Artbridge Installation

Yesterday while checking out some of the open studios in Chelsea I ran into a friend. It turns out she introduced me to to someone working on a very cool project that some of you have probably walked right by without noticing. It is something for you to be aware of. Rodney Durso, an artist in New York, sees sidewalk bridges (the scaffolding that goes up in front of buildings in NY) as beautiful empty canvasses. It is illegal to put advertising on these spaces but by putting artwork, the building can attract attention, the building residents and owners are happy and artists are getting some good exposure. Right now Rodney is in talks with city arts organizations in order to make what can now only be found on 23rd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, a citywide public art happening. The initial exhibition has been up since March and they have gotten a great deal of positive feedback. Right now the artist pays for part of the display, the building for a portion, and the scaffolding company provides the labor. Rodney is looking to turn this into a not-for-profit organization helping to promote artists while beautifying the city. For more information or to support this group go to: http://www.art-bridge.org/.