Even if you’ve been just about everywhere in New York City, you likely haven’t been to Floyd Bennett Field in the far reaches of Brooklyn. This once historic airport played an important part in aviation history, but its now-dilapidated airplane hangars fade away as relics from another era.

To artists, though, these worn-out facades in a dark, unspoiled stretch of land make for a perfect canvas. As part of the first-ever Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival, artists will showcase massive video artworks on the side of the hangars, making for a truly dazzling spectacle. Other events during the free festival, which runs April 19-21, include a silent disco, live music, lawn games, and hangar tours.

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The weekend-long celebration merges art, architecture, and history, showcasing the talent of 24 exceptional artists, including Derrick Adams, Peter Burr, Eto Otitigbe, and Ryan Hartley Smith. Each artist will unveil original works, creatively video mapped onto the 11,000-square-foot facade of two monumental airplane hangars. The video mapping is so detailed that it blurs the line between real life and the theoretical.  

Each artist put their own spin on the digital projects. Adams’ work, for example, highlights topographies and waterways of the region through an aerial adventure. Burr’s piece evokes a labyrinth, while Smith created a love letter to the Rockaways, especially the historically queer section of Jacob Riis beach. Otitigbe’s piece uses video mapping to pull apart the architecture of the hangars themselves and imagine possibilities for the future.

Indeed, this festival is just the beginning for the area, as a major restoration project is set to begin to rehab the structures. Once that’s done, the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy will turn the space into an Innovation Hub that includes research and development facilities focused on nature-based solutions and coastal resilience. 

“The festival is a chance to demonstrate our exciting plans for reactivation of Floyd Bennett Field,” Tom Secunda, chairman of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy said in a press release. 

Event organizers hope the festival will bring attention to the new projects and energy at the site. 

“The event highlights the natural beauty and historical significance of Floyd Bennett Field, and celebrates the promising future of these historic hangars,” Terri Carta, executive director of the Conservancy added. “We hope that the Festival’s site-specific artworks will draw attention to the forthcoming rehabilitation and reactivation of these significant structures – Art Deco masterpieces themselves, while simultaneously engaging a broad public audience in something really cool and fun!”

In addition to admiring the incredible artwork, the event hosted by the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy also includes activities for all ages. Expect an artists marketplace, a sculpture, and musical performances Wild Yaks, Sesame Flyers Steel Pan Ensemble, and Batalá. Other featured artists include Matt Bruinooge, Alessandro Echevarria, Donghwi Han, Christina Lee, Hanlin Liang, Dakota Ray, Ti Xu, and Phoenix Yang. Here’s a full schedule of activities. 

* This article was originally published here

Hudson Yards may have some of the most exclusive brands in its Shops and Restaurants—Cartier, Dior, BVLGARI—but it puts on a great series of free events for everyone, every summer!

This summer series called “Backyard at Hudson Yards Presented by Wells Fargo” is curated by The Bowery Presents and returns May 3 with huge acts like Keke Palmer, David Archuleta, Brynn Cartelli, Chayce Beckham, Ray Bull, and more. It’ll also host outdoor screenings of blockbuster movies and live sports watch parties on its 30-foot big screen from Verizon.

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“Backyard at Hudson Yards has become a true gathering place for the community as one of the most vibrant public spaces in the city, and we are committed to providing an exciting range of free events and programming that everyone can enjoy throughout the summer,” said Stephanie Fink, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Partnerships & Events for Hudson Yards. “This year, we have partnered with some of the most esteemed institutions in New York City to continue to elevate our line-up of events with outstanding talent for our free concert series, contemporary performances of a Shakespearean classic by the renowned Public Theater, engaging family-friendly activities in collaboration with the New York Public Library, and more. We’d love to welcome you into our Backyard this summer.”

Below is the lineup for the Backyard at Hudson Yards series:

Outdoor Entertainment

Summer Concerts at The Wells Fargo Stage
Every Wednesday at 6pm, June 19- August 7 in the Public Square & Gardens.

• June 19: Chayce Beckham
• June 26: David Archuleta
• July 10: Brynn Cartelli
• July 17: Ray Bull
• August 7: Keke Palmer

The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards (including O’Toole’s Way, Mercado Little Spain, Bronx Brewery and Verano) will host “After Hours” events with food and drink specials (21+ to participate).

The Public Theater Performances
Public Theater presents Shakespeare in 10 free performances of the bilingual musical adaptation (in English and Spanish) of The Comedy of Errors. It’s a twist on the classic tale with contemporary Latin rhythms.

Performance dates include: June 6-9, 13-14, 20-21.

Reading Rhythms
Bring your book to this silent reading party then meet others through facilitated group discussions where your icebreaker can be ideas and themes from your book. It’ll take place in the Public Square & Gardens May 13, June 10, and July 8 from 6 to 8pm. 

Family Fun

Family Day
Enjoy a movie screening on the 30-foot Big Screen, a special performance by Mozart for Munchkins and a WonderSpark Puppet Show. Inside The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, children can get their faces painted and get custom-designed balloons. This takes place on May 18.

Storytime with the New York Public Library
The NYPD is hosting a free monthly immersive story-time with read-aloud books, songs, and rhymes for kids up to 12 years old on May 25, June 22, July 27, August 24, September 28 and October 26 from 10am to noon. On May 25, it’s from 1 to 2pm. Children can also participate in a communal art activity after storytime and visitors can sign up for a library card.

Mozart for Munchkins
Classical, jazz, show tunes and more will be performed by artists from Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Broadway every third Saturday of the month from May through September at 11am in the Public Square & Gardens.

More information can be found here.

The Big Screen Powered by Verizon

Sports Watch Parties
See baseball, basketball, golf, Formula 1 races, hockey, football, soccer, rugby, tennis, horse racing, sailing, cricket, 2024 Olympics coverage, and more on the big screen. Don’t miss special viewing parties for the Kentucky Derby on May 4, the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix Race on May 5 paired with a Cinco de Mayo party at Verano, and The Wells Fargo Championship PGA TOUR event from May 9 to 12.

See all the sports screenings here.

Movie Screenings
Family-friendly movies will premier on the big screen on Saturday mornings from 10:30am to noon on May 18 and 25 and June 1. Then, in the fall, movie nights will return with blockbuster films, which will be announced at a later date here.

Seating is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Power Hour

Take free yoga, Pilates, and dance cardio fitness classes from Alo Yoga on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month from 8 to 9am in the Public Square & Gardens, starting May 14. Classes will be taught by well-known influencer fitness instructors such as Victoria Rodriguez, Sarah Wolff, Lulu Soni, Kayla Principato and Serena Tom.

Check out the full schedule and register here. By the way, Alo Yoga will be hosting a gift card giveaway for every class in-store. 

Backyard Bites

Verano
Grab Mexican street-food-inspired cuisine at Verano, a popular outdoor restaurant in the Public Square & Gardens that reopens on May 2. Here, you can get a great view of the concerts and film screenings while enjoying tacos, chips and guacamole, enchiladas, carne asada, churros, specialty margaritas, micheladas, Palomas, beer, wine, and more.

A complete schedule of Backyard at Hudson Yards presented by Wells Fargo programming and events can be found at the Backyard at Hudson Yards page.

* This article was originally published here

If you’re looking for the best public art in the city right now, a giant, 35-foot sculpture made of deconstructed rubber tires might just take the cake.

The monstrous—or playful, depending on your perspective—new abstract sculpture in Manhattan bends towards itself in symmetrical loops, ascending into the sky and back down again. 

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The colossus, which was created by world renowned artist Chakaia Booker, is located between 39th and 40th Streets in Manhattan’s Garment District, and was unveiled to the public yesterday. It will remain on display until November 1. 

Booker is an artist from Newark best known for creating huge works made primarily from rubber tires and meant to capture people’s attention. Her art has been exhibited across four continents and she also exhibited her work at the 2000 Whitney Biennial.  

Her newest sculpture, Shaved Portions, is meant to evoke a sense of beauty, rhythm and common humanity that pulses through the city itself. It’s the latest installation from the year-round public art program Garment District Art on the Plazas, which seeks to make the Garment District more pleasant and liveable through several initiatives that include installing public art. 

We’ve seen our share of great public art displays in recent months, from a colorful exhibit inspired by Korean basketry to a sculpture of an A-train that resembles a serpent. Don’t miss this latest head-turning addition to the city’s artscape.

* This article was originally published here