Arts World Financial Center

Nov 22, 2011 10:13 AM

Canstruction NYC Makes National Headlines

For the second year in a row, PKPR handled publicity for Canstruction, the annual design competition which helps feed hungry New Yorkers during the Thanksgiving season.

26 of New York City’s leading architecture firms designed larger-than-life sculptures out of more than 100,000 unopened cans of food, all of which were then donated to City Harvest. Highlights of this year’s competition included sculptures of Angry Birds, a Converse sneaker, and Alexander McQueen’s high heels made famous by Lady Gaga. 

Highlights of this year’s coverage included features in the Wall Street Journal and MTV.com, a segment on WNYC, a Best Bets pick in New York Magazine, a shout out from Perez Hilton, and photo galleries in Time Out New York and Gothamist

Other national coverage ranged from ELLE Decor, WWD, and This Old House’s Bob Vila to Scholastic, TreeHugger, and Curbed. 

Permalink | Posted on Nov 22, 2011 at 10:13 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Jul 08, 2011 12:29 AM

Jules Feiffer Celebrated at World Financial Center

Jules Feiffer’s beloved modern Dancer, whose cartoon figure ran for 40 years in The Village Voice, was celebrated by Arts World Financial Center in a series of special events during River To River Festival.

The centerpiece was the NY premiere of The Dancer Films, a collection of six very short films directed by Judy Dennis and featuring Andrea Weber of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company as the iconic character. Taking the experience further, Arts World Financial Center presented an exhibition of Feiffer’s original Dancer drawings alongside new works in A Dance To Spring: The Drawings of Jules Feiffer.

PKPR was thrilled to secure an in depth, front page Arts section feature on The Dancer Films, showcasing interviews with Feiffer, Dennis, Weber, and the film’s choreographers Susan Marshall and Larry Keigwin. Other highlights included features in The Village Voice and a segment on WNET’s Sunday Arts. 

Permalink | Posted on Jul 08, 2011 at 12:29 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk

May 17, 2011 9:56 PM

Tweets, Texts, and Theater

This was one performance where the audience was not asked to turn off its phones.

In “The Attendants” by The Nerve Tank, audience members were invited to send text messages and tweets to influence the actions of two performers enclosed in an eight-foot plastic cube in the middle of the World Financial Center, one of New York City’s busiest business hubs. People around the world were also able to send messages and watch every move via a live webcam feed at www.NerveTank.com.

Features on this extraordinary production included The New York Times, NY1, amNY, Village Voice, Time Out New York, City Arts, Flavorpill, Tribeca Tribune, and DNAinfo.

Permalink | Posted on May 17, 2011 at 9:56 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Mar 12, 2011 10:55 AM

The Rover “roves” the World Financial Center

The sound of Carnival carousing and swordfights filled the World Financial Center this March when it presented a production of The Rover, a 17th Century Restoration comedy by Aphra Behn, the first professional female playwright in the English language.

From March 2nd through March 20th, Aphra Behn’s biting comedy of manners transformed the bustling business hub into 17th Century Naples at the height of Carnival, including live music and songs performed by the actors themselves. The New York Classical Theatre production employed the company’s signature panoramic staging style, taking audience members up and down staircases and around mezzanines throughout the 3.5-acre venue. Helmed by director Karin Coonrod, the bawdy, full-blooded romp unfolded not just in front of the audience but all around it.

See reviews of The Rover in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Back Stage, Downtown Express, NY Theatre, and Off Off Online. 

Permalink | Posted on Mar 12, 2011 at 10:55 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Jan 13, 2011 7:04 PM

New York Times: A Musical About Robert Moses?

Highlights from a forthcoming full-length musical exploring the controversial life and legacy of urban planner Robert Moses will have its world premiere at the World Financial Center Winter Garden on Saturday, January 15th. 

In an in depth preview on the front page of the Arts section of the New York Times today, reporter Robin Pogrebrin went behind-the-scenes with Moses biographer Robert Caro to meet the musical’s composer, Gary S. Fagin, and celebrated actor and singer Rinde Eckert, who will portray the city’s “Master Builder.”

Permalink | Posted on Jan 13, 2011 at 7:04 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Nov 29, 2010 2:21 PM

Canstruction Dazzles NYC

Over 100,000 full cans of food were transformed into epic eye candy when they were assembled into fanciful, mind-boggling sculptures at the World Financial Center Winter Garden this month.

The fantastical installations, created by 25 teams of architects and engineers, were part of Canstruction®, an exhibit and design competition that drops jaws in more ways than one. In addition to being a visual smorgasbord for New Yorkers to feast their eyes on, Canstruction® is an inspired campaign aimed at raising hunger awareness during the Thanksgiving season. At the closing of the exhibit, the pop art was dismantled and donated to City Harvest for distribution to programs that feed hungry New Yorkers.

Coverage of the exhibition included CNN, New York Times, New York Post, WABC, Metro, Time Out New York, Flavorpill, NBC New York, and Gothamist.

Watch the WABC segment here:

Permalink | Posted on Nov 29, 2010 at 2:21 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Oct 11, 2010 9:17 PM

Shepard Fairey Mural at World Financial Center

Celebrated artist Shepard Fairey (of the Obama “Hope” poster fame) guided more than 100 young New Yorkers in creating a powerful 40-foot long mural that made its public debut at the World Financial Center this month.  The mural, “A Positive Thought Cannot Be Denied,” expresses the kids’ views on teen violence, the environment, education and other issues relating to social justice.

Coverage included WNET Sunday Arts (video below), Time Out New York, Village Voice, Time Out New York Kids, Gothamist, DNAinfo.com, Newsday, Curated, and The Dirt Floor.

Watch the full episode. See more SundayArts.

Permalink | Posted on Oct 11, 2010 at 9:17 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Mar 10, 2010 11:40 PM

Chopin Festival Garners Worldwide Coverage

To celebrate Frederic Chopin’s 200th birthday on March 1st, Arts World Financial Center mounted one of the most ambitious tributes in the world, with more than 200 hours of music performed by nearly 200 pianists.

PKPR garnered international coverage for the week-long event, starting with a Reuters article that was syndicated from Vancouver to Sydney. The New York Post and Time Out New York named it a top pick of the week, while other highlights included New York Times, New Yorker, Flavorpill, and WNET. 

Permalink | Posted on Mar 10, 2010 at 11:40 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Mar 05, 2010 2:47 PM

Hamlet in the New York Times

As featured in today’s New York Times, the bustling World Financial Center will be transformed into Elsinore Castle next month when it hosts a free production of Hamlet that will inhabit the sprawling venue as its set.

From April 1-18, New York Classical Theatre will perform William Shakespeare’s tragedy in their signature panoramic staging style, with the audience being drawn into Hamlet’s world as they follow the actors down staircases and around mezzanines throughout the entire World Financial Center complex. 

Permalink | Posted on Mar 05, 2010 at 2:47 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Jan 15, 2010 12:08 AM

Arts World Financial Center on NY1

Check out this great segment on NY1 about this season’s events at World Financial Center.

Permalink | Posted on Jan 15, 2010 at 12:08 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Nov 17, 2009 10:47 AM

Artist Wants New Yorkers Clothes

From November 10th to December 18th, acclaimed artist MK Guth is inviting New Yorkers to bring old sweaters, socks, sheets, yarn, rags, and any unusable fabric to her workspace in an unused concourse-level retail space at One New York Plaza. Nestled between a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Subway, Guth is sorting, stacking, sewing, and weaving the materials into large ropes and sculptural objects. Visitors can observe and interact with Guth, who was featured in the 2008 Whitney Biennial. It’s the first phase of “This Fable is Intended for You: A Work-Energy Principle,” a 3-month public art project that will include an exhibit in the World Financial Center’s Courtyard Gallery and a performance in the Winter Garden. Check out these links for more on this project: Time Out New York, City Arts, Flavorwire, PAPER, and ArtInfo.

Permalink | Posted on Nov 17, 2009 at 10:47 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk