Friday, September 25, 2009
Art Weekend-Long Art Under the Bridge Festival Kicks Off Today
Posted by Allie Esslinger on Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 1:04 PM
Last night, Wade Kavanaugh and Stephen B. Nguyen unveiled their contribution to the festival, "The Experience of Green" (pictured), at the DAC Gallery (30 Washington St). The artists “forested” the industrial space in support of nature and industry co-existing, as it was explained to me by Shannon Legg, one of the high school interns who has helped with preparations for the festival and who will also have an exhibit with partner Elisabeth Pianel—their piece, "BKLYN C-KRETZ", will show throughout the festival at 20 Jay Street. This theme of ‘environment’ will emerge in various works, along with the rise of technology, homelessness and responses to the recession, to name a few of the recurring issues.
Because Art Under the Bridge is an exhibition of temporary, on-the-spot projects, the influence of contemporary culture and dialogue is expected. The spontaneous nature of the festival, combined with its inherent tendency towards touchable, accessible, and interactive art makes for an exciting concentration of over 80 projects on display. I’ve already been able to see John Monteith’s block-long oyster carpet, "River’s Edge" in Fulton Ferry State Park, and a couple of the exhibits I’m most looking forward to this weekend are Artcodex’s gold rush town performance "Welcome to New York: Boomtown 2006" and Reina Kubota’s plastic bag installation "Tree of Life". Click here for a full list of participating artists.
The DAC has been the sole producer of Art Under the Bridge throughout its history. The festival was borne out of its mission to inspire and incubate relationships among artists, their local community and the public at large. It was the first non-profit arts organization in Dumbo and has established itself, and the Dumbo art scene, through year-around gallery exhibitions, site-specific commissions, and educational programs for professional artists as well as high school students.
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