‘Third Saturday’ Arts & Culture Open House on October 18 at Governors Island

Mookntaka on Governors Island at House Fest 2023. Photo by Luck Van Cott

Governors Island Arts announced this year’s final “THIRD Saturday” arts and culture open house on Saturday, October 18, 2025. Every third Saturday from May through October the Island’s Organizations in Residence host a day of special indoor and outdoor activities and performances to showcase the work of their artists and the impact of the arts community on Governors Island. All events are free and open to all.

“This season’s final THIRD Saturday offers visitors a chance to tour the Island’s open arts and cultural houses and fully experience the arts community on Governors Island,” said Lauren Haynes, Head Curator of Governors Island Arts and Vice President at the Trust for Governors Island. “ Governors Island is a rich cultural hub that visitors can enjoy year-round, with a wide range of free arts programming and activities being available for visitors throughout the year. We look forward to celebrating the last THIRD Saturday of the year as we prepare to welcome a new wave of organizations into the historic spaces in the spring.”

The final THIRD Saturday of the 2025 season will feature special inflatable sculptures by Mookntaka with projection mapping by Jarid Blue; a new iteration of Junkanooacome by Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow co-presented with KODA; and a visual and sonic performance multidisciplinary duo Sestra Kuya, curated by Nicole Cooper and co-presented with Climate Imaginarium. The day will culminate with Sally Beaut y Twin’s Illuminated Species Parade, an island-wide celebratory procession co-presented with DuYe Moves and featuring costumes inspired by Governors Island’s landscapes and biodiversity. THIRD Saturday events will take place on the Colonels Row lawn.

October’s THIRD Saturday schedule:

• 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Exhibitions, artist residences, and other public programs from the Organizations in Residence in the historic houses of Nolan Park and Colonels Row
• 2:30 p.m.: Performance by Sestra Kuya, curated by Nicole Cooper (Co-presented with Climate Imaginarium)
• 3:30 p.m.: J unkanooacom by J odie Lyn-Kee-Chow (Co-presented with KODA)
• 4:00 p.m.: Mookntaka with J arid Blue
• 6:30 p.m.: Illuminated Species Parade by Sally Beauty Twin

Each year, two dozen arts and cultural nonprofits utilize space inside the historic houses of Nolan Park and Colonels Row to present a robust calendar of free public programs, host artist residencies, and engage visitors in special activities for all ages. Organizations in Residence are open weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 2, 2025. This year’s Organizations in Residence are:

American Indian Community House – Manhattan

AnkhLave Arts Alliance – Manhattan

ArtCrawl Harlem – Manhattan

BronxArtSpace – The Bronx

Bronx Council on the Arts – The Bronx

Billion Oyster Project – Manhattan

I am caribBEING – Brooklyn

Climate Imaginarium – Manhattan

Dancers Unlimited – Brooklyn*

DuYe Moves – Brooklyn

Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons – Manhattan

Filmshop – Manhattan

Forest for Trees Collective – Brooklyn*

Harvestworks – Manhattan

KODA – Brooklyn

New York Latin American Art Triennial – Manhattan

Residency Unlimited (RU) – Brooklyn

The SuperGeographics – Brooklyn*

Swale – Brooklyn

Taiwanese American Arts Council – Queens

West Harlem Art Fund – Manhattan

*First time program participants.

Applications are currently open to join the 2026 Organizations in Residence cohort, due by November 3, 2025. Find more information at www.govisland.org/permits.

This month also marks the final chance to view Rest/Play, an Island -wide group sculpture show on view through November 2, 2025, featuring works by Lenka Clayton & Phillip Andrew Lewis; Arlene Shechet; and Hank Willis Thomas. This public art exhibition, curated by Lauren Haynes, Head Curator of Governors Island Arts and Vice President at the Trust, transforms the Island with artist – designed seating and bold, interactive artworks evoking the titular themes.

Governors Island Arts presents its program with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Charina Endowment Fund, Stardust Fund, Surgo Foundation US, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Offic e of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Carrie Denning Jackson and Dan Jackson, the Ripple Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, and the Cowles Charitable Trust.

Governors Island is open daily year -round and is accessible by ferry from Manhattan and Brooklyn. For ferry schedules, operating hours, and other visitor information, visit www.govisland.org/plan-your-visit.

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 f or the inspiration and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org.

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/giarts.