To address the issue of the lack of a community or communal space in NYU’s Art Department, in February 2014, I collaborated with two other artists to create The Commons Project a multi-functional space (equipped with the miracle of indoor-heating, comfortable furniture, and inspiring artworks) that invites productive and casual engagement of students, faculty, and the public every day the doors are open. This project was inspired by the Buddhism principle ‘Form is Nothing, Nothing is Form’. Through the project, we redefined the traditional ideas of ‘art show’ and ‘lounge’, merging the two together to create an artistic platform for exhibiting local artists which could encourage the sharing of ideas and forming of relationships to perpetuate a mutually beneficial creative community. Through engaging with others and their work, we learn and develop ourselves while inspiring continued participation.
We started with a strategic design of the architectural conditions of The Commons Gallery at the NYU Barney Building along with fabrication of various furnishings, built and acquired to promote a comfortable and interactive environment. The furniture is composed of original pieces, craigslist finds, and repurposed found objects with aesthetic and functional alterations, all of which were donated to the school after the show was over.
Furthermore, other than exhibiting our past works for the show, we opened up a one-month window for submissions, calling all artists in need of an opportunity to show work. We received over 40 proposals from freshman to seniors, graduates and alumni, from New York, Shanghai, and Paris. The types of works included 9ft oil paintings, videos, ceramic sculptures, and live performances. We then categorized the diverse pool of proposals based on aesthetics and recurring themes and organized them into specific shows and events on 5 separate occasions over the span of the 10 exhibition days allotted to the project. Through this project, we raised awareness towards a wiser and more efficient utilization of space, and successfully created a community through the events and activities, bringing people together and reminding them the importance of artist exchange within the community.