NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jun 27, 2014) -
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Sustainable engagement for culture and environment
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Free public arts festival with prominent contributors to recognise the ongoing recovery assist in the reconstruction of the Rockaway peninsula after Hurricane Sandy
Volkswagen Group of America continues its close partnership with the New York based Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and MoMA PS1. Ever since the catastrophe of Hurricane Sandy in New York, Volkswagen Group of America has been very active in supporting relief efforts, now including the Rockaway!, an arts festival to take place on the Rockaway peninsula at Fort Tilden from June 29 through September 1, 2014.
Invited by the Rockaway Artists Alliance (RAA), an association of artists based in and around the Rockaways, and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, MoMA PS1 has assisted and supported the conception of this festival. Hosted by the National Park Service (NPS), which owns and manages Fort Tilden, Rockaway! showcases the natural and historical beauty of Fort Tilden, in which RAA has had a public gallery for the past 19 years.
Rockaway! was conceived by MoMA PS1's Director, Klaus Biesenbach, in close collaboration with the artist Patti Smith to celebrate the re-opening of Fort Tilden and recognize the ongoing recovery of the Rockaway peninsula. The festival will feature solo projects by Patti Smith, Adrián Villar Rojas, and Janet Cardiff as well as an international group show at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club, organized in collaboration with the Honolulu Biennial.
Klaus Biesenbach, Director of MoMA PS1 and Chief Curator at Large at MoMA, comments: "Together with Volkswagen, MoMA PS1 was able to establish the VW Dome 2 in Rockaway Beach, immediately following Hurricane Sandy. Rockaway! is an ongoing effort to continue museum and cultural support in the area. I feel strongly that Volkswagen Group of America is our greatest partner to achieve this important work."
David Geanacopoulos, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and General Counsel for Volkswagen Group of America, adds: "Our project support underlines our ongoing commitment towards social responsibility and sustainability. The partnership helped us to directly support those suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. As a next step, we strengthen the efforts of the organizers in raising awareness for artists and their inspirational works that address ecological challenges."
VW Dome 2
Within the framework of its multi-year cultural partnership with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and MoMA PS1, Volkswagen Group of America endowed the so-called VW Dome 2, a local support and cultural center in the shape of a geodesic dome, immediately after the 2012 super storm. The VW Dome 2 served as a temporary culture and relief center for cultural exchange, further education and the presentation of concepts for a future sustainability of cities and coastal areas. It was also part of the comprehensive art show EXPO 1: New York, an international exhibition series focusing on the ecological and economic challenges of our time. Under the curatorial leadership of Klaus Biesenbach together with Hans Ulrich Obrist (Co-Director Serpentine Gallery, London) this exhibition project has been one of the focal points in the partnership between Volkswagen and the two museums.