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Noguchi Museum and Socrates Sculpture Park Explore Neighborhood Revitalization

Proposals to be exhibited at Museum in fall 2011; large-scale prototypes to be displayed at Sculpture Park in spring 2012

The Noguchi Museum, founded by Isamu Noguchi in 1985, and Socrates Sculpture Park, established by Mark di Suvero in 1986, have joined together to create Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City. This major project engages the creative intellect of four artist-led teams in conceiving new approaches to growth in the Queens neighborhood in which the two institutions are located and which they helped to shape.

Situated at the border of Long Island City and Astoria, the neighborhood is a vital mix of large open spaces, waterfront, industrial buildings, residences, artist studios, and arts institutions. However, in recent years, this character has been seriously threatened by numerous large-scale buildings that have been designed and constructed without adhering to zoning regulations, and with disregard for infrastructure capacity, traffic, parking, or the resulting loss of affordable housing.

For Civic Action, the Museum and the Sculpture Park invited artists Natalie Jeremijenko, Mary Miss, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and George Trakas to assemble teams that would create visionary scenarios that would enable the neighborhood to continue to serve as a place for the arts, as well as for industry and housing. It is hoped that these scenarios will spark an ongoing dialogue among the creative sector, community stakeholders, and public agencies about how best to manage development. In so doing, Civic Action aims to relieve the tension between the need for growth and the need to maintain the neighborhood’s singular identity.

www.noguchi.org

www.socratessculpturepark.org

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