Just a 2-minute ferry ride away from the tip of Manhattan is Governors Island where last Wednesday, Leslie Koch, President of the Trust for Governors Island, hosted an exclusive evening to preview the work of artists in Visitors. This is a 2015-2016 project of Art Commissions GI featuring artists, Darren Bader, Nina Beier, Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Ajay Kurian, Rachel Rose, Aki Sasamoto, and Pilvi Takala.

 

As soon as we stepped off the ferry, we could hear free jazz sounding from the distance as we headed towards Soissons Welcome Lawn. Groups of musicians were scattered between bold red colored chairs, creating a lighthearted scene for all the attendees.

First, we explored Fort Jay where an artist had put in a sound installation. A ways down the road, we headed to view older exhibitions varying from “Painted Phone” by Mark Handforth, to a hammock grove.

Watching people bike past on a previously abandoned island dispersed with art work made me realize that although this place was very different than bustling Manhattan, creative projects continue to spread to these spaces. An area with so much history is now being revitalized step by step through these works, making a simple promise to progress history, education, and experience through the integration of arts.