOP favorite, LuLu LoLo, for a fundraiser this Saturday at Flux Factory

"Wash" "Closely" as AiOP 2011 artist , Michael Borowski, shares his festival experience

Call this one "Shapes in Odd Places"

If these cocoons could talk, what would it say? You better read this entry then

Rob Andrews presents: DOOR WORK --> OPENING OCTOBER 22

LuLu LoLo as “The Gentleman of 14th Street” in “A Tip of the Hat on 14th Street”

Did he finally get his clothes back? Art in Odd Places Festival 2011 artist Lawrence Graham Brown shares his story

An open letter from a mother during the Art in Odd Places festival

Can't get enough Art in Odd Places 2011 ? Here are more images from the festival.

Video: NY Times / East Village Blog

"Tourist-In-Chief" Art In Odd Places and the musings of Hamlet.

Julia Barbee, Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, shares her experience during the festival

Day 8: A-Typical Saturday at Union Square

MASKI day 8.

Maski's progress during day 4, 5, 6 and 7.

More Festival action from Day 5 - Art in Odd Places

FESTIVAL UPDATE: Day 4 of Art in Odd Places (TUESDAY)

The Miraculous Artist, Carolina Mayorga, shares her Art in Odd Places festival experience

New Yorkers Restreeted.

DAY 3 RECAP - Art in Odd Places: Ritual

Fossil Authorship DENIED

DAY 2 - SUNDAY : ART IN ODD PLACES 2011 FESTIVAL

MASKI day 3 (2 masks!).

Maski, day 2.

DAY 1 - Art in Odd Places Festival: Ritual

Notes from A Domestic Terrorist ...

More photos from the opening reception at Theaterlab on Friday, September 30

MASKI, day 1: solo procession

AIOP OPENING IMPRESSIONS

Art in Odd Places Opening Reception @ Theater Lab

Images from Dahlia Elsayed "Really Real" project for Art in Odd Places

Why should anyone take part in MASKI at AIOP?

Konstantin Dimopoulos believes the term "Art in Odd Places" is a misnomer ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Leon Reid IV's Tourist -in-Chief received permission from the Parks and Recreation Department

Art in Odd Places Opening Reception Sneak Peak

Art in Odd Places presents Ruptures in the Urban Realm Panel Discussion-October 8th 2011!

Art in Odd Places Does Urban Design Week

Laurie Breton's pilgrimage for the festival is longer than Holy Week

Brolab's Kickstarter campaign: Piazza Gratissima

Flora Choi, Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, was featured in The Korean Times

IT HAS BEGUN!! AiOP 2011: RITUAL press preview rocks 14th Street!

A conversation with Linda Montano

Art in Odd Places Festival Opening Reception: September 30 @ Theater Lab

A Proposal | Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, Jacquelyn Soo, will have circles fit in a square

SCYAPROJECT

Circling

Square

Art in Odd Places 2011 Kickstarter campaign

Flora Choi shares her Art in Odd Places 2011 Postcard

Corinne Cappelletti, Art in Odd Places 2011 artist, will carry your burdens this October

Check out the Art in Odd Places 2011 website

PRESS RELEASE | Art in Odd Places 2011: RITUAL

Art in Odd Places in Urban Design Week - September 20 @ 7pm

Art in Odd Places 2011 is looking for Volunteers !!

The saga continues: Leon Reid IV 's "Tourist in Chief" at the NYC Community Board 5

AiOP 2011 artist Doreen Kennedy has something to cheer you up during Hurricane Irene

Ma Inspira Opening - CultureFix

Katie Urban wants you to *almost* lay down on a bed of roses

An Art for a Good Cause | Ma Inspira - Opening night August 10

In exchange of your support, Rob Andrews might give you a pedicure

The Miraculous Artist, Carolina Mayorga, is coming to New York bearing not gifts, but prayer cards.

Katie Urban wants you to almost lay down on a bed of roses