Portraits of New York
Patricia, Ezra, Peter
Living in New York City is fast, loud, and solitary. We go about our daily lives surrounded by thousands of others, and yet each of us is separated from one another by thick invisible barriers of "personal" space, with our heads down engaging only with our hand held digital devices. In The Radicant, Nicholas Borriaud describes modern society's aporia of balancing the cultural singularity of modernity with individual cultural heritage and tradition. To expose internal contradiction such as this, society has always turned to art as a force for bringing people together through its ability to expose and express, as a society, our deepest concerns, values, and as individuals, our sense of self. Within the artistic realm, portraits have a unique ability to simultaneously capture the essence of a specific individual, as well as the artist’s sensibility towards the zeitgeist in general. In his 1935 essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Walter Benjamin states that the essence of art is "here and now... Its unique existence at the place where it happens to be." Our project does exactly that: create a platform for artists to create art "here and now," and in direct relation to their subjects who simultaneously enjoy this same immediate experience.
As a group. we propose to combine these concepts to create a system of using art as a tool for social change by connecting the public with artists and the process of creating illustrated portraits for everyday New Yorkers. The goal is to connect people to and through art. The following is our statement of purpose and curatorial design: Portraits of New York is a long-term public art project that uses a transportable, street-vendor set-up to visit multiple New York sites, while partnering with New York artists who will create free illustrated portraits of New Yorkers. The illustrations and participants are documented and photographed, which is then shared publicly via social media and occasional public installments and printed matter.
As a group, we are the curators of our project. Sourcing both emerging and established artists to participate is a key element in our project. Some of the organizations that we would use to source these artists and create a presence in the art community are: artist clubs, such as The Art Students League of New York, 92nd Street Y, and the National Academy Museum; New York design and art academies, such as SVA, Parsons, Pratt, Columbia University, FIT, and NYU Tisch; established portrait artists such as Lois Woolley, Marvin Mattleson, and Mickalene Thomas; and street art organizations, such as Brooklyn Street Art and Street Art NYC. Through these organizations, as well as direct outreach from us, we will select and screen artists who want to participate. This process will include three letters of recommendation provided by the artist, as well as sit down interview conducted by Portraits of New York. In exchange for their involvement, we will provide participating artists with a platform to advertise both their work and name. This will be done via our home website and our cart, which will hold pamphlets and promotional material.
Particular governmental organizations, as well as community groups and institutions will also be important to the success of our project. The New York State Council on the Arts hosts regional networking events for artists and is responsible for distributing financial assistance to individual artists. It will be important to be in contact with this organization in order to create a connection not only with the art community, but also with the institutions responsible for supporting artists. The Brooklyn Arts Council, NurtureArt, and White Columns are other separate organizations that could provide beneficial support and connections for Portraits of New York. Since our project is not only working with artists, but also with communities, Museum outreach programs such as Whitney Museum Outreach and Art Access: Queens Museum could provide crucial support. Specific community and cultural organizations such as Gay Center Manhattan, Pride Center Brooklyn, and Asian American Arts Alliance would also be ideal resources since cultural identities within New York are not necessarily geographical.
Our project is intended to be long-term and continuous. It will, therefore, included a multitude of sites and locations in New York. The point is to visit various neighborhoods and demographics. In order to more easily navigate the convoluted NYC government regulations, our physical set up will be stream-lined and portable. We will customize a regulation size street cart manufactured by reputable companies such as Icicle Tricycles. Since we are a non-profit arts institution, we have the benefit of having slightly less strict rules for where we are allowed to be located in the city. Following particular guidelines, however, such as City Parks Regulations and City Street Vendor Regulations will be crucial to having successful set-ups. The locations we choose will revolve around several factors including: legal accessibility, foot traffic, local demographic or cultural identity, time of year, and existing vendors.
The cart will work as a visual advertisement for passers-by, a display to advertise and increase awareness for each participating artist, an art board / table for the artist to create his or her work, a place for both the participant and artist to sit, and a physical object that helps to create a feeling of comfort and artistic inspiration. For each participant, the artist will begin with the same two questions: What makes New York, New York? What makes you, you? The artist is encouraged to engage the person in conversation, while they create that person's portrait. Each session is expected to last between ten and fifteen minutes.
At the end of each session, both the illustration and the participant will be photographed and shared via social media and our website. The portrait itself will act as a documentation of the conversation, as it will inherently affect the artist's illustration. Video will be used on occasion to document all conversations at a particular site. Portraits of New York will selectively create compilations via short documentary films, printed media, and public murals throughout the city.
A realistic timeline for planning, design, and execution deadline for this project would be three to four months. This involves establishing connections with various organizations mentioned above; designing and manufacturing a street cart; designing, building, and launching a website; and contacting, screening, and establishing dates for participating artists. Costs involved with this project would include purchase of web domain; initial building and future maintenance of our street cart; printing or publishing printed media; providing participating artists with a budget for obtaining needed materials; renting or purchasing camera equipment and lighting—video and photography; and printing promotional material to hand out to participants. Furthermore, additional costs should be accounted for possible specialist technical assistance, such as from lighting, camera, and digital technicians.
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