Contemporary Art Projects Come to New Rochelle

From New Rochelle Downtown BID:

A group of innovative contemporary artists will captivate and engage residents and visitors in downtown New Rochelle throughout the summer with installations, performances and pop­-up exhibitions that will meet people in storefronts and public spaces, including the Library Green at the heart of the district.

Moving beyond the traditional studio model, the artists will aim to re­-examine daily life in all its interactions – the way we see, hear, speak to each other, transact business and even dine together. They will include six artists based for the summer in an apartment building under renovation, 5 Anderson Street, as well as other visiting artists in a joint initiative of the New Rochelle Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) and Residency Unlimited, a Brooklyn-­based organization that supports contemporary art with residencies and public programs.

Curated by Livia Alexander of Residency Unlimited, the works will interact with the New Rochelle community in participatory and socially engaged projects installed in the storefronts and vacant spaces and at the downtown Grand Market that comes each Saturday to Ruby Dee Park at Library Green.

Artists in the residency are Brandy Bajalia, Meredith Degyansky, Victoria Estok, Thiago Goncalves, Wade Schaming, and Stephanie Spitz. Their base, called ART at 5 Anderson, will be in the renovated apartment building’s large storefront on North Avenue. The 4-story building has been gut-renovated to offer 38 luxury apartments with full amenities in a prime downtown location. With the units now coming onto the market, owners Mark and Robert Ponte are donating the use of the storefront, two apartments, lobby, rooftop terrace, courtyard terrace and gym and community spaces to the arts program. There, the artists will experiment, explore and develop their work, presenting it throughout the summer in impromptu events, engagements and exhibitions, as well as two open studio events on July 16th and August 27th.

As part of the project, the guest artists will meet with long­-established art groups and curators in New Rochelle to collaborate on shows, building an even more vibrant creative scene and sparking public interest in the arts. It will culminate with ArtsFest 2016, an annual celebration of the arts in New Rochelle and Pelham with gallery shows, music and other events that will take place September 23 through 25.

Shows will change every two to three weeks, with openings scheduled for Saturday afternoons to create a perfect opportunity for people to attend, shop at the Grand Market and stay to dine at downtown New Rochelle’s great variety of restaurants.

“These innovative artists will present us with fresh new ways of experiencing our downtown, and will prove again that it’s all happening here,” said Ralph DiBart, Executive Director of the BID. “Throughout the summer, they will enthrall residents and visitors with creative and thought­-provoking installations, social interactions and other conceptual works that encourage people not only to marvel at them, but to participate in activities.”

The initiative aims to activate the downtown as the town common for the entire community, reuniting neighbors in its public spaces, Alexander adds. “Our emphasis is on working with artists in a participatory, socially engaged practice, deploying them as makers, thinkers, and investigators to develop projects centered in the downtown area and addressing questions of locality and sustainability directly concerning the communities of New Rochelle,” she said.

In addition to the artists in the residency, other visiting artists will include Eli Barak and Delano Dunn who will be presenting a cooking­-based performance, engaging audiences with a slight shift on the traditional gallery experience. Sheetal Prajapati and Anna Harsanyi will invite members of the community to engage in a gaming night on August 27th, 2016 to explore their collective living spirit, while Ruth Borgenicht will be hosting a communal eating event with dynamic tools and eating wares, often needing multiple participants to feed and be fed successfully. Specially commissioned video art programs curated by Keti Kurrizo, Rachael Rakes, Alvaro Ugarte will be showcased on the roof terrace. Additional exhibitions include Ghosts, curated by Beth Livensperger of Field Projects, as well as pop up exhibitions featuring the works of Craciela Cassel, Ellie Irons, Gustavo Prado, Kanako Hayashi.

The program runs through September 25, 2016

Studio Location: 5 Anderson Street, New Rochelle, NY

Image via Shutterstock