Spotlight: Art on the Ave NYC's Gallery Walk
Art on the Ave NYC is a public arts initiative that's dedicated to community regeneration, diversity, and inclusion. Their mission is to elevate the city's local artists who have "a story to share" to help give underrated and emerging artists a voice and a platform to share their art.
Art on the Ave's next event will take place in vacant East Midtown storefronts, some of which are owned by Centennial Properties and that we've been happy to offer up to this incredible event. The decision to display artwork in abandoned spaces was very deliberate, as these pieces complement the narrative of the area. East Midtown is a business-focused space, but it's more than that: it's a diverse neighborhood and community with unmatched personality.
This year's exhibition theme is "Intersections": a timeless, universal, and abstract concept that is up to the interpretation of Art on the Ave's featured artists on how they decide to use their unique creations to speak to the theme. Each artist will be asked to include a statement in the form of a QR coded voice recording when submitting their applications.
If you're interested in submitting artwork for this event, you have until October 30th to meet the application deadline. You can review Art on the Ave NYC's technical parameters and application requirements on their website. Selections will be announced by November 5th, artwork must be deposited at the storage facility by November 27th, and then the installation will happen in December and run until the end of February of next year.
Barbara Anderson, a schoolteacher, started Art on the Ave NYC in June of last year after being inspired to liven up and energize her local community. The first event took over 10 blocks of Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side. At Centennial Properties, we were able to work with Barbara to help turn her vision into a reality. This was just as much an exciting venture for us as it was for her. We provided some of our storefronts to Barbara because, like her, we also strive to give life to New York's wonderful neighborhoods. Just like Barbara wanted to give a voice to voiceless artists, we also wanted to help give a voice to a voiceless part of town.
Art on the Ave's first exhibition was "The Art of Healing," which was influenced by how New York City is healing after being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. After it was so well-received, they began working towards their second exhibition, "Awakening," which took place in the West Village. Their third exhibition, which is currently in progress until the end of November, was centered around the theme of "Resiliency" and is being held in Downtown Manhattan. There's still time to check out the artwork if you happen to be around the neighborhood!
If you aren't familiar with the previous installations of Art on the Ave, you can check out the artwork for the first event here, and the second here. The beautiful pieces created by NYC's local artists deserve to be seen, and we can't wait to see the write-ups of their third installation and what their fourth installation will unveil. It's an honor being part of these vibrant neighborhoods filled with bright, influential artists and thriving communities.