Art
CANstuction Makes Feeding the Needy into an Artform
The Turtles had the most cans
One of my favorite fall New York events is CANstruction down at Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey Street, near the World Trade Center. It is a free sculptural event running from November 2 -13 that does good work for New Yorkers. I had no idea this began in 1992 as I only came upon the event about five years ago. Canstruction® New York has donated over 2 million pounds of food to local food banks since 1993, and over 1.2 million pounds to City Harvest since 2006.
Stuffed or canned Winnie the Pooh is the cutest
This year 28 companies created wonderfully inventive sculptures made almost entirely from cans of food. Themes run the gamut of ideas and canned foods range from tuna to beans. Looking at the sculptures you wonder what came first the idea of the sculpture or the colors of the cans because the colors of the labels blend perfectly with the theme of the design.
50 years of Hip Hop
Winnie the Pooh, Mario, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle all come to life via corn, beans, peas and carrots. New Yorkers are represented as they stand waiting for the subway and the subway is an homage to the end of the Metrocard as OMNY takes control of our transport system. Sloths hanging from trees, polar bears on icebergs and giraffes with extended necks join our local pigeons to help feed the needy. Fifty years of Hip Hop is celebrated as well as new ideas in environmental technology.
Can it be true. No more Metrocards
Each work of art has a sign explaining the sculpture’s theme, the company that designed it, number of cans used and how many people will be fed by those cans. I walked around the two levels of displays viewing all 28 and noted that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s KowaHUNGA had the most cans coming in at 5,852 which will feed 3,508 New Yorkers. I estimated that the average number of cans per sculpture this year is 3,100 cans totaling 86,800. That uncanny!!!!
Please step behind the yellow line while train approache
The displays are amazing and you need to look at them at all different angles because they will surprise you. A number of them I looked at and just saw a bunch of cans but when I took a picture and then looked at the snap, Mario, the subway rider and the MTA came to light on my camera.
It wouldnt be 2023 without a tribute to Barbi
This is a free event but donations of food are very welcome so when you go bring some green in the form of peas or beans.
I had no idea the cow was being beamed up until I looked at the picture
Art
Ahead of the Broadway Opening of Lempicka The Longacre Theatre Is Showcasing Art Work By Tamara de Lempicka
The Longacre Theatre (220 W 48th St.), soon-to-be home of the sweeping new musical, Lempicka, is showcasing a curated selection of renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka’s most famous works. Eschewing traditional theatrical front-of-house advertising, the Longacre’s façade now boasts prints, creating a museum-quality exhibition right in the heart of Times Square. The musical opens on Broadway on April 14, 2024 at the same venue.
The Longacre’s outdoor exhibition includes works of Self Portrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) (1929), Young Girl in Green (1927), Nu Adossé I (1925), The Red Tunic (1927), The Blue Scarf (1930), The Green Turban (1930), Portrait of Marjorie Ferry (1932), Portrait of Ira P. (1930), Portrait of Romana de la Salle (1928), and Adam and Eve (1932).
Starring Eden Espinosa and directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin, Lempicka features book, lyrics, and original concept by Carson Kreitzer, book and music by Matt Gould, and choreography by Raja Feather Kelly.
Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, Lempicka boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis, a woman ahead of her era, and an artist whose time has finally come.
Young Girl in Green painted by Tamara de Lempicka (1927). Oil on plywood.