Art May Be Coming to New York City Sidewalk Sheds

New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs has instituted a program called City Canvas to do something about all those construction fences and sidewalk sheds. Sarah Cascone writes, "There are over 300 miles of construction fences and sidewalk sheds across the city, but New York City construction codes currently prohibit anyone from posting on them. City Canvas would allow cultural organizations to install public art on these sites."

The city has stipulated that proposals be tailored to potential sites, which are by their nature temporary (though they sometimes feel permanent). "The program isn't limited to street artists, but proposals must be site-specific and preferably feature artists or artworks with some sort of connection to the neighborhood in which the work would be seen."

The city isn't offering funding to arts organizations for this work. They'll be responsible for producing and affixing the artwork to selected sites themselves.