Media Fact Sheet
MEDIA FACT SHEET: FIGMENT 2009
JUNE 12-14, 2009
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For More Information:
Julie Ziff Sint Communications Director 610-704-8293 www.figmentnyc.org
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What is FIGMENT 2009?
FIGMENT is an annual, non-profit participatory arts event, to be held on Governors Island June 12-14, 2009. FIGMENT also includes two season-long components in its City of Dreams: a mini-golf course with each hole uniquely designed by artists and an interactive sculpture exhibition.
Powered entirely by the efforts of volunteers, the event is completely FREE to the public. The hundreds of family-friendly, interactive exhibits, performances, and scheduled activities reflect FIGMENT’s commitment to audience and artist interaction and civic/community participation.
Currently in its third year, FIGMENT is a non-commercial, de-commodified, environmentally-responsible event. No art is sold at FIGMENT and no one makes a profit. There are no corporate sponsors.
For more information, please visit www.figmentnyc.org.
What events, exhibitions and activities will FIGMENT 2009 offer?
FIGMENT is currently accepting submissions in a wide variety of categories, and we look forward to an expansive and exciting array of projects. FIGMENT represents an innovative alternative for creative expression—one where a greater number of artists can contribute a truly diverse range of artistic offerings. The only limit is imagination.
We solicit art projects for FIGMENT through a curatorial process, based on artistic merit, ambitiousness and interactivity. Because Governors Island offers an abundance of space to fill with art, our goal will be to approve as many projects as possible. We intend to utilize the networks of artists in New York City and around the world to spread the word. We seek art projects that demonstrate an ability to transform environment and the perception of participants.
Last year’s event included over 200 art projects and hosted the highly interactive and participatory creative efforts of more than 10,000 participants, including inflatable sculptures, group dance lessons, site-specific art installations, “bathtub” photo booths, roving samba bands, costumed stilt walkers, and art that encouraged children of all ages to touch, climb, manipulate, and generally contribute to the development of its full potential! FIGMENT 2008 also included a number of season-long programs, such as the Emergence exhibition and the extremely popular nine-hole “City of Dreams” mini golf course.
This year, FIGMENT will be a an even larger event that includes many more projects, including unusual crafting opportunities, art/dance workshops specifically tailored to children and teens, numerous musical performances and parades of costumed characters, and an expanded “City of Dreams” mini golf course.
When is FIGMENT? How do I get there?
FIGMENT is Friday, June 12 (10:00AM—5:00PM), Saturday, June 13 & Sunday, June 14 (10:00 AM—7:00 PM). Season-long mini-golf and sculpture will be open during Governor Island’s 2009 season from late-May through October 2009.
Ferries are available at no cost to the public and leave from the Battery Maritime Building, at the corner of South and Whitehall Streets, in Lower Manhattan. Schedules vary according to the day, but ferries leave and return from the island at least once per hour and take less than 10 minutes. For detailed information on transportation and ferry schedules, please visit the following website: www.govisland.com/Visit_the_Island/directions.asp.
Who are the organizers and sponsors?
FIGMENT is created by a collaborative team of hundreds of volunteers. FIGMENT is a project of Action Arts League, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and is produced in partnership with the Pure Project. David Koren is the founder and Executive Producer and other volunteer “staff” can be found at http://figmentnyc.org/2009/about/leadership/.
As a community-based organization, we want to create the maximum possible impact at the lowest possible cost. In 2007, FIGMENT featured over 60 arts projects for the one-day event attended by 2,800 participants. The budget for this event was under $1,000. FIGMENT 2008 featured over 200 arts projects and more than 10,000 participants over three days. The budget for this expanded event (including the minigolf course and the season-long exhibitions) was $25,000. Though these are difficult times for the economy, and the arts in particular, we hope FIGMENT 2009 will be even larger and more exciting than the year before.
FIGMENT is financed through contributions and a number of grants from public foundations and arts organizations, including the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Both funds are administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. We do not accept corporate sponsorships of any kind. The creators and supporters of FIGMENT are committed to making this a completely non-commercial event and, therefore, one wholly reliant upon the labor and contributions of individual citizens, local public agencies, and not-for-profit organizations. In short, we want FIGMENT to be truly illustrative of the efforts and passions of a community-based, grassroots initiative.
Why FIGMENT?
FIGMENT demonstrates what the arts in New York can be: participatory, bursting with creativity and completely free, born from the desire to share imagination and invention between artists and the public.
The event draws its name from New York’s artistic heritage. Andy Warhol once commented that he would like his tombstone to display only one word, “Figment.” Although Warhol never got his wish, for he has a traditional grave marker, this event—as part of its mission to celebrate the artistic vibrancy of New York—can stand as an epitaph to Warhol and other visionary New York artists, while promoting the future of the arts in New York.
FIGMENT and the City of Dreams address a number of key issues in New York City today:
- Lack of opportunity for emerging artists
- New York losing its status as “center of the arts world”
- Access to the arts for all
- Passivity in our society
- Lack of community among New York area residents
- Few places for young families to go
- Future use of Governors Island
- Oversaturation of branding and commercialism
To read more on how FIGMENT addresses these issues, please visit http://figmentnyc.org/2009/about/why-figment/.
What is the relationship between FIGMENT 2009 and Governors Island?
Governors Island is the ideal location for a major cultural event. Upon New York City acquiring Governors Island from the Coast Guard in 2003, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) initiated a public process to imagine a future for the island that is economically sustainable and that serves the community. Though it seems a logical place for real estate expansion, the Island’s founding charter expressly forbids permanent housing; Governors Island belongs to all of us. What better way to create a new identity for this public resource than through a participatory cultural event that builds community and draws participants from around the world?
FIGMENT works in partnership with the GIPEC to engage the public in contributing to the island’s rebirth as an arts destination. FIGMENT projects often address historical, current, and environmental issues that concern this shared, public amenity, in addition to showcasing the diverse offerings of New York’s arts community. For more information on GIPEC please visit www.govisland.com.
Where can I find additional information on FIGMENT 2009 and its participating organizations?
FIGMENT
Governors Island Preservation & Education Corporation
Action Arts League
The Pure Project
