Art in Odd Places (AiOP) is a public

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

project based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

exploring connections between

public space A public space is a place that is open and accessible to the general public. Roads (including the pavement), public squares, parks, and beaches are typically considered public space. To a limited extent, government buildings which are open to ...

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...

traffic, and ephemeral transient

interventions ''Interventions'' is a book by Noam Chomsky, an American academic linguist and political activist. Published in May 2007, ''Interventions'' is a collection of 44 op-ed articles, post-9/11, from September 2002, through March 2007. The book's sub ...

. It takes place each Octobe

Background

History

Founded in 1996 as part of the Cultural Olympiad Public Arts Program of the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta, with a

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: *Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure *Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species ''Hiatus fulvipes'' *Globa ...

from 1998 to 2005, AiOP curates one large-scale project each year. During the program New York pedestrians happen upon the artwork by coincidence while others (like a

scavenger hunt ''Scavenger Hunt'' is a 1979 American comedy film with a large ensemble cast which includes Richard Benjamin, James Coco, Scatman Crothers, Ruth Gordon, Cloris Leachman, Cleavon Little, Roddy McDowall, Robert Morley, Richard Mulligan, Tony R ...

) use a map to discover art in unexpected places. Art in Odd Places was founded by Ed Woodham and is directed by Furusho von Puttkammer. It is a current project of GOH Productions.

Mission

Art in Odd Places aims to stretch the boundaries of communication in the public realm by presenting artworks in all disciplines outside the confines of traditional public space regulations. AiOP reminds us that public spaces function as the epicenter for diverse social interactions and the unfettered exchange of ideas. Projects have included a performance addressing the issues of public vs. private as it applies to the public restroom, to art teams activating space by cleaning the sidewalks of 14th Street in Manhattan. In 2006, Art in Odd Places presented "Imagining New Public Space", a panel to discuss alternative public places for art. The panel was presented in collaboration with Radhika Subramaniam, founder of interdisciplinary art journal, Connect:art.politics.theory.practice and

Setha Low Setha M. Low (born March 14, 1948) is a former president of the American Anthropological Association, a professor in environmental psychology, and the director of the Public Space Research Group at the City University of New York. Low also serve ...

, president of the

American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, ...

, with panelist: Bill Brown of Surveillance Media Players; Clarinda MacLow, choreographer and performer; and Paul Carter, philosopher and artist from the

Lab Architecture Studio LAB Architecture Studio was a firm of architects and urban designers based in Melbourne, Australia with international offices in London and Shanghai. Directors Peter Davidson after graduating from Bachelor of Architecture in 1980 from the NSW Ins ...

Recent developments

In May 2021, ''Art in Odd Places (AIOP) 2021: NORMAL'' launched a series of installations, performances and visual art along 14th Street. It was curated by artist Furusho von Puttkammer and featured

Akiko Ichikawa Akiko Ichikawa (市川明子, ''Ichikawa Akiko,'' or アキーコー・イーチカーワ, ''Akiko Ichikawa'') is a transdisciplinary artist, editor, and writer-activist based in New York City. She has written on contemporary art and culture fo ...

, Gretchen Vitamvas, Johnothon Lyons, Ivan Sikic, Yeseul Song, Yasmeen Abdallah, Julia Justo, Sara Lynne Lindsay and dozens of other artists.

References

Freedom of Expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

External links

Art in Odd Places website''Time Out New York:'' "Art in Odd Places is Taking Over 14th Street" ''The Brooklyn Rail'': "Pedestrian"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Art In Odd Places Non-profit organizations based in New York City Arts organizations based in New York City Arts organizations established in 1996 1996 establishments in New York (state) Freedom of expression