Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Temporary art and museum exhibits in empty space

The New York Times reports on "pop up" art exhibits in empty London storefronts, in "Where London Storefronts Were Empty, Art Moves In."
My Bad Bank public art project, Notting Hill, London
My Bad Bank public art project, Notting Hill, London. Submitted to the New York Times by David Johannson.

For many years, the Storefront Artist Project in Pittsfield, Massachusetts has done something like this, which isn't uncommon in other places as well.

For at least 10 years, I've wondered why empty storefronts in Downtown DC don't do the same thing, but also with temporary museum type exhibits as well. (See "New pop-up museum has community appeal" from Denver Your Hub.)

Although I can't imagine a stodgy building owner like JBG or Akridge being willing to lend their imprimatur to exhibits like this:
Waterboard Thrill Ride exterior by ghostpix.
Flickr photo by ghostpix, of the Coney Island Waterboarding "thrill ride" performance art project. See "Coney Island Sideshow Has Guantánamo Waterboarding as Its Theme" from the New York Times.

Principles of Quality Storefronts, #2: Continuous Storefront Retail
From an out of print publication by the Downtown DC Business Improvement District.

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