In Spring 2020, New York City suddenly resembled a war zone, rather than the cultural and economic capital is it known to be. With recent civic uprisings triggered not only by the murder of George Floyd and countless other Black and Brown people, but also by a pandemic that disproportionately impacts communities of color, these boarded up storefronts have sent a message of fear and withdrawal to a shell-shocked city.
Now is the time for art to step into the breach and re-imagine these surfaces as transformational canvases to model a creative response to crisis, instigate dialogue, and initiate the healing of our city.
But plywood is just the beginning. Plywood, while a modest material, is a rich symbol of protection from impending disaster - evoking everything from NYC’s crisis years of the 1970s to Hurricane Katrina to shantytowns worldwide, and also represents resilience and strength.
As our city begins to reopen and cautiously emerges from one of the greatest traumas in its history, art - on plywood and other surfaces, on private storefronts and in public spaces - can be a vehicle towards our recovery.
This project can have lasting transformational impact well after the plywood comes down. While plywood is the metaphoric tinder, artworks can grow on surfaces of all kinds. And the artworks created for The Plywood Project can be made into prints, posters, publications, performances, and exhibitions that commemorate this historic moment, and contribute to the movement it represents.