Figment (Arts event)
Encyclopedia
FIGMENT is an annual participatory arts
event on Governors Island
in New York Harbor
, USA. The mission of FIGMENT is to provide a forum for community-based participatory art and experience. FIGMENT strives to build community among artists and participants, to foster the participatory arts in New York City
, and to demonstrate a vision for the future of Governors Island as an international arts destination. FIGMENT is a community-based event organized and run by volunteers.
The event draws its name from New York’s artistic heritage. Andy Warhol
once commented that he would like his tombstone to have only one word on it: “Figment.” Warhol never got his wish; he has a traditional grave marker.
FIGMENT is based on a number of principles including decommodification
and leave no trace
.
Art projects are solicited for FIGMENT through a curatorial process, based on artistic merit, ambitiousness, and interactivity. FIGMENT focuses on art projects that demonstrate an ability to transform their environment and the perception of participants.
FIGMENT is a project of Action Arts League, and is produced by a coalition of volunteers in partnership with Pure Project.
The event is currently supported by individual donations and by grants. FIGMENT does not accept any corporate sponsorships.
Two special projects include the City of Dreams Minigolf course (open from June 27 to October 12, 2008), and the Emergence exhibition (open from May 31 to July 26, 2008). Both of these special projects were funded by the Black Rock Arts Foundation.
FIGMENT 2009 was attended by 13,331 people, including 1,139 participants on Friday, June 12; 5,488 participants on Saturday, June 13; and 6,704 participants on Sunday, June 14. FIGMENT currently holds the record for the largest event on Friday (from 2008) and the largest event on Sunday (from 2009) on Governors Island.
FIGMENT has received six grants for 2009, including The Fund for Creative Communities, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Both funds are administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. In addition, four large-scale sculptures in the City of Dreams season-long sculpture installation have received the 2009 Oscar M. Ruebhausen Commission from the Greenwall Foundation.
to its main event in New York. FIGMENT Boston took place on June 5, 2010, along the Charles River
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, in partnership with the Cambridge Arts Council, with approximately 10,000 participants who engaged with nearly 100 arts projects. FIGMENT New York took place on June 11–13, 2010, on Governors Island, with a total of 23,665 participants: 4,103 on Friday, 9,856 on Saturday, and 9,706 on Sunday.
FIGMENT reinstated the minigolf course and the sculpture garden
in 2010, and added an architectural competition to design and build a pavilion on the island as a center for arts activity. The City of Dreams Pavilion Design Competition was being jointly hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) committee of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
(AIA), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). The competition received over 50 entries, and a jury of architects, journalists, and engineers selected Ann Ha and Behrang Behin's Living Pavilion as the winner of the competition. The Living Pavilion was built on the Parade Grounds on Governors Island, and opened in time for FIGMENT on June 11. The Living Pavilion, Minigolf Course, and Sculpture Garden were open on the island through October 3, 2010.
Participatory Art
Participatory art is an approach to making art in which the audience is engaged directly in the creative process, allowing them to become co-authors, editors, and observers of the work...
event on Governors Island
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
, USA. The mission of FIGMENT is to provide a forum for community-based participatory art and experience. FIGMENT strives to build community among artists and participants, to foster the participatory arts in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and to demonstrate a vision for the future of Governors Island as an international arts destination. FIGMENT is a community-based event organized and run by volunteers.
The event draws its name from New York’s artistic heritage. Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
once commented that he would like his tombstone to have only one word on it: “Figment.” Warhol never got his wish; he has a traditional grave marker.
FIGMENT is based on a number of principles including decommodification
Decommodification
Decommodification as a concept comes from the idea that in a market economy, individual persons are commodified. Given that labor is the individual's primary commodity in the market, decommodification refers to activities and efforts that reduces individuals' reliance on the market for their...
and leave no trace
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
.
Art projects are solicited for FIGMENT through a curatorial process, based on artistic merit, ambitiousness, and interactivity. FIGMENT focuses on art projects that demonstrate an ability to transform their environment and the perception of participants.
FIGMENT is a project of Action Arts League, and is produced by a coalition of volunteers in partnership with Pure Project.
The event is currently supported by individual donations and by grants. FIGMENT does not accept any corporate sponsorships.
FIGMENT 2007
FIGMENT was launched in 2007 as a one-day event on July 8. FIGMENT attracted over 60 participatory arts projects, and hosted over 2,800 participants.FIGMENT 2008
In 2008, FIGMENT was a three-day event on June 27–29. Nearly 10,000 people attended the event, and attendance records were set for Governors Island for the most people ever on the island on a Friday (1,486), on a Saturday (5,305), and on a Sunday (3,174), and over a single weekend (9,965).Two special projects include the City of Dreams Minigolf course (open from June 27 to October 12, 2008), and the Emergence exhibition (open from May 31 to July 26, 2008). Both of these special projects were funded by the Black Rock Arts Foundation.
FIGMENT 2009
FIGMENT 2009 took place on June 12–14 on Governors Island. In addition to the main festival, FIGMENT expanded the City of Dreams Minigolf Course to 18 holes, and added a season-long exhibition of interactive sculpture. Both of these projects together are called the "City of Dreams."FIGMENT 2009 was attended by 13,331 people, including 1,139 participants on Friday, June 12; 5,488 participants on Saturday, June 13; and 6,704 participants on Sunday, June 14. FIGMENT currently holds the record for the largest event on Friday (from 2008) and the largest event on Sunday (from 2009) on Governors Island.
FIGMENT has received six grants for 2009, including The Fund for Creative Communities, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Both funds are administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. In addition, four large-scale sculptures in the City of Dreams season-long sculpture installation have received the 2009 Oscar M. Ruebhausen Commission from the Greenwall Foundation.
FIGMENT 2010
In 2010, FIGMENT added an event in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to its main event in New York. FIGMENT Boston took place on June 5, 2010, along the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, in partnership with the Cambridge Arts Council, with approximately 10,000 participants who engaged with nearly 100 arts projects. FIGMENT New York took place on June 11–13, 2010, on Governors Island, with a total of 23,665 participants: 4,103 on Friday, 9,856 on Saturday, and 9,706 on Sunday.
FIGMENT reinstated the minigolf course and the sculpture garden
Sculpture garden
A sculpture garden is an outdoor garden dedicated to the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings....
in 2010, and added an architectural competition to design and build a pavilion on the island as a center for arts activity. The City of Dreams Pavilion Design Competition was being jointly hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) committee of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
(AIA), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). The competition received over 50 entries, and a jury of architects, journalists, and engineers selected Ann Ha and Behrang Behin's Living Pavilion as the winner of the competition. The Living Pavilion was built on the Parade Grounds on Governors Island, and opened in time for FIGMENT on June 11. The Living Pavilion, Minigolf Course, and Sculpture Garden were open on the island through October 3, 2010.