Buidling 110 is right at Governors Island's front door

Today’s New York Times Arts Beat blog mentions that Governors Island ‘s first year-round occupants have moved into the upper floor of Building 110. More than 20 artists have set up work space as part of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council ’s  newest artist residency program. Previous residency locations include the Woolworth Building, the World Trade Center and the Equitable Building; Governors Island’s building 110 is in fine company. Building 110, built in 1870 as a munitions storage facility, was converted over the years for a series of administrative uses. This past year, the upper floor underwent a remarkable transformation from a dark, partitioned warren of offices to the open, bright studio space for artists.

 The artists will work in a 16,000 square foot space with sweeping views of lower Manhattan unparalleled in the harbor. The LMCC space includes twenty studios, two dance rooms and a gallery where visitors to Governors Island during the public access season will be able to see installations from some of the artists on site.  In addition, the artists work spaces will be open to the public on and off throughout the season to get a glimpse of the artists’ processes.

 Many of the first group of both emerging and seasoned artists have been inspired by Governors Island and will be creating site specific work during their 5 month residency on the Island. Everyone on Governors Island is excited to have new neighbors during the spring, summer and fall seasons as well as the quieter winter months–at long last!

Thousands enjoy a concert on Colonels Row last summer

Friday’s New York Times City Room blog had a post about Governors Island’s potential to host classical music festivals,  much like  Tanglewood or other famed venues around the country. With its outstanding views of the Statue of Liberty, Lower Manhattan, and New York Harbor, along with  its large, open green spaces, Governors Island is a unique place to experience the arts. 

Over the past few years, Governors Island has become home to a diverse array of cultural activities and programs. The Island has hosted performing arts festivals,  concerts at Water Taxi Beach and on Colonels Row, site-specific dance performances, outdoor public art, and much more. 

"The Wind Nomads" art installation on the Parade Ground was a part of last fall's New Island Festival

As we move forward and prepare for another public access season here, we very much look forward to welcoming even more partners to bring new festivals, programs, and activities to hundreds of thousands of Island visitors.

One of the team's ideas to combat the effects of climate change on Lower Manhattan by creating new wetlands to absorb rising surf (Rendering courtesy of ARO and dlandstudio/MoMA from nymag.com)

In this week’s New York  magazine, Justin Davidson looks at five architecture teams’ proposals for soft-edge interventions that could combat the effects of  rising sea levels in NYC’s future. The concepts will be displayed in the Museum of Modern Art and P.S.1’s “Rising Currents” exhibition, which opens on March 24.  One of the sites that the teams are contemplating includes Governors Island. You can click here to see a slideshow of the teams’ ideas.

Last month, Leslie was a guest blogger on the MOMA/P.S.1 blog, Inside/Out,  and shared her perspective what the five zones look like from Governors Island. Take a virtual walk around Governors Island with her and learn more about each teams’ proposed plans.

Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) Summer Colony on Governors Island: “Five Days of Clay” by CMA

Improv Everywhere: “The MP3 Experiment” by Improv Everywhere

Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra: “Jazz Age Lawn Party” by Michael Cumella

Oyster midden on Governors Island

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has commissioned five teams to propose harbor infrastructure solutions to help make New York City more resilient to the effects of rising sea levels and climate change. This project is part workshop, part upcoming exhibit, and it’s called “Rising Currents.”  From our vantage point in the middle of New York Harbor, we’ve been following their progress with great interest.  

One of the teams led by SCAPE Studio and Kate Orff, is exploring “Oyster-tecture” – using oyster reefs to grow an ecosytem while attenuating waves from storm and flooding events. In fact, the New York Harbor School is already piloting an oyster restoration project here on Governors Island.  The underwater oyster incubator has the endearing name of FLUPSY (flowing upweller system).  It houses thousands of baby oysters in protective structures until they are big enough to go out into the harbor on their own.  For a fascinating peek inside the FLUPSY, check out the short video below featuring Pete Malinowski of the New York Harbor School. MoMA’s blog, Inside/Out ,will also fill you in on the progress of each team. Better yet, you can go see the teams yourself at an Open House this Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 2PM – 6PM at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center.  You may never think about the harbor the same way again.

Braakland was a performance piece that told the story of nine people wandering through a forgotten place. Inspired by the novels of John Coetzee, the production used penetrating imagery to bring the violence and desolation of his books to life. Director Lotte van den Berg staged the action hundreds of feet from the audience, creating an expansive physical distance. This staging led Theatremania’s Andy Propst to declare, “Watched from a distance, this brutal exploration of man’s inhumanity to man featured a host of committed and strikingly detailed performances, which made the action chillingly immediate.”

Braakland was performed on the southern portion of Governors Island as a part of the New Island Festival. Here, actors perform hundreds of feet from the audience, creating a unique theatrical experience (photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/istolethetv/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

"Packet Ship Passing Castle Williams, New York Harbor," by Thomas Chambers. Photo: Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art via New York Times

Roberta Smith’s recent New York Times piece, “The Year in Arts“, is giving us the excuse to share a delightful painting featuring Castle Williams that we saw at the American Folk Art Museum earlier this fall. It is part of an exhibition of work by 19th-century American painter Thomas Chambers that is  ongoing until March 7. In the course of our Governors Island research, we’ve seen our share of similar 19th-century harbor scenes, but there’s something incredibly appealing and bold about this piece.

Bocce!

We had supermuch fun playing badminton and table tennis earlier this summer, so we’re pleased to welcome RECESS back to this Island this Saturday, September 26TH from 12PM-5PM. The kids at RECESS are promising to turn Colonels Row into a sea of bocce courts to welcome the start of the Fall season. 32 teams will face off for the chance to be crowned RECESS bocce champion 2009 season. There will be additional courts for the public to test their skills at the game, as well as an opportunity to learn about the game if you’re a beginner.

Inside Building 12 at the 4-Heads Art Fair

Art!

Also this weekend, we’re saying goodbye to the 4-Heads Art Fair that brought 150 independant artists and galleries from around the world to Building 12. They are hosting a closing reception on Sunday from 3pm-6pm with music, live painting, poetry, games, pizza and a costume party. All galleries will be open from 11 am – 6 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Dance!

Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra return on  Sunday, September 27 (Rain date: Sunday, Oct. 4th) for the Fall Jazz Age Lawn Party from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Widely anticipated by flappers, sporting gents and tiny tots alike, this event has been featured and reviewed consistently by The New York Times and the Sartorialist. A recession-friendly $5 admission gives you access to one of the Fall’s most magnificent celebrations. More information about bathing beauties, pie contests, and cocktails at www.dreamlandorchestra.com/calendar.php.