Governors Island Welcomes New Arts Events in Last Weeks of 2010 Season
Photographer to show photos of Governors Island and give a tour of two of the Island’s buildings
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Children’s Museum of the Arts and other groups launch exhibitions and events for last four weekends
New York, NY: September 16, 2010: Several new arts events and exhibitions are coming to Governors Island during the last few weeks of its 2010 season, The Trust for Governors Island today announced. The first of these events is a gallery talk and tour with photographer Lisa Kereszi this Saturday. Other events include new exhibitions by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) and the Children’s Museum of the Arts.
The Island is open every Friday – Sunday through October 10.
This Saturday, September 18, photographer Lisa Kereszi will give a gallery talk in the Commanding Officer’s House. In 2003, the Public Art Fund commissioned Kereszi and fellow New York-based photographer Andrew Moore to document Governors Island with a series of photographs. These photos were exhibited in 2004 by the Public Art Fund in cooperation with Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation and the Municipal Art Society. Many of those photographs currently hang in the Commanding Officer’s House and are always available for the public to view. The photos depict the architecture, landscape and hidden spaces of Governors Island. Ms. Kereszi will talk about her experiences photographing the island after the Coast Guard left, when it was largely an abandoned place. Following the talk, she will lead a tour into two of her favorite indoor spaces on the Island, the Officer’s Club and the Movie Theater. These buildings are normally closed to the public.
“The photographs displayed on Governors Island give visitors a window into the Island’s
past and what it was like once the Coast Guard left,” said Lisa Kereszi. “I am so pleased
that visitors can enjoy these photographs and imagine what the Island was like before it
was bustling as it is today, with thousands enjoying arts and cultural events here.”
In addition to the gallery talk, visitors to Governors Island can enjoy several unique, free art exhibitions on their visit. The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) has opened “Floating World,” an exhibit of works created by the visual artists-in-residence in Building 110: LMCC's Arts Center. Floating World includes photographs, video and sculpture. Some pieces directly interpret aspects of the landscape, seascape, architecture, topography, and history of the Island, while others are reflections of the artists’ own experiences of working on the Island. On the last weekend of the public season, LMCC will again open its artist studios to the public so that they can meet these artists in residence and see their works in progress.
The Children’s Museum of the Arts, which runs the Free Island Outpost program on Governors Island, has produced “Beyond the Refrigerator Door.” This exhibit displays the work of all children who attended the Children’s Museum of the Arts summer camp and the Free Island Outpost program, which has run more than 40 sessions since the beginning of the summer. The exhibit features murals, drawings and sculpture. It is open every weekend and is housed in Building 20 in Nolan Park.
These events and exhibits join other free arts programs that are ongoing on the Island. The 4 Heads’ Art Fair features the work of more than 100 independent artists. This group has taken over Building 12, a former barracks, and given a room to each artist. No Longer Empty has transformed four officer’s houses in Colonels Row with site specific pieces in their exhibit “The Sixth Borough.” FIGMENT’s artist designed miniature golf course and sculpture garden continue to provide adults and children with unique opportunities to interact with art. Visitors can also continue to enjoy sculptures and other outdoor pieces by the Sculptors Guild and the Brooklyn Waterfront Coalition
