Beginning today and all through the month of October, a select group of street artists will be able to display their work without fear of being arrested and ticketed for destruction of property. Novel idea, huh? The Art In Odd Places Festival (AIOP) will feature work from 14 visual artists and 17 performance artists along 14th Street from the East River all the way to the Hudson. Since 2005, curator and director Ed Woodham has sought to revisit the concept of public art in NYC through AIOP every year. And 2008 appears to be of no exception.
From the looks of some the art installations (or outstallations), this should be pretty dope. Giuliani is probably having a fit right now. Looking at the AIOP's list of sponsors, it seems major corporate sponsorship eluded them. Maybe for fear that someone just might be breaking the law; maybe for fear that it wouldn't effectively give shine to their brand. Potato, patato.
This festival, at its core, is seeking to reclaim what is deemed public space in a nation increasingly leaning towards privatization through neo liberalism. I'm going to try to catch as many of these outstallations as possible. Maybe you should too?
Check the Art In Odd Places website for more info, and check out this map of the outstallation locations.
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