Friday, November 6, 2009

WEST HARLEM ART FUND & THE CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK WILL SPONSOR A PANEL DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC ART & ITS IMPACT


The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.
www.myharlem.org/ 212-690-0867

Myrah Brown Green, Ph.D./The City College of New York
212-650-8836

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Harlem, NY….On Tuesday, December 1st 2009 a prestigious panel of artists and art historian will dialogue together about the future of public art in New York City. Beginning with a reception at 4 p.m. at the Library Gallery of the North Academic Center Building at City College, visitors will also be able to review student proposals from the MFA Program in Studio Art for sculpture installations in historic St. Nicholas Park scheduled for next spring.

Featured panelists include: Chakaia Booker, Colin Chase, Harriet Senie and Sandy Winters. The panel will be moderated by Executive Director, Savona Bailey-McClain of the West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.

As the City of New York explores ways to broaden economic opportunities on multiple fronts, the “fine arts” are finally being recognized as an important industry cluster with quantifiable products and needed services. The benefits of this marketing, production and packaging can best be analyzed from The Gates exhibition in New York City. Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude made millions for the City of New York. Thousands of visitors swarmed the city, hotels were booked to capacity, souvenirs, tours, publications and renderings were sold by the hundreds. But the artists also pushed New Yorkers to look at open spaces very differently with new purpose and meaning.

Panelists will explore how public art could help expand a necessary dialogue to help our city face new challenges like -- climate change, economic and commercial development, illiteracy and improved quality of life.

In addition to hearing the panelist, a short introduction will be made by Ms. Wendy Feur, Assistant Commissioner for Urban Design & Art for NYC Department of Transportation who will share her agency’s initiative on this front.

For further information contact: Myrah Brown Green, Ph.D., Distinguished Lecturer of Art & Arts Advisor to the Dean, Divisions of Humanities or the West Harlem Art Fund, Inc.
& the Arts
###