Lower Manhattan Cultural Council

05/06/2021

#LMCCGrantee carriage trade presents "Hearts and Minds," on view through June 13, 2021.

"Hearts and Minds" is a joint project of carriage trade and Rectangle, Brussels, reflecting on the inseparable rapport between public relations and social control both abroad and at home.

The exhibition links past to present through artwork and archival material that collectively address links between the diversions of consumerism and techniques of propaganda in the service of empire.

Featured artists:
#LMCCAlumni Claudia Peña Salinas, Chantal Akerman, Harold Ancart, Jef Geys, Dan Graham, Bodys Isek Kingelez, Robert Lebeck, An-My Lê, Otobong Nkanga, Marina Pinsky, Adam Simon, Momoyo Torimitsu, and Hil Yeh.

Learn more about the exhibition: carriagetrade.org/hearts-and-minds

Images courtesy of carriage trade, 2021 Creative Engagement Grantee:
1. Dan Graham, Video Projection Outside Home, 1978–1998, Architectural model, painted wood and plastic, 9 × 20 × 30 3/8”, Courtesy of the artist and Greene Naftali Gallery, New York. Photo: Nicholas Knight.
2. Otobong Nkanga, Alterscape Playground (E), 2005-2015, C-print on aluminium, 19 7/10” × 26 2/5”, Courtesy of the artist and Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam.
3. Marina Pinsky, Woman and Child 11, 2016, Archival inkjet print on fiber paper, 11 3/4” × 15 1/2”, Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, Brussels.
4. An-My Lê, Untitled (Ho Chi Minh City), 1995, Gelatin silver print, 14 7/8” × 21 1/4” image size

05/05/2021

Artist Jean Shin's installation "Fallen", featured in The New York Times, invites viewers to observe the natural surroundings more closely, witness nature’s struggles, and mourn what we have lost.

At Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, NY, Jean Shin transformed a 140-year-old fallen hemlock tree into a large-scale sculpture fitted with a patchwork of discarded leather.

The installation is open to the public through October 31, 2021.

Learn more:
https://www.olana.org/exhibitions/fallen/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/arts/design/frederic-church-olana-jean-shin.html

Jean Shin participated in LMCC's River To River Festival 2020.

Image credits:
1. Photo by Amanda Picotte for The New York Times
2. Photo courtesy of Jean Shin

05/04/2021

6 (2021)

"6" is a dance/music short film honoring the lives of the women slain at Young's Asian Massage Parlor in March 2021, created by former #LMCCGrantee Kelly Tsai.

The film was created for the Asian American Writers' Workshop "Women Warriors: A Solidarity Reading" event on AAWW's Youtube Channel.

Music, Choreography, Performance, & Film by Kelly Tsai
bit.ly/kellytsai6dancefilm

___

wrap you in my love
it comes from so far away

wrap you in my love
i offer you, i offer you this way

wrap you in my love
for every kind of pain

i see your eyes closed

as you dream
as you dream

i feel your spirit grow

as you dream
as you dream

when hands meet out to hands
what is the meaning of the meeting

i wrap you in my love
let it cast a shield for your pain

the sacrifice
the sacrifice
the sacrifice

that has no name

the sacrifice
the sacrifice
the sacrifice

that has no name

i wrap you in my love today
i wrap you in my love always

i wrap you in my love
my love
my love

blooming
on your
way

A dance / music short film honoring the lives of the women slain at Young's Asian Massage Parlor, March 2021. Created for the Asian American Writer's…

05/03/2021

#LMCCAlumni Patty Chang's "Milk Debt," a multi-channel video installation, is on view at Pioneer Works until May 23.

In "Milk Debt," a group of women pumping their breast milk reads a list of fears collected in Hong Kong and the United States–including one in New York during the height of its COVID epidemic.

Taking its title from a tenet in Chinese Buddhism, which states payments must be made toward a mother’s afterlife for years of her life-giving breast milk, “Milk Debt” suggests that there are many debts we, as a human race, owe to the planet and to each other.

Learn more: https://pioneerworks.org/exhibitions/patty-chang-milk-debt/

Patty Chang participated in #LMCCWorldviews 1999-2000 and #LMCCParisResidency.

Image courtesy of Pioneer Works.

#LMCCAlumni Patty Chang's "Milk Debt," a multi-channel video installation, is on view at Pioneer Works until May 23.

In "Milk Debt," a group of women pumping their breast milk reads a list of fears collected in Hong Kong and the United States–including one in New York during the height of its COVID epidemic.

Taking its title from a tenet in Chinese Buddhism, which states payments must be made toward a mother’s afterlife for years of her life-giving breast milk, “Milk Debt” suggests that there are many debts we, as a human race, owe to the planet and to each other.

Learn more: https://pioneerworks.org/exhibitions/patty-chang-milk-debt/

Patty Chang participated in #LMCCWorldviews 1999-2000 and #LMCCParisResidency.

Image courtesy of Pioneer Works.

04/29/2021

#LMCCGrantee Zahra Nazari's solo exhibition "Unification" opens Saturday, May 1 at High Line Nine Gallery 9.1! The opening reception is May 1, 5-8pm.

"Unification" is an artistic project rooted in the formal blending of Persian and Western influences. It emerges from Zahra Nazari’s exploratory practice in painting and sculpture and her identity as an immigrant from Iran in the U.S.

The exhibition, curated by Roya Khadjavi, is on view through May 15.

Images courtesy of Zahra Nazari, Creative Engagement 2020 Grantee.
2. Ali Qapu Palace, acrylic on canvas, 35x55 inches, 2020
3. Unification, 12 gauge stainless steel, 6' x 9' x 7', 2020

04/28/2021

The Arts Center at Governors Island will open to the public on June 12 with exhibitions by artists Meg Webster and Onyedika Chuke, and a participatory installation by Muna Malik!

Meg Webster’s site-specific installation Wave will invite the audience to engage with ideas surrounding natural growth, abundance, care, and maintenance through a microcosm of ecological cycles.

Co-presented with Pioneer Works, Onyedika Chuke’s The Forever Museum Archive ongoing project dissects the mythologies of power within the fabric of contemporary society. This latest iteration features a monumental 2,200 sq ft installation.

Muna Malik’s Blessing of the Boats is an interactive sculpture intended for audience participation. The artist asks the audience, “We have an opportunity to set sail towards a new future. What society would you build and how do we get there?”

The Arts Center at Governors Island is the first year-round, permanent home for the arts on Governors Island. All events at The Arts Center at Governors Island are free and open to the public, and all are welcome! Appropriate COVID-19 public health protocols will be in place.

Learn more and reserve tickets at LMCC.net!

04/19/2021

LMCC is excited to launch our 2021 SU-CASA programs from now through June 30! All virtual classes are FREE, art materials are provided, and no previous experience is necessary!

SU-CASA is a community arts engagement program for older adults. The program supports Manhattan based artists and organizations engaging participating older adults in the creation of an art project or series of cultural programs.

This year’s 18 SU-CASA artists and organizations are embracing the ongoing challenge of living our lives at a distance and have created opportunities for older adults to explore dance, music, theatrical storytelling, visual arts, and writing, all from the comfort of home and alongside friends, neighbors, and community members virtually and over the phone.

Learn more: https://lmcc.net/resources/artist-residencies/su-casa/

Image credits:
1. Woven Memories: A Fiber Art Class at Grand Coalition of Seniors Neighborhood Senior Center instructed by Stephanie Echeveste
2. "Wear That Clay!" Ceramic Jewelry Making at Lincoln Square NORC, Goddard-Riverside Community Center in 2019, instructed by Syma

04/08/2021

#LMCCAlumni Esperanza Cortes and Ronny Quevedo are featured in "Comunidades Visibles: The Materiality of Migration" at Albright-Knox in Buffalo, NY!

"Comunidades Visibles (Visible Communities): The Materiality of Migration" brings together artworks by first- or second-generation immigrant Latinx artists who celebrate their communities and interrogate the materials and stories that form their foundations.

The exhibition is on view through May 16, 2021.
Learn more: https://www.albrightknox.org/art/exhibitions/comunidades-visibles-materiality-migration

Esperanza Cortes participated in Seniors Partnering with Artists Citywide (SPARC) 2015. Ronny Quevedo participated in #LMCCWorkspace 2015-2016.

Image credits:
Photos by Brenda Bieger and Amanda Smith for Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York. Courtesy of Albright-Knox and Ronny Quevedo.

04/07/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter artist Kosuke Kawahara is featured in Emergent Poise, on view at Culture Lab LIC at The Plaxall Gallery in Queens!

Kawahara's work is part of the Pratt MFA 2020 Artist Collective Exhibition, which features 22 artists whose works explore ideas ranging from domestic life, humor, unstable digitization, and human connection as a response to new emergent realities in our world.

Emergent Poise consists of three exhibitions at two venues. The exhibition at Culture Lab LIC is on view through April 25. Two exhibitions will be on view at On Canal, 321 Canal St.

Learn more: emergentpoise.net

Image credit:
Kosuke Kawahara, "White Night at the Gambling Den", 2020. Oil color, ink, pencil, chalk, animal glue, coffee, scrap paper and fabric, plywood. 78.7 x 69.8 x 1 inches.

#LMCCArtsCenter artist Kosuke Kawahara is featured in Emergent Poise, on view at Culture Lab LIC at The Plaxall Gallery in Queens!

Kawahara's work is part of the Pratt MFA 2020 Artist Collective Exhibition, which features 22 artists whose works explore ideas ranging from domestic life, humor, unstable digitization, and human connection as a response to new emergent realities in our world.

Emergent Poise consists of three exhibitions at two venues. The exhibition at Culture Lab LIC is on view through April 25. Two exhibitions will be on view at On Canal, 321 Canal St.

Learn more: emergentpoise.net

Image credit:
Kosuke Kawahara, "White Night at the Gambling Den", 2020. Oil color, ink, pencil, chalk, animal glue, coffee, scrap paper and fabric, plywood. 78.7 x 69.8 x 1 inches.

04/06/2021

Tune in for #LMCCGrantee Emit Theater's latest installment La Canción en La Tormenta from their Play-Along Series!

Audiences will help the tiny but mighty Coquí frog save the home she loves. El Coqui’s home has been destroyed after the god Juracán has become upset and caused a wild storm to ravage the rainforest!

This interactive quest is infused with Spanish language as well as Puerto Rican music and mythology. Children will learn important lessons about taking care of their environment and their feelings.

The virtual showing for Episode 2 will be on Thursday, April 8, 7:00pm and Saturday, April 10, 1:00pm. Tickets are FREE!

Find more information and reserve tickets: https://www.emittheatre.org/

Watch the first episode here! https://www.emittheatre.org/la-cancion-en-la-tormenta

Photo by José Noel

Tune in for #LMCCGrantee Emit Theater's latest installment La Canción en La Tormenta from their Play-Along Series!

Audiences will help the tiny but mighty Coquí frog save the home she loves. El Coqui’s home has been destroyed after the god Juracán has become upset and caused a wild storm to ravage the rainforest!

This interactive quest is infused with Spanish language as well as Puerto Rican music and mythology. Children will learn important lessons about taking care of their environment and their feelings.

The virtual showing for Episode 2 will be on Thursday, April 8, 7:00pm and Saturday, April 10, 1:00pm. Tickets are FREE!

Find more information and reserve tickets: https://www.emittheatre.org/

Watch the first episode here! https://www.emittheatre.org/la-cancion-en-la-tormenta

Photo by José Noel

04/05/2021

"You're Not the Only Particle in Universe 2.0" - Mingna Li

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Mingna Li is a multimedia artist, technologist, and performer based in Brooklyn.

"I use lamps as a music interface to create live performances. In my work, lights are performing instruments and metaphors for human connections. During my residency at LMCC, I created a new video installation, "Playing in the City," exploring how individual experience becomes a collective feeling." –Mingna Li

Learn more about Mingna and her work at mingnali.com

Stay tuned to learn more about the program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency!

Video courtesy of Mingna Li:
"You're Not the Only Particle in Universe 2.0," developed as part of The Center at West Park's Virtual Performance Residency program

04/02/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Andres Santiago Pina is an actor and playwright based in Manhattan.

"I am beyond grateful to LMCC for this opportunity. To know that I have a place to go where I can explore, fool around and create, has been short of magical for me. My time here has been amazing, and it's been great to share space with all these incredible artists.

I'm currently working on two pieces at Governors Island. A solo piece, where I play 12 different Black men, who've experienced some form of sexual assault or violence in their lives. It is a mixture of real accounts, from men who have experienced this type of trauma, as well as from fictional composite monologues that I'm also writing. bell hooks' book "We Real Cool: Black Man and Masculinity" has also been a great resource.

The other project I'm writing is an autobiographical/fantasy piece. That one has just one narrator. And I touch on different themes, such as Blackness, Latiness, and Dominicaness, immigration and growing up in NYC through my own personal lenses, while using different Dominican fairy tales as the backbone for the piece. It is a wild one." –Andres Santiago Pina

Learn more about Andres and his work: instagram.com/andressantiagopina

Stay tuned to learn more about the program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency!

Image credit:
1. "In the Red and Brown Water," photo by Rob Strong, courtesy of Andres Santiago Pina.

03/31/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Abigail Donahue is an artist and designer based in Manhattan.

“My collections are almost always inspired by narratives. My upcoming collection is an exploration into my own upbringing in the center of America. Almost every design detail has symbolic meaning that helps illustrate a larger concept that will be revealed at the collection's Debut in September. 'Abigail Donahue' is a luxury women's wear brand focused on the highest level of construction and design details. We believe strongly in treating all people in the creation process with dignity and respect for their craft. In addition to our NYC production, we have been integral in opening an Atelier in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on slow fashion craftsmanship and ethical production.

My first collection, S/S 202, showed the lived experiences of students with learning disabilities within the structured American school system. Every look explores a new learning disability or lived experience of these students.” –Abigail Donahue

Learn more about Abigail and her work at abigaildonahue.com!

Stay tuned to learn more about the program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency.

Images courtesy of Abigail Donahue:
1. Photo by Paolo Verzani
2. Photo by Dani Bennett for Avant
3. Photo by instagram.com/moriah.m

03/25/2021

"Our Primary Focus Is To Be Successful", a solo exhibition by #LMCCAlumni Jessica Vaughn, is now on view through May 9, 2021, at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania.

In this exhibition, Jessica Vaughn examines late twentieth- and twenty-first-century office culture, the promise of malleability and universality of modular architecture, and marginalized workers who have been rendered invisible in these spaces.

Join the online conversation between Jessica Vaughn and curator Meg Onli virtually via Zoom on April 7 at 6:30 pm. https://icaphila.org/events/in-conversation-jessica-vaughn-meg-onli/

Learn more: https://icaphila.org/exhibitions/jessica-vaughn-our-primary-purpose-is-to-be-successful/

Jessica Vaughn participated in #LMCCWorkspace 2015.

Images courtesy of Jessica Vaughn.