The Trust for Governors Island announced today the opening of its 2024 Open Call for the seasonal Organizations in Residence program. Presented through Governors Island Arts, the Organizations in Residence program offers an exciting opportunity for arts, cultural, educational, and environmental nonprofits to share their work with the public and advance their missions in a setting unlike anywhere else in New York City. Starting today, New York-based cultural organizations are invited to submit proposals to present exhibitions and public programs in historic spaces on Governors Island between May and October 2024. Selected organizations will present public programs within historic former military homes in Nolan Park in Colonels Row and receive space free of charge.
“Through Governors Island Arts’ annual call for proposals, we are able to advance our mission to provide a platform for local organizations while offering New Yorkers and visitors from around the world high-quality, innovative, thoughtful, and free exhibits and activities,” said Clare Newman, President &CEO of The Trust for Governors Island. “As we enter our eleventh year of this seasonal program, we look forward to continuing to grow and creating long-term, year-round homes for arts and cultural organizations on Governors Island.”
“In 2023, we had our largest and most diverse group of organizations ever here in the Island’s historic houses, presenting more events for New Yorkers than ever before,” said Juan Pablo Siles, Associate Curator and Producer at the Trust for Governors Island. “We are excited to continue to create opportunities for our city’s nonprofit arts and cultural community through the Organizations in Residence program and look forward to welcoming a new cohort of engaging and thought-provoking organizations to Governors Island in the spring.”
Reflecting the diversity of New York City, Governors Island Arts’ seasonal Organizations in Residence present an incredible range of dynamic, accessible programming to Governors Island visitors and all New Yorkers every year. These nonprofit organizations join a collaborative Island community of leading cultural groups from across New York, who present programs in the fields of visual and performing arts, history, architecture and design, climate change, ecology, sustainability, and more. Together, the Island’s resident organizations hold more than 100 free, public exhibitions and outdoor projects each year, as well as provide studios and workspace to dozens of artists, writers, researchers, and other cultural practitioners.
Recent organizations selected as part of this program have included the American Indian Community House, ArtCrawl Harlem, BronxArtSpace, the Climate Museum, Staten Island Urban Center, the West Harlem Art Fund, Lower Eastside Girls Club, Fountain House Gallery, Flux Factory, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA), Billion Oyster Project, National Academy of Design, New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), Taiwanese American Arts Council, Swale, the New York Latin American Art Triennial, and Triangle Arts Association, among many others.
The full application is available at www.govisland.org/permits. Proposals will be accepted through November 3, 2023. Applicants will be asked to fill out an application form and upload a brief written proposal that describes their program in detail. Applicants will be notified by December 1, 2023.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the overall quality of the proposed program; fit and alignment with the Island’s dynamic arts, cultural and educational programming; track record of conceptualizing, producing, and organizing other programs and events; commitment to connecting with diverse audiences; and engagement with the Island as a site, including its history, ecology, architecture, and relationship to the rest of New York City.
Investment in Governors Island Arts advances a key component of “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for NYC’s Economic Recovery,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s vision for the future of the city’s economy. Over the next decade, the City and the Trust will invest in evolving this seasonal program into year-round permanent homes for cultural organizations on Governors Island.
The Trust for Governors Island and the Friends of Governors Island today announced the return of Pumpkin Point, a free annual pumpkin patch and fall festival on Governors Island. Located in historic Nolan Park, Pumpkin Point will bring over 10,000 pumpkins of all shapes and sizes to the Island’s historic district, transforming the idyllic setting along with its naturally stunning fall foliage into a delightfully autumnal escape with free programs and activities for visitors of all ages. Visitors are invited to pick out their own pumpkins (free with suggested donation) on the weekends of October 21 – 22 and October 28 – 29, 2023, from 10am to 5pm.
“Fall is one of the best seasons to come explore Governors Island. Whether you’re coming to check out the beautiful foliage adorning our 3,500+ trees, explore public artworks amidst the changing seasons, or to enjoy one of New York City’s biggest pumpkin patches, there is something for everyone here on the Island this fall,” said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “We invite all New Yorkers to hop on the ferry and enjoy the incredible lineup of free programs at Pumpkin Point 2023!”
“We are so excited to host Pumpkin Point on Governors Island once again this year. This beloved public event welcomes thousands of families to celebrate autumn with pumpkin picking, trick-or-treating, free public performances, arts and crafts, and so much more,” said Patti Davis, Executive Director of the Friends of Governors Island. “We have an entertaining lineup of kid-friendly programming that we can’t wait to share with our visitors! It is a truly magical experience to bask in the beauty of Governors Island while enjoying a fun-filled fall day.”
This year’s festivities will include plenty of free fall moments, pumpkin painting, and crafting activities, as well as a rotating schedule of special events and performances from WonderSpark Puppets, Bubbledad, Brooklyn Magic Shop, and more to be announced. New for 2023, Pumpkin Point is partnering with Brooklyn Book Bodega to bring a fall book corner to Nolan Park. Books will be available to take home on the final Sunday of the event (October 29). Nickelodeon will bring new life to the historic Admirals House through larger-than-life decorations that will feature characters from PAW Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants, Monster High 2, and more, providing an exciting photo opportunity and daily giveaways for kids (and kids at heart). Island visitors will be able to trick or treat at the Nolan Park houses on Sunday, October 29 — costumes encouraged, featuring candy from Tony’s Chocolonely alongside other sweet treats. Food will be available for purchase onsite from Governors Island vendors each weekend.
A full schedule of each weekend’s events and vendors can be found online at www.govisland.org/pumpkin-point. Any pumpkins left over from Pumpkin Point will be composted on Governors Island by Earth Matter, which runs a Compost Learning Center at the Urban Farm on Governors Island.
Pumpkin Point is co-presented by the Trust for Governors Island and the Friends of Governors Island. Generous support for the event is provided by Nickelodeon, Tony’s Chocolonely, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
In addition to Pumpkin Point, visitors can enjoy a roster of new events and activities all month long: Governors Island Arts will present two free weekends of performances, ¡Harken! by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez September 29-October 1 and Indigenous Enterprise October 7 – 9; Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center at Governors Island will be open through October 1 with a day of free public programs on September 30; the Island will participate in Forest for All NYC’s second annual City of Forest Day with a volunteer activity and guided tree tour on October 14; FAD Market will hold their final fall pop-up on October 21 and 22; NYCRUNS will hold their annual Haunted Island 5K and 10K race on October 28; the Governors Island Arts Organizations in Residence will present their final monthly THIRD Saturdays celebration on October 21; QCNY Spa is open daily with dozens of wellness experiences and two large heated pools; and more. See a full event calendar at www.govisland.org/things-to-do.
Governors Island is open to the public daily from 7am to 6pm. Trust for Governors Island-operated ferries run daily from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan. Seasonal Brooklyn ferry service operated by the Trust for Governors Island also runs Saturdays and Sundays through October 29 from Red Hook/Atlantic Basin and Brooklyn Bridge Park/Pier 6. For schedules and ticketing information, visit www.govisland.org.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve tickets for Trust-operated ferries in advance. Round-trip ferry tickets cost $4 for adults. Governors Island ferries are always free for children 12 and under, seniors 65 and up, residents of NYCHA, IDNYC holders, current and former military service members, and Governors Island members. Ferries before noon on Saturdays and Sundays are free for all. There is no surcharge for bicycles or strollers at any time.
NYC Ferry also serves Governors Island weekdays on the South Brooklyn route and weekends via the Governors Island Shuttle from Wall Street/Pier 11. For ticketing information and full schedules for NYC Ferry, visit www.ferry.nyc.
On September 18, Governors Island was honored to welcome William, the Prince of Wales, in honor of Climate Week NYC. The Prince, visiting New York City for the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, spent the afternoon with Billion Oyster Project, meeting staff, volunteers, students from the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, Trust for Governors Island President and CEO Clare Newman, and other Island stakeholders.
On Governors Island, the Prince got an inside look into Billion Oyster Project’s collaborative conservation efforts for sustaining marine life and maintaining water health through oyster reef cultivation. While on the Island, he learned firsthand about Billion Oyster Project’s vital work and its partnership with The Harbor School, speaking with students about their unique experiences attending high school in the heart of New York Harbor. He also participated in a shell sorting volunteer activity and met with several Billion Oyster Restaurant Partners before heading across the river to our friends at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where he explored oyster habitats with students from the Brooklyn Harbor School and even waded into the East River!
Governors Island is proud to be home to a growing community of year-round nonprofit and educational tenants working to combat the climate crisis, including Billion Oyster Project and New York Harbor School – who are also Community Partners in the New York Climate Exchange, Stony Brook University’s recently announced global hub for climate research, solution development, education, workforce training, and public programs on Governors Island.
Check out some more photos below, along with recent press coverage of this historic visit:
The Trust for Governors Island announced today a lineup of Climate Week activities taking place on Governors Island, featuring guided walking tours, climate art exhibitions, an inside look into the future of the New York Climate Exchange, a showcase exhibition from Obama Foundation alumni, and in-field scientific demos. Climate Week NYC, which takes place from September 17 through September 23, 2023, highlights the exciting growth Governors Island has made as a resource for climate innovation, working to implement equitable climate solutions in New York City and around the world.
“Climate Week is always an important time for Governors Island, and our commitment to developing solutions to the climate change — the defining issue of our time — remains as steadfast as ever,” said Clare Newman, President &CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “We encourage New Yorkers and visitors alike to join us for Climate Week, preview our future as the hub for climate solutions, engage directly with the incredible work already happening on the Island, and think more about ways we can reverse course and mitigate the impact of climate change in our city and around the world.”
With a unique waterfront campus environment, an award-winning park engineered for climate change, a diverse and engaged audience of nearly one million visitors every year, a collection of public art commissions engaging directly with climate issues, and a growing community of educational, non-profit, and commercial tenants — including Billion Oyster Project, the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, Wind Support NYC, and the soon-to-open Buttermilk Labs, a new multi-tenant hub for coastal climate solutions — Governors Island is quickly growing as a hub for climate education, training, and research.
In April 2023, following a two-year competitive process, Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust for Governors Island announced the selection of a new anchor institution for the Center for Climate Solutions on Governors Island. The New York Climate Exchange, led by Stony Brook University, will be a first-of-its-kind, cross-sector nonprofit organization dedicated to climate research, solution development, education, workforce training, and public programs on Governors Island. The Trust also recently announced the launch of the Governors Island Living Lab, a new platform for research, partnerships, and programs to amplify climate action that includes an annual climate solutions challenge open to nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and start-ups; the launch of climate field trip programs; and an interim community convening space on the Island.
Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the Exchange’s mission, vision, anticipated programming, and physical design — even before construction officially begins in 2025. Hear how The Exchange will bring people from across the world together to tackle the climate crisis. Free, no registration required.
September 17 – 21 and September 24: Billion Oyster Project — Guided Walking Tours and Exhibits Nolan Park Building 16
Beyond softening the blow of powerful waves that threaten our waterfront, oysters maintain a healthy ecosystem by filtering the water around them, and their reefs foster biodiversity. Oysters also offer a social solution to climate change. In these free tours, led by alumni of the New York Harbor School located on Governors Island, Billion Oyster Project will provide hands-on opportunities for visitors to acknowledge the realities of climate change and actively adapt to them. Free, pre-registration required. Click here.
Billion Oyster Project is also one of the Governors Island Arts Organizations in Residence, presenting free exhibits and activities weekends from May through October in the Island’s historic houses. They will be open daily September 17 – 24 in Nolan Park Building 16. Current exhibits include Aquacultural Adaptation, featuring works that reflect on humanity’s significant impact on the planet and highlights the debate around the term “climate change,” which obscures the disproportionate environmental damage caused by Western civilizations, and Shoals, two oyster-inspired outdoor sculptures by Swedish artist Linnéa Gad. Free, no registration required.
The Obama Leadership Network’s Climate Community of Practice will be showcasing diverse work from Obama Foundation alumni working in climate. Projects showcased are focused on connecting individual and collective efforts to minimize the harms of climate change, including on the most marginalized groups. Free, no registration required.
Witness pioneering carbon dioxide mitigation with Vycarb’s first-of-its-kind pilot. Vycarb, a Brooklyn-based company and member of the Governors Island Living Lab Climate Solutions Piloting Program, will be onsite to demonstrate carbon removal from the East River in real-time. Free, pre-registration required. Click here.
Led by the Trust for Governors Island’s horticulture team along with CCNY Insect Ecology Professor Amy Berkov, this tour will take participants on a journey through the young urban forest of Hammock Grove and the immersive spaces at Outlook Hill and Discovery Hill. Participants will learn about these resilient, built landscapes directly from the people who know them best, and get the chance to participate in different community science projects. Free, pre-registration required. Click here.
Pratt Institute, alongside partners Pace University and Singapore University of Design and Technology, will bring together cross cutting representation from high level government officials to innovative designers, financial leaders and policy makers discussing how land scarce, water scarce, island-based habitats could inform future urban development. Free, pre-registration required. Click here.
Pratt Institute is also one of the Governors Island Arts Organizations in Residence, presenting free exhibits and activities weekends from May through October in the Island’s historic houses. They will be open for free guided exhibit tours on September 19 and September 22 in Nolan Park Building 14. Current exhibits include SO-IL: Grounding Adaptations, which explores adapting buildings to have ground-like capacities; BIG: Adaptive Archipelago, which explores adapting various existing and artificial archipelagos to our planet’s changing climate; Condensations: Living With Water, which examines scalable, nature-based solutions using integrative Artificial Intelligence-based design methods; and Archipelogics 2.0, which features work focused on building adaptation in Nolan Park on Governors Island and urban adaptation in Red Hook.
September 23: GrowNYC — Sustainability Pledges and Virtual Gardening Workshop Governors Island Urban Farm
The GrowNYC Teaching Garden, located within the Governors Island Urban Farm, aims to engage, excite, and educate its visitors in all aspects of urban farming. On September 23, visitors will be able to make a sustainability pledge in the Teaching Garden in the Urban Farm, where visitors can write down their own sustainability pledge on a card that will be displayed at the Teaching Garden. Free, no registration required.
GrowNYC is also hosting a virtual workshop that is free for all to join on September 18, where participants will explore how climate change affects growing zones, pests, extreme weather events, and more, while discussing solutions and ways to introduce these complex topics to your garden communities. This virtual workshop is great for school gardeners, community gardeners, and anyone interested in agriculture and climate change! Free, pre-registration required. Click here.
Governors Island Arts, the arts and cultural program presented by the Trust, boasts a diverse collection of public art pieces, several of which engage directly with issues of climate and the environment: Sam Van Aken’s The Open Orchard, located in The Hills within the Island’s award-winning park, takes the form of a vast public orchard of hybrid fruit trees, each containing multiple heirloom varieties that were once found in abundance in the New York City area but have largely disappeared due to climate change and the industrialization of agriculture; Mark Dion’s TheField Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist, located inside Building 105 across from Fort Jay, transforms a historic former arsenal building into an abandoned research outpost that invites visitors to peer inside and imagine the life of a solitary researcher faced with the realities of a future marred by climate change; and Duke Riley’s Not for Nutten, located in the Battery Maritime Building ferry terminal at 10 South Street in Manhattan, is a large-scale mural depicting vignettes from the Island’s history contained within modern-day single-use plastic containers found floating in oceans worldwide in a play on the traditional “ship in a bottle.”
The Trust for Governors Island today announced a schedule of free programming and exhibitions for Governors Island Arts’ fall season, including free performances by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez and Indigenous Enterprise, along with new exhibitions from the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons, and other NYC-based nonprofit organizations. In addition, The Trust announced the extension of Charles Gaines’s monumental artwork Moving Chains, which will be open to the public through October.
“Governors Island is bursting with activity 365 days a year — and the fall is no exception. The new arts programming announced today further cements the Island as one of our city’s most dynamic, responsive destinations for the arts.” said Clare Newman, President &CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “We encourage visitors to join us on the Island this fall to experience our exciting roster of free arts and cultural offerings — along with some of the best fall foliage in New York City!”
“We cannot wait to welcome New Yorkers from all five boroughs to experience Governors Island Arts this fall,” said Meredith Johnson, VP of Art and Culture at the Trust for Governors Island. “We are energized by this new slate of performances and public programs and are grateful to our immense group of partners working alongside us here on the Island.”
FALLPERFORMANCES
Curated by Associate Curator and Producer Juan Pablo Siles, Governors Island Arts will present two weekends of free performances in September and October: ¡Harken! by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, which guides visitors through the intertwined histories of Juan Rodriguez, the first non-indigenous resident of Manhattan, and dance performances from Indigenous Enterprise in honor of Indigenous People’s Day.
Created and performed by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, ¡Harken! is an immersive experience that guides visitors through the few pages of history written about Juan Rodriguez. Also referred to as Jan Rodrigues, a black or mulatto free man from Saint Domingo (now the Dominican Republic), Rodrigues traded fur for Thijs Volckenz Mossel, the commander of the Jonge Tobias ship exploring North America for Its economic potential after the Henry Hudson exploration in 1609. Join us and take in Rodrigues’s and Governors Island’s layered history brought together thought poetry, guided experience, and storytelling, offering a look into humanity’s intermingling of races and ethnicities and who gets to author those stories. Click here for tickets.
Indigenous Enterprise will present free dance performances in honor of Indigenous People’s Day (October 9). Indigenous Enterprise is a Native American collective founded in 2015 and based in Phoenix, Arizona. The company was established with the goal of sharing the positive aspects of indigenous culture through film, fashion, and dance. Since their founding, Indigenous Enterprise has become one of the most dynamic and exciting cultural companies in the world. Their performances have captivated audiences at some of the most iconic venues and events, including the Super Bowl, Sydney Opera House, Joyce Theater, and the 2020 Presidential Inauguration. They have received critical acclaim from publications such as the New York Times and Vogue Magazine for their captivating performances and stunning visual artistry. Through their work, Indigenous Enterprise is dedicated to preserving and promoting indigenous culture in a positive and inspiring way. Click here for tickets.
ORGANIZATIONSINRESIDENCE
Each year, two dozen arts, culture, educational, and environmental nonprofits utilize space inside the historic houses of Nolan Park and Colonels Row to present a robust calendar of free public programs, host artist residencies, and engage visitors in special activities for all ages throughout the summer months. Organizations in Residence are open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11am to 5pm from May 5 through October 29.
Organizations joining the current group of nonprofits in Nolan Park and Colonels Row for the fall season include New Art Dealers Alliance and Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons, along with several new exhibitions and events from many current Organizations in Residence. See the full list of organizations and events at www.govisland.org/oir. New programming highlights include:
New Art Dealers Alliance
Nolan Park Building 18
September 1‑October 1: NADA House, an annual collaborative exhibition that brings together 26 art galleries and art spaces to present 26 artists, with participants engaging the unique character of the 19th century former military residence and exhibiting work in a diverse range of mediums.
Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons
Nolan Park Building 8B
September 1‑October 29: Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons exhibits and sells artworks created within prison walls nationwide, working to disrupt the stereotype society imagines when thinking about the incarcerated.
Billion Oyster Project
Nolan Park Building 16
September 1‑October 29: Aquacultural Adaption, a compilation of work from third year Pratt Institute Master of Architecture candidates that explore the linkages across ecosystems, people, and animals through the lens of an architectural construct.
September 3‑October 29: Shoals, an oyster-inspired sculptural exhibit by Swedish artist Linnéa Gad, curated by Bianca Abdi-Boragi, Katherine Adams, and Anna Mikaela Ekstrand. Shoals is part of The Immigrant Artist Biennial 2023, held across venues in New York and New Jersey from September 2023 to January 2024.
New York Latin American Art Triennial
Colonels Row Building 405B
September 2 – 25: Volver a Regresar, a solo show by Paola Martínez Fiterre
September 2 – 25: The denied Body: a refuge of trauma, a solo show by Natacha Voliakovsky. Presented in partnership with Transborder Art in Colonels Row Building 406A.
KODA
Colonels Row Building 404B
August 19-September 24: It’s a most peculiar sensation; or that time Virginia Woolf wore Blackface, a solo exhibition by Toisha Tucker featuring a Virginia Woolf alter, video, works on paper, sculptures, and an immersive conceptual installation
September 29-October 29: Solo exhibition from artist Alex Mari.
October 6: Free film screening at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center at Governors Island in partnership with Gotham Yardbird Sanctuary
West Harlem Art Fund
Nolan Park Building 10B
September 9‑October 29: Undaunted: We Are Still Here, honors cultural movements that withstood misunderstandings, economic upheaval, and continual struggle. The exhibition will present a mashup of graffiti, prints, installation, and portraits; including a tattoo salon by Badder Ink and the Art Kartel. Curated by Savona Bailey-McClain and featuring works by Damali Abrams, Kraig Blue, Valerie Hallier, Dianne Hebbert, Badder Israel, Mark Gaston Pearce, Dianne Smith, Siyan Wong.
PUBLICARTCOMMISSIONS
The American Manifest Chapter Two: Moving Chains, by Charles Gaines, has been extended through the end of October. Moving Chains is open to the public Thursday through Sunday and is presented by Governors Island Arts, Creative Time, and Times Square Arts. Moving Chains is a 110-foot-long kinetic sculpture — the artist’s first public artwork — that calls attention to the economic, judicial, and political frameworks that continue the legacy of slavery in the United States today.
Sam Van Aken’s monumental The Open Orchard, on view in the Island’s award-winning, climate-resilient park, welcomes visitors year-round to experience the changing seasons in this orchard comprised of 102 fruit trees that acts as a living archive for antique and heirloom varieties that were grown in and around New York City in the past 400 years but have mostly disappeared due to climate change and the industrialization of agriculture. Additional long-term public art installations commissioned through Governors Island Arts — including Rachel Whiteread’s Cabin, Mark Handforth’s Yankee Hanger, Duke Riley’s Not for Nutten, and Mark Dion’s The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist—remain on view daily.
Governors Island Arts was a key commitment in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery, with today’s announcement marks the second set of new initiatives.
Governors Island Arts presents its program with the visionary support of the Ford Foundation, as well the Mellon Foundation, the Charina Endowment Fund, Donald R. Mullen Family Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Gottesman Fund, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
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About Governors Island Arts
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Governors Island Arts achieves this mission through temporary and long-term public art commissions, an annual Organization in Residence program in the Island’s historic houses, and free public programs and events in partnership with a wide range of cross-disciplinary NYC cultural organizations. For more information, visit www.govisland.org/giarts
About the Trust for Governors Island
The Trust for Governors Island is the nonprofit corporation created by the City of New York that is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. The Trust’s mission is to realize the full potential of Governors Island for the inspiration and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org
Governors Island Arts announced today the second annual House Fest, a three-day festival celebrating the incredible range of works presented by the seasonal arts, cultural, educational, and environmental Organizations in Residence on Governors Island. From September 1 through 3, 2023, Governors Island Arts will bring together more than two dozen cultural partners for a weekend-long creative celebration in and around the historic former military houses of Nolan Park and Colonels Row on the Island, featuring free dance and music performances, outdoor installations, interactive workshops, open studios, panel discussions, and more.
“Governors Island Arts fully embodies the diverse cultural community here in New York City, and we are thrilled to welcome all New Yorkers to experience it for themselves at the second annual House Fest” said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “With our accessible range of public art, cultural events, and residency programs, Governors Island has grown into one of New York City’s most exciting arts and culture destinations. We look forward to welcoming visitors to House Fest once again this Labor Day Weekend.”
“We are so excited to celebrate our largest and most diverse group of Organizations in Residence yet at House Fest 2023,” said Juan Pablo Siles, Associate Curator and Producer at the Trust for Governors Island. “Featuring organizations and artists from every single borough, this will be a true citywide celebration of all things culture. Governors Island Arts is privileged to work with the incredible community of organizations here on the Island, collaborating to help bring transformative, accessible programming to Island visitors and all New Yorkers.”
House Fest will feature free performances, curated by Governors Island Arts, alongside public programs and activations from the program’s two dozen seasonal Organizations in Residence that include American Indian Community House, Residency Unlimited, the West Harlem Art Fund, Staten Island Urban Center, Pratt Institute, Swale, Transborder Art, The Lower Eastside Girls Club, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art, and many more. The weekend will culminate with a massive Lawn Party on Sunday, September 3, featuring beats from DJ Mickey Pérez and food and drink available from Governors Island vendors Little Eva’s and Fauzia’s Heavenly Delights.
House Fest 2023 Schedule of Events
Friday, September 1
Opening Day of The Process – an art and tech exhibition, Harvestworks
Opening Day at NADA House, New Art Dealers Alliance
Toisha Tucker solo exhibition, KODA
Poetry performance with Aracelis Rivera, Fountain House Gallery
Art workshop from Recycled Materials with Chin-Chih Yang, Taiwanese American Arts Council
Weaving Islands performance, Taiwanese American Arts Council
Healing in Motion performance, ArtsConnection
MVP Rara performance and procession, Governors Island Arts
Free Outdoor Film: Set it Off, Governors Island Arts and Film at Lincoln Center
Saturday, September 2
Opening Day of Masks with works by Gabriele Grones and Peteer Depelchin, Residency Unlimited
Poetry performance with Aracelis Rivera, Fountain House Gallery
Open Studio (Natalie Collette Wood), BronxArtSpace
Staten Island Music and Dance Live!, Staten Island Urban Center
Prison Art Workshop, Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons
Theatrical Games for Social Change workshop, Fountain House Gallery
The Roots of Salsa, Taiwanese American Arts Council
Milk Kefir SCOBY workshop, Swale
Senegalese Dance with Ousmane, Cumbe
Kompa Dance with Julio & Robenson, Cumbe
Soul Canvas Vortex with Danie workshop, Cumbe
Regeneration, New York Latin American Art Triennial
Artist Talk with Miguel Otero Fuentes, West Harlem Art Fund
Oh, Cassandra: An Interactive Ode to Yoko Ono, Transborder Art
Flower Ritual, Transborder Art
Sunset Meditative Performance with C. Lavender, Harvestworks
Watch Us! We can do it together, Taiwanese American Arts Council
Polirritmia | Sinestesia, Harvestworks
IDENTITIESexhibition tour, MoCADA
M’Dear: The Black Maternal Artist Talk, MoCADA
Polirritmia | Sinestesia, Governors Island Arts in partnership with Harvestworks
Sunday, September 3
Open Studio (Natalie Collette Wood), BronxArtSpace
Prison Art Workshop, Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons
Dance performance with Coco Karol and Sxip Shirey, Taiwanese American Arts Council
Weaving Islands performance, Taiwanese American Arts Council
Poetry performance with Aracelis Rivera, Fountain House Gallery
Butoh Performance with Angela Rogers, Fountain House Gallery
Music performance with Eliana Glass, Governors Island Arts
Island Luminaria: Flaming Creature Crawl, Flux Factory
House Fest Lawn Party with DJ Mickey Pérez, Governors Island Arts
A full schedule of events and list of presenting organizations can be found at www.govisland.org/house-fest, with more events to be announced in the coming weeks. House Fest 2023 is presented with support from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, and with volunteer support from the Friends of Governors Island.
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Since Governors Island opened to the public in 2005, the Trust has invited cultural, educational, and non-profit organizations to utilize its historic houses to present engaging public programs while providing workspace for artists and cultural practitioners.
Through this unique Organizations in Residence Program, Governors Island Arts provides a platform for non-profit groups to reach a diverse and growing audience of engaged visitors, where collaboration is encouraged between participating organizations and space is provided to presenters free of charge.
The 2023 Organizations in Residence are: American Indian Community House (AICH) Manhattan, ArtCrawl Harlem Manhattan, ArtsConnection Manhattan, BronxArtSpace The Bronx, Billion Oyster Project Manhattan, Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance Brooklyn, Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons Manhattan, Flux Factory Queens, KODABrooklyn, Fountain House Gallery Manhattan, Harvestworks Manhattan, I am caribBEING Brooklyn, The Lower Eastside Girls Club Manhattan, The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) Brooklyn, New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) Manhattan ‚New York Latin American Art Triennial (NYLAAT) Manhattan, NYC Audubon Manhattan, NYU Gallatin WetLab Manhattan, Pratt Institute Brooklyn, Project Bring It Home/The Stars of Tomorrow Project, Inc. Manhattan, Residency Unlimited (RU) Brooklyn, Staten Island Urban Center Staten Island, Swale Brooklyn, Syracuse University Studio Art M.F.A. Syracuse, NY, Taiwanese American Arts Council Queens, Transborder Art Queens, and the West Harlem Art Fund Manhattan.
Investment in Governors Island Arts advances a key component of“Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for NYC’s Economic Recovery,” the mayor’s vision for the future of the city’s economy. Over the next decade, the City and the Trust will invest in evolving this seasonal program into year-round permanent homes for cultural organizations on Governors Island.
Governors Island is open to the public Sunday through Thursday from 7am to 10pm and Friday through Saturday from 7am to 11pm. The South Island Park, including The Hills, Hammock Grove, Picnic Point, and the ball fields, is open until 6pm daily. Trust for Governors Island-operated ferries run daily between the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan and Soissons Landing on the Island. Trust-operated ferries also serve two Brooklyn locations during the summer months — Pier Six in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Atlantic Basin in Red Hook. These routes run directly to Yankee Pier on Governors Island from each location every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday Monday from May 27 through October 29. For schedules and ticketing information, visit www.govisland.org/ferry.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve ferry tickets in advance of their trip on the Governors Island website. Round-trip ferry tickets cost $4 for adults. Ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island are always free for children 12 and under, older adults 65 and up, residents of NYCHA, IDNYC holders, current and former military service members, and Governors Island members. Ferries before noon on Saturdays and Sundays are free for all. There is no surcharge for bicycles or strollers on Trust-operated ferries at any time.
NYC Ferry also serves Governors Island weekdays on the South Brooklyn route and summer weekends via the seasonal Governors Island shuttle. For ticketing information and full schedules for NYC Ferry, visit www.ferry.nyc.
The Living Lab on Governors Island, a key part of the Center for Climate Solutions, includes annual climate solutions challenge, educational field trips, and climate-focused community convening space.
The Trust for Governors Island announced today the launch of the Living Lab, a new platform for research, partnerships, and programs to amplify climate action. Initiatives announced today include an annual climate solutions challenge open to nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and start-ups; the launch of climate field trip programs; and an interim community convening space on the Island. The Living Lab marks an exciting step forward in Governors Island’s growth as a resource for climate innovation and will help accelerate, adopt, and implement equitable climate solutions here in New York City and across the world.
“When we announced the New York Climate Exchange as part of the Center for Climate Solutions, we said New Yorkers and visitors to Governors Island would start to see an impact quickly. The Living Lab is one example of that impact,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Through this platform, New York City public school students will have opportunities for hands-on learning about solutions to the climate crisis, and experts will develop tools for them to bring what they learn back to their schools and their communities. We cannot just talk about solving the climate crisis — we must be about it, and the Living Lab will give all of us more tools to turn our words into actions.”
“The Living Lab will help shine a light on the incredible research and innovations our city has to offer,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “The initiatives announced today will create more opportunities for New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds to directly engage with climate solutions — in the classroom, on Governors Island, and beyond.”
“Governors Island is an unmatched setting for students, nonprofits, businesses, and entrepreneurs alike to learn about and test real world climate solutions. Through the Living Lab, our commitment to equitable climate education and action, community convening, and one-of-a-kind pilot opportunities will bring tangible solutions one step closer to becoming a reality both here in NYC and around the world,” said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island.
“At Amazon, we’re actively working to reduce emissions to reach net zero carbon by 2040, so this partnership is one that we deeply value. We’re also thrilled to support this collaboration with the Living Lab, so we can work with the smartest minds to help tackle solutions to climate change,” said Carley Graham Garcia, Amazon’s Head of Community Affairs, New York.
“Governors Island is a little island with big ideas,” said Arturo Garcia-Costas, The New York Community Trust’s program officer for environmental grantmaking. “We are thrilled to support its efforts to encourage new thinking and innovative problem-solving to the all-hands-on-deck challenge of human-driven climate change.”
“Climate mitigation and resilience work is essential to protecting our communities, especially our most vulnerable communities, from the impacts of climate change. Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation is proud to support the Living Lab in order to foster a space for solutions to climate change,” said Lisa Talma, Vice President of Philanthropic Initiatives in the Community Development Finance Group at Deutsche Bank.
“We are proud to support the Living Lab and the Trust for Governors Island’s work to bring together research, partnerships, and programs to amplify climate action as part of Mayor Adams’ Center for Climate Solutions. Climate change threatens our underserved communities the most, and through initiatives such as the annual climate solutions challenge, educational field trips, and the climate-focused community convening space, the Living Lab will foster fresh energy, build bridges toward equitable solutions, and inspire positive change for all New Yorkers,” said Valerie White, LISCNY Senior Executive Director.
The Living Lab’s Climate Solutions Piloting Program includes two components: a themed Annual Challenge and a general rolling call. Applications for the Annual Challenge, a recurring summer challenge with new themes and a cash prize, are due by August 15, 2023. This year’s theme, Water Abundance, seeks proposals addressing how water can help to power climate solutions that grow blue and green jobs and create healthier communities. Through the Annual Challenge, up to five winners will receive a piloting project site, a $10,000 grant award, and access to a common pool of $100,000 in additional support. Separately, the general rolling call for proposals is open for testing and demonstrating climate solutions across all disciplines. Non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, and start-ups are invited to apply to the Annual Challenge online at www.govisland.org/challenge.
Another integral educational component of the Living Lab is the development of a suite of environmental curricula for educators and students to access during visits to Governors Island, providing opportunities for young New Yorkers to learn about climate change and practice climate actions that they can take back to their classroom and community. The climate focused field trips pilot will launch in the fall of 2023 and expand to year-round day trips for New York City students grades three through eight. The Trust is currently seeking an educational curriculum consultant as part of this initiative via a Request for Proposals. An interim convening space that showcases innovative resilient and sustainable design and supports programming, workshops and gatherings hosted by non-profits, environmental justice organizations, and commercial partners that are open to all Governors Island visitors, will also be a feature of the Living Lab.
The Living Lab is made possible with the generous support of Amazon, Con Edison, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, the New York Community Trust, Deutsche Bank, and LISC.
The Center for Climate Solutions was announced as a key piece of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery.” Dedicated to preparing New York City and cities around the world for climate change, the Center for Climate Solutions is a multi-pronged initiative that will create a singular physical hub committed to researching and demonstrating urban climate solutions, and advancing education, training, and workforce development opportunities for New Yorkers in climate and environmental fields.
Following a two-year competitive process, in May Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust for Governors Island announced the selection of The New York Climate Exchange, a new cross-sector nonprofit organization as the anchor educational and research institution for the Center for Climate Solutions. Led by Stony Brook University, the Exchange will create a state-of-the-art, $700-million, 400,000-square-foot campus dedicated to researching and developing innovative climate solutions that will be scaled across New York City and the world and that will equip New Yorkers to hold the green jobs of the future. The Exchange will also create thousands of permanent green jobs and generate $1 billion in economic impact for New York City. The consortium will function as a hub for education and training to grow green jobs for New Yorkers and includes 15 members representing leading universities from around the world, as well as business and nonprofit organizations dedicated to developing and deploying solutions to the global climate crisis.
The Trust for Governors Island today announced the launch of THIRD Saturdays, a Governors Island Arts initiative celebrating the Organizations in Residence program. THIRD Saturdays programming will run every third Saturday of the month from May through October and will feature special indoor and outdoor programs from the two dozen organizations presenting free activities and exhibitions in the historic houses of Nolan Park and Colonels Row. All events are free and open to the public.
“We are thrilled to launch THIRD Saturdays, bringing another accessible public arts program to the Island’s established hub and to be able to offer this platform to local nonprofits and artists,” said Juan Pablo Siles, Associate Curator and Producer at the Trust for Governors Island. “This season’s diverse group of organizations represent the five boroughs of New York, and a wide range of artistic perspectives, offering unique programming for everyone to enjoy.”
June’s THIRD Saturday Schedule of Events (Saturday, June 17):
Colonels Row
Art Projection: Duty of the Hearts, Residency Unlimited: 11am-5pm
Art Exhibition: Faster and Faster, Residency Unlimited: 11am-5pm
Electro-Acoustic Music Performance, Harvestworks: 7 – 8pm
The Organizations in Residence program features over two dozen arts, cultural, and educational nonprofit organizations from throughout the five boroughs that utilize space inside the historic houses of Nolan Park and Colonels Row. The organizations present a robust calendar of free public programs and artist residencies and engage visitors in special activities for all ages throughout the summer months. Visit www.govisland.org/oir to meet this season’s cohort.
L to R: Dr. Christian V. Braneon and Tim Cawley
Mayor Eric Adams and The Trust for Governors Island announced today the appointments of Dr. Christian V. Braneon and Tim Cawley to their Board of Directors. With leadership in climate change research and the energy sector Dr. Braneon and Mr. Cawley each bring decades of experience and expertise to the Board of Directors and will help oversee the Trust’s activities in the planning, operations and development of Governors Island’s forthcoming Center for Climate Solutions.
The Trust for Governors Island is governed by a 17-member Board of Directors appointed by the Mayor of New York City, with representatives nominated by the Mayor, the Governor of New York, state and city elected officials, and Manhattan Community Board 1. The primary responsibility of the Trust’s board is strategic oversight, reviewing and approving its operating and capital budgets, and authorizing significant contracts.
“Governors Island is set to play a massive role in our city’s planning for a future in the face of climate change, and the success of that mission requires strong leadership,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Christian Braneon and Tim Cawley bring unique experience and perspectives to the board of the Trust for Governors Island. I am excited to work with them and the entire board to strengthen the Trust as both a welcoming destination for visitors and the première climate change research center the world has to offer.”
“We are pleased to welcome Christian Braneon and Tim Cawley to our esteemed Board of Directors,” said Clare Newman, CEO and President of the Trust for Governors Island. “I have the utmost confidence that they will provide valuable insight and offer a breadth of knowledge to help further guide and inform the Trust’s civic and environmental stewardship of the Island. We look forward to working with Mayor Adams and our two newest board members to continue to offer New Yorkers a place of solitude and respite that is Governors Island.”
About Today’s Appointments:
Christian V. Braneon, PhD
Dr. Christian V. Braneon is Head of Climate Justice at Carbon Direct. He leads the integration of environmental and climate justice into Carbon Direct’s culture, operations, and services across the carbon management industry. With Carbon Direct, clients can set and equitably deliver on their climate commitments, streamline compliance, and manage risk through transparency and scientific credibility.
Dr. Braneon also co-leads the Environmental Justice and Climate Just Cities Network at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and serves as Co-Chair of the New York City Panel on Climate Change. He received an AXA Award for Climate Science in 2021 for his contributions to the understanding of climate change and related adaptation strategies.
Dr. Braneon previously served as Co-Director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s inaugural Environmental Justice Academy for community leaders. With NASA, as part of its partnership with Microsoft, he developed novel applications of satellite data that aim to enhance resilience to urban heat stress. Dr. Braneon earned a B.S. in applied physics from Morehouse College as well as B.S., M.S., and PhD degrees in civil engineering from Georgia Tech.
Tim Cawley
Tim Cawley oversees the activities of Con Edison, Inc, one of the largest U.S. energy companies, supplying energy to 10 million people in the New York City region and serving as an anchor for the local economy. Con Edison’s resilient and flexible grid allows the company to deliver world-class reliability. The company is making historic investments in clean energy technologies that will help New York meet our climate goals and deliver 100 percent clean energy by 2040.
Mr. Cawley serves as a director of the Edison Electric Institute and the American Gas Association boards. He is a member of the executive committee for the Partnership for New York City.
Before becoming president of Con Edison, Mr. Cawley served as president and CEO of O&R. Earlier, he held a series of increasingly important senior roles. He originally joined Con Edison in 1987. Mr. Cawley earned an M.B.A. from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Union College.
Film at Lincoln Center, and Governors Island Arts announce a program of free outdoor film screenings for summer 2023, opening a three-film series on June 9.
From June through August, Governors Island Arts and Film at Lincoln Center presents “Rule-Breakers and Troublemakers,” a lineup of free outdoor movie screenings for the 2023 season. This year’s outdoor film series will take place on the Island’s historic Parade Ground, an eight-acre lawn with expansive open views of Lower Manhattan. The series will be produced by Rooftop Films.
This year’s Governor’s Island screenings will feature a selection of films that celebrate relatable, resilient protagonists who refuse to accept the constraints that society has imposed on them. Films in this year’s lineup are F. Gary Gray’s Set It Off; Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight, and Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham.
Organized by Madeline Whittle.
FILMS&DESCRIPTIONS
“Rule-Breakers and Troublemakers”
Set It Off
F. Gary Gray, 1996, USA, 124m
Former bank teller Frankie (Viveca A. Fox) is struggling to make ends meet, working a low-paying job as a janitor alongside close friends Cleo (Queen Latifah), Stony (Jada Pinkett Smith), and T.T. (Kimberly Elise) in mid-’90s Los Angeles. When the four women, angered and demoralized by the status quo of relentless injustice that curtails and undermines their aspirations, set about systematically robbing banks around the city, complications soon arise in the disparate forms of their tyrannical boss (Thomas Jefferson Byrd), an unsympathetic LAPD detective (John C. McGinley), and a budding romance between Stony and a charming bank manager (Blair Underwood). Director F. Gary Gray infuses the heist genre with bracing emotional clarity, sensitively yet unsentimentally dramatizing the challenges faced by working-class women of color who are forced to navigate an unacceptably inhospitable socioeconomic reality.
Friday, June 9 at 8:30pm
Out of Sight
Steven Soderbergh, 1998, USA, 123m
Razor-sharp wit and expertly deployed star wattage — not to mention crackling sexual chemistry between the two leads — were in abundant supply when Steven Soderbergh burst into the mainstream, directing Scott Frank’s ultra-cool adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 1996 novel. George Clooney is Jack Foley, a career bank robber on the run after breaking out of a Florida penitentiary; Jennifer Lopez is U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco, the no-nonsense law enforcement officer who’s determined to put Foley back behind bars. Alongside a stacked supporting cast that also includes Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks, and Viola Davis in one of her earliest film roles, Clooney and Lopez bring humor and heat to a singularly sexy game of cat-and-mouse as Foley makes his way to Detroit in pursuit of a rumored stash of diamonds, with Sisco in hot pursuit. Edited with wry precision by the legendary Anne V. Coates, Soderbergh’s seventh feature is a master class in smart, ensemble-driven genre filmmaking, and remains a relentlessly entertaining crowd-pleaser 25 years after its release.
Friday, July 7 at 8:30pm
Bend It Like Beckham
Gurinder Chadha, 2002, U.K./Germany/USA, 112m
English, Punjabi, Hindi, and German with English subtitles
British Indian director Gurinder Chadha’s third feature tells the story of teenager Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra in a winning breakout performance), an avid soccer fan, dreams of living up to the example of her idol, star player David Beckham, against the wishes of her culturally conservative Punjabi elders. When new friend Jules (Keira Knightley) persuades her to join the local women’s team without her parents’ knowledge, Jess quickly wins the acceptance and respect of her teammates and their coach (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), but must struggle to reconcile her passion for the game with her family’s expectations. In the 21 years since its U.K. release, Chadha’s film — which remains the highest-grossing soccer film of all time, and boasts scene-stealing supporting performances by Anupam Kher, Archie Punjabi, and Juliet Stevenson — has continued to be hailed as a latter-day classic of its intersecting genres, simultaneously excelling as crowd-pleasing sports movie, winning romantic comedy, and heartfelt cross-cultural coming-of-age fable.
Friday, August 11 at 8:30pm
GOVERNORSISLANDARTS
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Governors Island Arts achieves this mission through temporary and long-term public art commissions, an annual Organization in Residence program in the Island’s historic houses, and free public programs and events in partnership with a wide range of cross-disciplinary NYC cultural organizations. For more information, visit www.govisland.org/giarts.
FILMATLINCOLNCENTER
Film at Lincoln Center is dedicated to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema and enriching film culture.
Film at Lincoln Center fulfills its mission through the programming of festivals, series, retrospectives, and new releases; the publication of Film Comment; and the presentation of podcasts, talks, special events, and artist initiatives. Since its founding in 1969, this nonprofit organization has brought the celebration of American and international film to the world-renowned Lincoln Center arts complex, making the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broad audience and ensuring that it remains an essential art form for years to come.
Film at Lincoln Center receives generous, year-round support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter and Instagram.