At Freshkills Artists Embark On New Project With Field R/D

[image description: people in brightly colored clothing face away from the camera as they take a walk through Freshkills Park, there is a body of water on the right with a tree and long brown reeds, on the left is bright green grass]

Artists are participating in a new art-research project called “Freshkills Park: Field R/D.” Organized by artist/curator Dylan Gauthier and Freshkills Park’s Mariel Villeré, the project will involve independent and collaborative research, site visits and field trips, shared meals and conversations over the course of several months.

The goal of “Field R/D” is to work with artists to develop an approach for bringing an exhibition, discussion and event series to Freshkills Park in 2018. A publication will be created from the documentation of their process over the next year.

The group of seven artist/collaboratives will meet five times in 2017, with special access to the closed Freshkills Park site by appointment. Invited participants create work in visual and performing arts, written word, architecture, pedagogy, and multimedia.

Participating artists are Mary Mattingly, Torkwase Dyson, Audrey Snyder & Joe Riley, Nancy Nowacek, Lize Mogel, Gabri Christa and Billy Dufala. With photographer Natalie Conn and writer Kendra Sullivan.

“Field R/D” is an opportunity for artists to be involved in a first of its kind public art project at Freshkills Park, and to shape NYC Parks’ and NYC Sanitation’s thinking on what public art can do and look like at this unique and expansive site. This project is made possible with support from the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation's Art and Social Justice Grant Program.

Learn more about past Freshkills Park art projects here.