Urban Art and the Lincoln Center for the

My focus for my research is "urban art" and its ability to create, encourage, or discourage social spaces in New York City. The traditional definition of urban art typically invokes images of graffiti or cartoon characters, usually on display in a public space and usually not commissioned by the owner(s) of the "canvas." However, the traditional definition of "urban" is "from the city." Therefore, research will look at any art that is located in public places throughout the city.

This is a picture of the fountains out front of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in new York City's Upper West Side. The Lincoln Center is a 16.3 acre area where many art forms meet in one place. Not only is it home to the opera, the ballet, the symphony, and the Juliard School of the Arts, but on the Saturday we were there it also hosted a huge arts and crafts festival outside in the plaza.

John D. Rockafeller III tore down a 17 square block of old tenements in the late 1950's to build the arts complex. Today is hosts the upper crust of New York in their artistic endeavors. The entire area is build over a huge underground parking area for the luxury vehicles driven by the rich patrons of the area that come from New Jersey or other areas outside of the city. The wall that faces the public housing in the area is completely closed off to the Lincoln Center complex, creating virtually no interaction between the patrons of the arts and the surrounding community. However, despite its alienation in the heart of Manhattan, inside the complex a vast array of social spaces are created around the art. This recently expanded and improved fountain hosts several social groups at any given time. Some sit around admiring the jumping water display, while others cool off by getting sprinkled on the sides. Yet others simply use the ledge as a sitting space while chatting amongst their friends. Regardless of its many uses, this urban arts center is certainly a social space.