NYC Is Seeking Artists to Transform Unsightly Scaffolding
The City Canvas program will commission designs for temporary protective structures, at the expense of property owners.
The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is seeking artists to transform the city's nearly 400 miles of sidewalk sheds and construction fences — the dark green sheets of plywood that conceal the seemingly never-ending construction projects across the five boroughs. Applications are now open for the new City Canvas program, which will select designs to outfit building sites on vinyl or debris netting at the expense of property owners.
Sidewalk sheds, also known as scaffolding, are a notoriously persistent sight in New York. The protective barriers are intended to keep pedestrians safe, but some building owners have discovered it is less expensive to maintain scaffolding than to pay for repairs. A 21-year-old sidewalk shed, the city's oldest, was taken down last month in a highly publicized mayoral stunt. Others left standing date as far back as 2006. Local politicians have waged war on the urban eyesores, and Mayor Eric Adams announced his plans to mitigate them this summer.
While NYC ordinance prohibits property owners from decorating these structures, the city passed a 2021 law making an exception for the City Canvas project. A pilot version of the initiative ran from 2019 through last year and brought 124 artworks to 47 construction sites, including Sophia Victor's installation on Chester Street in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and Ebony Bolt's artwork outside of Lenox Hill Hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
The new permanent program will allow businesses to either choose from a list of pre-approved designs or commission site-specific artworks directly from artists or through organizational partnerships (with approval from the DCLA). In both instances, property owners will front the bill for their displays. The DCLA suggests payments ranging from $4,000 to $7,000, depending on the scope of the project.
"Sidewalk sheds are an unfortunate reality for city life, to keep us all safe during building repairs," the city's Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu said in a statement. "As we work to take down the longest-standing sheds, we also need to ask more of the ones that remain."
Artists can apply for City Canvas through January 31. DCLA will select at least 10 creators, who will then receive $1,000 stipends to develop their designs.
