Governors Island. 5–5-2023 © Julienne Schaer
Second annual celebration of seasonal Organizations in Residence on Governors Island to feature 40 free arts, cultural, educational, and environmental events and activities for all ages.
Governors Island Arts announced today the second annual House Fest, a three-day festival celebrating the incredible range of works presented by the seasonal arts, cultural, educational, and environmental Organizations in Residence on Governors Island. From September 1 through 3, 2023, Governors Island Arts will bring together more than two dozen cultural partners for a weekend-long creative celebration in and around the historic former military houses of Nolan Park and Colonels Row on the Island, featuring free dance and music performances, outdoor installations, interactive workshops, open studios, panel discussions, and more.
“Governors Island Arts fully embodies the diverse cultural community here in New York City, and we are thrilled to welcome all New Yorkers to experience it for themselves at the second annual House Fest” said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “With our accessible range of public art, cultural events, and residency programs, Governors Island has grown into one of New York City’s most exciting arts and culture destinations. We look forward to welcoming visitors to House Fest once again this Labor Day Weekend.”
“We are so excited to celebrate our largest and most diverse group of Organizations in Residence yet at House Fest 2023,” said Juan Pablo Siles, Associate Curator and Producer at the Trust for Governors Island. “Featuring organizations and artists from every single borough, this will be a true citywide celebration of all things culture. Governors Island Arts is privileged to work with the incredible community of organizations here on the Island, collaborating to help bring transformative, accessible programming to Island visitors and all New Yorkers.”
House Fest will feature free performances, curated by Governors Island Arts, alongside public programs and activations from the program’s two dozen seasonal Organizations in Residence that include American Indian Community House, Residency Unlimited, the West Harlem Art Fund, Staten Island Urban Center, Pratt Institute, Swale, Transborder Art, The Lower Eastside Girls Club, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art, and many more. The weekend will culminate with a massive Lawn Party on Sunday, September 3, featuring beats from DJ Mickey Pérez and food and drink available from Governors Island vendors Little Eva’s and Fauzia’s Heavenly Delights.
House Fest 2023 Schedule of Events
Friday, September 1
- Opening Day of The Process – an art and tech exhibition, Harvestworks
- Opening Day at NADA House, New Art Dealers Alliance
- Toisha Tucker solo exhibition, KODA
- Poetry performance with Aracelis Rivera, Fountain House Gallery
- Art workshop from Recycled Materials with Chin-Chih Yang, Taiwanese American Arts Council
- Weaving Islands performance, Taiwanese American Arts Council
- Healing in Motion performance, ArtsConnection
- MVP Rara performance and procession, Governors Island Arts
- Free Outdoor Film: Set it Off, Governors Island Arts and Film at Lincoln Center
Saturday, September 2
- Opening Day of Masks with works by Gabriele Grones and Peter Depelchin, Residency Unlimited
- Poetry performance with Aracelis Rivera, Fountain House Gallery
- Open Studio (Natalie Collette Wood), BronxArtSpace
- Staten Island Music and Dance Live!, Staten Island Urban Center
- Prison Art Workshop, Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons
- Theatrical Games for Social Change workshop, Fountain House Gallery
- The Roots of Salsa, Taiwanese American Arts Council
- Milk Kefir SCOBY workshop, Swale
- Senegalese Dance with Ousmane, Cumbe
- Kompa Dance with Julio & Robenson, Cumbe
- Soul Canvas Vortex with Danie workshop, Cumbe
- Regeneration, New York Latin American Art Triennial
- Artist Talk with Miguel Otero Fuentes, West Harlem Art Fund
- Indian Classical Dance Showcase, ArtsConnection
- Oh, Cassandra: An Interactive Ode to Yoko Ono, Transborder Art
- Flower Ritual, Transborder Art
- Sunset Meditative Performance with C. Lavender, Harvestworks
- Watch Us! We can do it together, Taiwanese American Arts Council
- Polirritmia | Sinestesia, Harvestworks
- IDENTITIES exhibition tour, MoCADA
- M’Dear: The Black Maternal Artist Talk, MoCADA
- Polirritmia | Sinestesia, Governors Island Arts in partnership with Harvestworks
Sunday, September 3
- Open Studio (Natalie Collette Wood), BronxArtSpace
- Prison Art Workshop, Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons
- Dance performance with Coco Karol and Sxip Shirey, Taiwanese American Arts Council
- Weaving Islands performance, Taiwanese American Arts Council
- Poetry performance with Aracelis Rivera, Fountain House Gallery
- Butoh Performance with Angela Rogers, Fountain House Gallery
- Music performance with Eliana Glass, Governors Island Arts
- Island Luminaria: Flaming Creature Crawl, Flux Factory
- House Fest Lawn Party with DJ Mickey Pérez, Governors Island Arts
A full schedule of events and list of presenting organizations can be found at www.govisland.org/house-fest, with more events to be announced in the coming weeks. House Fest 2023 is presented with support from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, and with volunteer support from the Friends of Governors Island.
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Since Governors Island opened to the public in 2005, the Trust has invited cultural, educational, and non-profit organizations to utilize its historic houses to present engaging public programs while providing workspace for artists and cultural practitioners.
Through this unique Organizations in Residence Program, Governors Island Arts provides a platform for non-profit groups to reach a diverse and growing audience of engaged visitors, where collaboration is encouraged between participating organizations and space is provided to presenters free of charge.
The 2023 Organizations in Residence are: American Indian Community House (AICH) Manhattan, ArtCrawl Harlem Manhattan, ArtsConnection Manhattan, BronxArtSpace The Bronx, Billion Oyster Project Manhattan, Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance Brooklyn, Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons Manhattan, Flux Factory Queens, KODA Brooklyn, Fountain House Gallery Manhattan, Harvestworks Manhattan, I am caribBEING Brooklyn, The Lower Eastside Girls Club Manhattan, The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) Brooklyn, New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) Manhattan ,New York Latin American Art Triennial (NYLAAT) Manhattan, NYC Audubon Manhattan, NYU Gallatin WetLab Manhattan, Pratt Institute Brooklyn, Project Bring It Home/The Stars of Tomorrow Project, Inc. Manhattan, Residency Unlimited (RU) Brooklyn, Staten Island Urban Center Staten Island, Swale Brooklyn, Syracuse University Studio Art M.F.A. Syracuse, NY, Taiwanese American Arts Council Queens, Transborder Art Queens, and the West Harlem Art Fund Manhattan.
Investment in Governors Island Arts advances a key component of “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for NYC’s Economic Recovery,” the mayor’s vision for the future of the city’s economy. Over the next decade, the City and the Trust will invest in evolving this seasonal program into year-round permanent homes for cultural organizations on Governors Island.
Governors Island is open to the public Sunday through Thursday from 7am to 10pm and Friday through Saturday from 7am to 11pm. The South Island Park, including The Hills, Hammock Grove, Picnic Point, and the ball fields, is open until 6pm daily. Trust for Governors Island-operated ferries run daily between the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan and Soissons Landing on the Island. Trust-operated ferries also serve two Brooklyn locations during the summer months—Pier Six in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Atlantic Basin in Red Hook. These routes run directly to Yankee Pier on Governors Island from each location every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday Monday from May 27 through October 29. For schedules and ticketing information, visit www.govisland.org/ferry.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve ferry tickets in advance of their trip on the Governors Island website. Round-trip ferry tickets cost $4 for adults. Ferries operated by the Trust for Governors Island are always free for children 12 and under, older adults 65 and up, residents of NYCHA, IDNYC holders, current and former military service members, and Governors Island members. Ferries before noon on Saturdays and Sundays are free for all. There is no surcharge for bicycles or strollers on Trust-operated ferries at any time.
NYC Ferry also serves Governors Island weekdays on the South Brooklyn route and summer weekends via the seasonal Governors Island shuttle. For ticketing information and full schedules for NYC Ferry, visit www.ferry.nyc.
About Governors Island Arts
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Governors Island Arts achieves this mission through temporary and long-term public art commissions, an annual Organization in Residence program in the Island’s historic houses, and free public programs and events in partnership with a wide range of cross-disciplinary NYC cultural organizations. For more information, visit www.govisland.org
About the Trust for Governors Island
The Trust for Governors Island is the nonprofit corporation created by the City of New York that is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. The Trust’s mission is to realize the full potential of Governors Island for the inspiration and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org
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