{"id":2865,"date":"2013-09-21T09:42:51","date_gmt":"2013-09-21T13:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=2865"},"modified":"2013-09-21T09:42:51","modified_gmt":"2013-09-21T13:42:51","slug":"heard-ny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2013\/09\/heard-ny\/","title":{"rendered":"Heard NY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some time ago I commented [Engaged Mission: I<\/a>], in response to a NY Times article, that social practice art\u2013art with an explicit social service intent, while admirable, is not the only way to approach community engagement. It’s a good and valuable way to engage, but it is not the sole means to do so. When I discuss community engagement I talk about the “issue” being addressed by a project, but an issue need not be a problem or something in need of “fixing.” An issue can also be the need for people to connect or even just have a good time.<\/p>\n

I have in the past talked about how much I like the Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture\u2122<\/a>\u00a0 program. Earlier this year the NY Times has put me on to another example of serious fun: Watch Out for the Horses on Your Way to the Train<\/a>. Chicago artist-choreographer Nick Caves created a work for Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station. It was performed by students at the Alvin Ailey School in “costume-like sculptures” of horses (sort of).<\/p>\n

The video below gives a sense of the work itself and of the delight of the unsuspecting Grand Central audience. The intent was to achieve something “magical and family friendly.” I think they succeeded.<\/p>\n