It’s not unusual to see construction and renovation rampant on New York City streets, as sidewalk sheds and scaffolding take up nearly 400-miles-worth of the city’s walkways, and recent data found that there are approximately 9,000 active scaffolds spread out over the area.
Many would complain that these sidewalk sheds are an eyesore, as they cover streets and can often take up the majority of the block.
In an attempt to solve this esthetics deficiency, NYC’s “Shed the Shed” plan is designed to minimize the amount of time scaffolding stays up at construction sites, which officially can remain on city streets for an average of 498 days. Yet that time span can extend even further, as the longest-standing sidewalk shed on Edgecombe Avenue in Harlem was just removed after 21 years. Mayor Adams and the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) initiated this removal and filed a criminal court case against the building’s property managers for their repeated failure to repair the building.
While many other scaffolding sites still remain, the city is calling for artists to beautify these dreary sights.
NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) has issued an open call for artists to install large, temporary works on sidewalk sheds across the five boroughs to make them decorative and appealing for pedestrians that must see them every day.
This open call is a part of the DCLA’s City Canvas program, which was founded as a temporary pilot collective in 2018, but has since become a permanent program as of 2021. The initiative became officially effective this past September, asking property owners who request permits for sidewalk sheds and scaffolding to be enrolled in the program, though there is an option for them to opt out.
Within the program, there are two avenues that property owners can choose to go down when it comes to installing the artwork on these safety structures; these are the Site-Specific Artwork and the Pre-Approved Artwork.
The Pre-Approved Artwork route indicates that the DCLA directly commissions artwork that property owners can license for a fee that is to be negotiated with the artists. Whereas the Site-Specific Artwork route, either taken independently or with a partnered organization, commissions property owners to display the art on their scaffolding, but the artwork must be approved by the DCLA before it is displayed.
All the artwork must meet requirements for appropriate proportions and color when scaled and printed, as well as comply with DCLA’s guidelines.
Any artists who are interested in this opportunity can apply to the City Canvas Program by submitting a statement of interest, an artist statement, and up to 10 digital images of their recent artwork by January 31, 2024. The chosen artists will be announced on the week of February 19th and will each receive $1,000 for their final projects.
