LentSpace

Food trucks in LentSpace in 2012
Aerial view of the Occupy protesters outside of LentSpace in November 2011

LentSpace is a temporary outdoor art space and sculpture garden located in Hudson Square, Lower Manhattan, New York City.[1] The space opened in September 2009 at the northwest corner of Canal Street and Sullivan Street[2] and abutting Juan Pablo Duarte Square to the east. It is bounded by Varick Street to the west and Grand Street to the north. Across Canal Street, to the south, is Albert Capsouto Park.

History

The block occupied by LentSpace is part of a parcel of land granted to Trinity Church by Queen Anne in 1705.[2] In the years prior to the park's opening in 2009, the church's development company demolished a number of buildings previously located on the site.[2]

The land is owned by Trinity Church and is slated for eventual development but the 2007 financial crisis caused a significant slowdown in the New York real estate market.[2] The church negotiated a deal with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) to use the idle space for a period of about three years.[2]

LMCC raised about $1 million to transform the empty lot into a space to promote art in the neighborhood.[2][3] Interboro Partners of Brooklyn designed the landscape, incorporating inexpensive materials such as gravel and plywood, reflecting the temporary nature of the space.[2] The park is surrounded by a fence, the eastern edge of which is decorated with small, reflective aluminum disks.[2] The interior features planters, benches and straight paths.[2]

The inaugural show in the space was entitled "Points and Lines" and featured seven installations by Graham Hudson, Eli Hansen and Oscar Tuazon, Ryan Tabor, Tobias Putrih, Olga Chernysheva, Corban Walker and Oliver Babin.[1] The pieces all referenced civic design and construction techniques, using materials such as flagpoles, ladders, concrete and steel.[4]

Since then, the space has been used for a variety of different purposes. In 2010 LentSpace was featured in an episode of Bravo's reality TV show, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist.[5] In the summer of 2012 the space became home to a rotating lineup of food trucks, accompanied by musical performances throughout the week.[6]

In late 2011, protesters from the Occupy movement briefly occupied the space after being evicted from Zuccotti Park.[7] Trinity Church had denied permission for the protestors to use the space.[7] On 17 December, some protestors scaled the fences which surround the park while other squeezed beneath the fences.[7] New York City Police Department officers arrested a number of protestors, including retired Episcopal Bishop George Elden Packard.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Amateau, Albert (25 September 2009). "Sculpture garden spruces up Canal St. area". Downtown Express. New York. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Konigsberg, Eric (16 September 2009). "An Art Park Sprouts (for Now) Where New Buildings Were to Grow". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Popper, Nathaniel (16 December 2010). "From eyesores to eye-catchers". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (23 September 2009). "New Public Art Space Is Vandalized". ArtsBeat. New York Times. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "LentSpace featured in Bravo's "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist"". LMCC. July 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Ligato, Lorenzo (14 June 2012). "Food trucks and art occupy coveted Hudson Square lot". The Villager. New York. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Baker, Al; Moynihan, Colin (17 December 2011). "Arrests as Occupy Protest Turns to Church". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 12 September 2012.

External links

Coordinates: 40°43′22″N 74°00′21″W / 40.722781°N 74.005971°W / 40.722781; -74.005971

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