Art in Odd Places: FREE Art Festival on 14th St.

One of the mainest of main thoroughfares in Manahattan, I mostly associate 14th Street with a convenient spot to meet someone off of the L train, a massive crowd outside of Whole Foods, or the disgusting chemical cheese smell that overpowers the entire block on which Taco Bell is located.  However, this week all of the tourists, bridge-and-tunnel preteens, and Mexican Pizza-chomping crackheads that usually flood The Big 1-4 will have to share the street with performance artists, installations, and theatrical gloriousness.  This week, Art in Odd Places sets up shop.

A wide variety of artistic performances and “interventions”– some of which, according to the event website, are “participatory”– Art in Odd Places will run the entire length of 14th Street, from Avenue B all the way up to 11th Avenue.  Some performances will deal with politics, religion or community, but all will center around the theme of “ritual.”  Highlights include Get Lost!, a project by Daniel Bejar in which he restores all MTA subway signage to what it would have looked and sounded like prior to colonial intervention of the area in 1609.  If you’re not in the mood to time travel, you can try out I Call NY in which participants call a hotline and leave voicemails about their favorite places in the city (which are then downloaded onto an interactive map!).  With such a wide variety of participants, this festival should have something to interest every colorful character in the area.

Protesters may be occupying Wall Street, but they’re not the only badasses claiming the streets to make a statement this week.  During October 1-10 freaks, theater nerds, and performance artists will all occupy 14th Street– head over to check it out!

Art in Odd Places
October 1-10
FREE
14th St (between Ave. B and 11th Ave.)
[Union Square]

Photo credit: Art in Odd Places Blog