Castle Williams - Changing with the Times on Governors Island

Castle Williams is a circular fort made of red sandstone on the west point of Governors Island in New York Harbor. It was built between 1807 and 1811, as part of a defense system for New York harbor that included Fort Jay and the South Battery on Governors Island, Castle Clinton at the tip of Manhattan, Fort Gibson at Ellis Island (then Oyster Island), and Fort Wood, which is now the base of Liberty Enlightening the World at Liberty Island. This system protected the harbor from British interference with American shipping. It later served as barracks for the island's garrison and new and transient troops, and later as a prison during the Civil War and through the first half of the 20th century. Castle Williams is open to the public. A replica of the castle is on display in the middle of the fort. Guided tours are also available.

Gatsby-Style Weekend - The Jazz Age Lawn Party On Governors Island

Last weekend, Governors Island played host to the Jazz Age Lawn Party. Sharply dressed men and free-spirited flappers flocked to the always popular event of dancing and dance performances, live music, picnicking, vintage clothes shopping and partying.  A wide variety of 1920's inspired refreshments and gourmet food were also available for purchase. Music was provided by Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra. Also featured were a 1920's motorcar exhibition, parade of hats, dance lessons, antique gramophones and a pie recipe contest. The event will be repeated on August 17-18.

New York Classical Theatre's "Henry V" Free Public Performance (Ferry Ride to France/Governors Island Included)

Audience entering Castle Clinton

Beginning of the play inside Castle Clinton

Beginning of the play inside Castle Clinton

Cast and audience members boarding the ferry to Governors Island

Audience members boarding the Ferry to Governors island

Cast member aboard Miss Freedom Ferry

The New York Classical Theatre group this evening staged another free performance of Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” The play began in downtown Manhattan's Battery Park at Castle Clinton. The cast and the audience then took a ferry ride with King Henry and his army across the English Channel (New York Harbor) to France (Governors Island) for the staging of the Battle of Agincourt. The production moved around the grounds of Fort Jay, and then finished where it began. Statue Cruises is providing the free ferry as apart of the free River to River Festival. Wristbands for the ferry ride were handed out (two per person) two hours before the play. The cast of 40 included Justin Blanchard as Henry.

Performances are also scheduled for July 18, 19, 20, 21 and 24.

Free Bike Fridays All Summer On Governors Island

On Fridays, Governors Island visitors can use children and adult bikes for one hour for free from 10 AM to 3:30 PM, with the last returns at 4:30 PM. However, the tandem and quadracycles cost the regulr rte (from $30 per half hour to $45 for all day depending on the bike). Helmets are included with all rentals. About five miles of paths are available for biking on Governors Island, including the promenade that almost completely circles the island except for the main ferry docks and the Water Taxi Beach. Visitors are also allowed to bring their own bikes. Captured with an Apple iPhone 4, the picture above shows a view of Lower Manhattan skyline.

Mark di Suvero's Sculptures On Governors Island

Rust Angel (1995)

Rust Angel (1995)

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Old Buddy (For Rosko), 1993-1995

New Beginning (2002)

Po-um (Lyric), 2003

Po-um (Lyric), 2003

Currently on display on Governors Island are 11 sculptures by Chinese-born American sculptor Mark di Suvero (born 1933). The exhibition is the largest outdoor presentation of Mark di Suvero’s sculptures to be shown in New York City since the 1970s.  The exhibit features loans from public and private collections, including a number of sculptures from Storm King Art Center’s own celebrated installation of the artist’s work. The exhibition, which features 11 di Suvero sculptures, is free and located throughout the island’s vibrant public spaces. Mark di Suvero’s work is architecturally scaled, imposing a physical and historical reference to industry. The pieces are composed of industrial cast-offs, such as I-beams that have been painted, giving them an artificial quality. Presented by Storm King Art Center is the site’s most high-profile art show to date. The display is also di Suvero's biggest New York survey since 1975. It runs through September 25, 2011

FIGMENT Art Festival on Governors Island

Eternal Knitter

Shield/Coraza by Hector Canonge

Steel Neal's The Agony of Man

The Temple of Truth by Jennifer Upchurch, Chris Niederer, and Douglas Hart

Minute of Parallax by Jamie Leo and Chris Jordan

Guns and Poses Rosebushes by Natalie Giugni

Discarded by Benjamin Jones and Anna Hecker

Dodecahedron Planters by Bernard Klevickas

Last Saturday, I went to Governors Island for the first time to see the Figment Festival, a celebration of participatory art and culture.

From the website:

FIGMENT is an annual arts event on Governors Island, with artwork in every medium, from installation to performance to music to games and many things in between. Participation is open to any artist who would like to share their work. It is a free, non-profit endeavor run by volunteers. In 2008, FIGMENT’s second year, over 10,000 people attended.

FIGMENT’s vision for art looks past the white-walled galleries and into the realm of participation. Art is not just something that you stand still and quietly look at – it is something you participate in. You touch it, smell it, climb it, write on it, talk to it, dance with it, play with it, learn from it… Interactive art creates a dynamic collaboration between the artist, the audience and their environment.

As a free, public, non-profit event, we aim to advance social and personal transformation through creativity. FIGMENT is uninterrupted by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. Selling or advertising goods or services is not permitted. Neither our artists nor our planners and staff are paid – everything that you see at FIGMENT is born from a simple desire to share imagination with each other and the public.

In these challenging economic times, it is important that artists devise new ways to create, share, think, and dream about what is possible. FIGMENT is an alternative to many of the shortcomings of the commercial art world— exclusive, expensive, impersonal, untouchable and often simply boring.

Famous for his role in New York’s artistic heritage and the Pop Art movement, Andy Warhol believed that everyone had it in them to be a star for fifteen minutes. Through his own art, he defined his identity and shaped the world around him. He once commented that he’d like his tombstone to say only one word: “Figment.”
Governors Island, in the heart of New York Harbor, is only 800 yards from Lower Manhattan, and even closer to Brooklyn. It is a world unto itself, unique and full of promise. For almost two centuries, Governors Island was a military base - home to the US Army and Coast Guard. Due to changing needs in operations, the Coast Guard closed and “mothballed” the Island in 1996. New York’s leaders recognized the Island’s potential, and in 2003 the federal government sold most of the Island to the people of New York for one dollar. Today, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) oversees 150 acres of the Island, while the National Park Service manages the balance, the 22-acre Governors Island National Monument which includes two 1812-era forts.