photo courtesy of Lauren Van Haaften-Schick

Lower Manhattan is full of construction projects, and as development slows due to the economic crisis  temporary eyesores have become permanent fixtures. This is the reason why the The Alliance for Downtown New York came up with The Re:Construction Initiative, a project which recasts construction sites as canvases for public art. They’ve commissioned several projects over the next few years to beautify lower Manhattan, including four new art installations at construction sites which they hope will “bring color, movement and scenic beauty to downtown streetscapes.” Brought in to curate this exciting new project is BravinLee Programs, the brainchild of partners Karin Bravin and John Lee, who run their namesake gallery in Chelsea full time. We spoke with Bravin about this new project, and why she wants to make downtown a little bit prettier to walk through. Read More »