Projects tagged "New York City"

"We stand in solidarity"-Asian American Artist Confront Racism
Practitioner:
Mike Keo, Monyee Chau, Godzilla: Asian American Art Network
Date:
Apr 2 2020
Unleashed by anxiety over the pandemic, the nationwide rise in anti-Asian hate has served as a call to action for many Asian American artists to take a stand: To actively challenge the historic negative stereotype of the vice- and disease-ridden Yellow Peril; to dismantle the pernicious and divisive myth of the model minority that pits achievements by Asian Americas as judgements against other communities of color; and to advocate for social justice, eq
The Comfort Illusion
Practitioner:
Nic Adams
Date:
Oct 1 2018
The Comfort Illusion is a solo aural performance that highlights the effects our everyday actions can have on the environment. Through mixed media storytelling using sound and lighting, Adams narrates the life of "The Overkiller" a fictional villian who negatively impacts the earth and the lives of the people around him through smaller everyday decisions. This character constantly prioritizes convenience over care and responsibility (ie.
Most Likely Safe
Practitioner:
Yes Lab, Food and Water Watch
Date:
Apr 29 2011
In April, 2011, Food and Water Watch partnered with Yes Lab to raise questions regarding drinking water around New York City. Yes Lab, an organization that collaborates with activist groups, aims to create successful media-related creative actions that help raise awareness regarding pertinent causes and create desirable action, often by staging interventions for the existing status quo by imitation and alteration.
Sirens of the Lambs
Practitioner:
Banksy
Date:
Oct 10 2013
Sirens of the Lambs is created by the enigmatic street artist, Banksy. This piece was first spotted on the streets of New York City on October 10, 2013, it went viral on social media and people are posting and reposting about it. Sirens of the Lambs is a truck full of stuffed animals – plush cows, chickens, pigs, lambs, bears – that first appeared in the Meatpacking neighborhood of NYC.
Activist busted after defacing anti-Islam ad in Times Sq. station
Practitioner:
Mona Eltahawy
Date:
Sep 26 2012
An Egyptian-born activist was arrested yesterday for spray-painting subway billboards that call enemies of Israel “savages” — amid a wave of vandalism unleashed on the inflammatory ads, which have divided the city. Mona Eltahawy, a self-described “liberal Muslim,” strolled up to one of the signs at the crowded 1/2/3 train mezzanine at the Times Square station and sprayed pink paint on the ads.
The Story of Let Hair Down and her confrontations with the NYPD
Practitioner:
Kanami Kusajima
Date:
Aug 19 2021
Kanami Kusakima, also known as the woman who dances in Washington Square Park with the long black hair and the paint, was happy to allow the Mayor's Office of NYC use her image as a promotional tool for a "post-coivd" New York. Yet, she has had multiple encounters with police who want to shut her performance down.
The Rage Against the Machine Performance That Got Them Banned From 'SNL'
Practitioner:
Rage Against the Machine
Date:
Apr 13 1996
Rage Against the Machine have always been rabble rousers, but the political statement that got them banned from Saturday Night Live sounds positively prosaic compared to other acts of protest they committed in their heyday, like shutting down the New York Stock Exchange or sporting a "Free Mumia Abu-Jamal" shirt on live television.
Looping! Finding Your Inner Child in Your Underwear on the Streets
Practitioner:
Matthew Silver, Fritz Donnelley
Date:
Jan 1 2014
What is looping? Somewhere in between art, activism, and wackiness is this liberating experience. Matthew Silver and Fritz Donnelley, two New York City based performance artists got lonely acting silly in their underwear in public. Knowing that there were enough free spirits to join them, they started "Looping" and invited everyone to join them.
MTA Posters
Practitioner:
Anonymous
Date:
May 1 2013
Come across a poster like the two above on your commute recently? Laid out in classic MTA style, but adorned with Orwellian imagery and an appropriately ambiguous hashtag, they warn of two possible hazards to your health: an upcoming “airborne non-toxic test” in which the NYPD will disperse “harmless, colorless gas” around the five boroughs, and an at-risk nuclear reactor that’s just 28 miles from NYC.
Matador almost gets the Wall Street Bull
Practitioner:
The Yes Men
Date:
Nov 10 2011
The incident began when two clowns, Hannah Morgan and Louis Jargow, scaled the steel barricades protecting the landmark. The clowns began spanking and climbing the beast, traditional ways of coaxing a bull into anger in preparation for a Castilian corrida, or bullfight.
Mother Pigeon—Tina Piña Trachtenburg
Practitioner:
Tina Piña Trachtenburg
Date:
Oct 11 2014
Tina Piña, better known as Mother Pigeon (@motherpigeonbrooklyn), is an artist and self-described “high priestess of the pigeon religion,” whose passion for New York City’s often-overlooked bird has helped her carve out a unique creative niche centered around pigeons—as well as a lifestyle geared towards helping New Yorkers appreciate the misunderstood creatures.
STICK IT TO 'EM!
Practitioner:
@stickerit2em
Date:
Feb 7 2021
#stickit2em is an all-inclusive, anti-capitalist, & pro-planet justice movement, using the clever medium of stickers!
MADE HERE Project: Documentary Series
Practitioner:
Tanya Selvaratnam (Producer, ) Chiara Clemente (Director, ) Karina Mangu-Ward (Producer)
Date:
May 1 2010
MADE HERE is a documentary series and website focusing on performing artists based in New York City. A collage of intimate interviews, performances and behind-the-scenes footage, MADE HERE mirrors the rich diversity of the artists and communities they serve. It reflects on Performance Artists battle to balance work and art in New York City.
Latin Party at Racist Aaron Schlossberg's UWS Apartment
Practitioner:
The People for Bernie Sanders, Latinos for revolution, Viva Bernie 2020, Young Progressives of America, POlitics Reborn, Woke folks, Millennials for revolution, Unofficial: DNC, New York City Progressives, The Digital Left
Date:
May 18 2018
Action as a response to viral video of Attorney Aaron Schlossberg's racist rant against Spanish speaking customers and employees at a midtown restaurant. The "Latin Party" included food, music, and dance celebrating Latina/o culture in the US. From FB event page:
In NYC, Activism Begins With Lessons In Theater
Practitioner:
EMERGE NYC
Date:
May 31 2017
Note before the post: This article is great in highlighting a specific case of creative activism in the streets of New York City, but also gives some contextual background to how this project manifested. On a sidewalk in the Village in downtown Manhattan, an African-American woman leans on her elbows and knees, wearing only black underpants. Scrawled in black marker all over her body are the words "Ain't I a Woman?"
Pro-Palestine Subway Art
Practitioner:
Anonymous Artists
Date:
Mar 4 2024
"Late last night, an autonomous group of activists placed posters throughout the subway system, blocking out advertisements with their own materials protesting Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza.
Dude Protests with a Sign
Practitioner:
Seth Phillips
Date:
Feb 8 2020
From an article in BoredPanda: "If you’ve ever felt like your voice and opinion doesn’t matter in the vast world, then Seth is here to prove you wrong. This New Yorker runs the ‘Dude With Sign’ Instagram account where he uploads photos of himself protesting the strangest, weirdest, most random things. And the best thing is, we can relate to most of what he’s written on his signs.
Billionaire-Espionage Art Project
Practitioner:
Andi Schmied
Date:
Mar 8 2021
The Hungarian artist, undercover as an oligarch, infiltrated Manhattan’s ultra-luxury high-rises with her fake husband, Zoltan, for a book of intentionally unartful photos.
Theatre for Humans
Practitioner:
Terry Merkle & Susan Blyth
Date:
Apr 14 2013
Special Report from the War on Women
Kimani Gray Barricades
Practitioner:
Not An Alternative
Date:
Mar 10 2013
"This project was launched in the wake of the police shooting of 16-year old Brooklyn resident Kimani Gray. Blue NYPD barricades left in piles around the city were spray-painted with the names of people killed by police, then re-deployed in public space."
Creative Time NYC’s unique flag project
Practitioner:
Marilyn Minter
Date:
Jun 14 2017
The 14th day of June each year is celebrated as Flag Day, and in 2017 it was no different save for the fact that the project took center stage. The celebrations kicked off with hoisting the resist flag, a creation by Marilyn Minter on the rooftop of the 4th street headquarters of Creative Time.
Dyke Action Machine!
Practitioner:
Carrie Moyer & Sue Schaffner
Date:
Jan 1 1999
Taken from the website: Dyke Action Machine! (DAM!) is a two-person public art project founded in 1991 by artist Carrie Moyer and photographer Sue Schaffner. Between 1991 and 2004 DAM! blitzed the streets of New York City with public art projects that combined Madison Avenue savvy with Situationist tactics.
GreeenMarket
Practitioner:
GrowNYC
Date:
Jan 2 2000
GrowNYC is a nonprofit that promotes community values through environmental missions. One of GrowNYC's programs is the GreenMarkets, which are fresh produce markets that are set up in various neighborhoods in the city, each one unique to the area. These markets focus on bringing local farmers into the community as well as promoting awareness of seasonal produce in order to limit the environmental damage of importing goods.
untitled subway graffiti
Practitioner:
Unknown
Date:
Feb 9 2025
alternating yellow and white chalk on black blank subway advertisement spaces. "NO ONE VOTED FOR ELON" "RISE AND RESIST" "RESISTANCE IS CONTAGIOUS" "WHO WILL SAVE US? WE WILL SAVE US" found on the uptown C train platform at 50th street station. found on february 9, 2025.
Chlamydia dell’Arte: A Sex-Ed Burlesque
Practitioner:
Written and performed by Gigi Naglak (left) and Meghann Williams (right)
Date:
May 10 2012
Chlamydia dell’Arte: A Sex-Ed BurlesqueYou’ve never taken a sex-ed class like this one!

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