EAST VILLAGE — What’s replacing the rats on East First Street?
That’s the question residents will ask while joining with participants of the BMW/Guggenheim temporary arts/cultural space to discuss the future of the recently renovated space near Second Avenue.
Members of the local group First Street Green — which had been lobbying to create an arts space on the formerly derelict lot, before the Guggenheim stepped in with its 10-week project — were set to gather at the location Saturday to brainstorm ideas for the Parks Department-owned plot after the pop-up structure vacates next month.
“It’s somewhat wide open,” said Ann Shostrom, an artist who’s lived in the co-op building next to the lot since 1986. “A cultural space seems to make sense for the block association.”
The Guggenheim took care of First Street Green’s initial hurdle to the plan by paving over the rubble-strewn lot, which had become a haven for rats due to the porous pavement.
Now, with sturdy footing and essentially a blank canvas to work with, neighbors want to pursue their goal of establishing a sculpture park in the space.
They have already cleared a plan to bring at least one sculpture to the lot when the Guggenheim project departs, and Shostrom said the space could also possibly host movie screenings, poetry readings and musical performances.
“We’re pretty excited about the prospects,” she said.
The Parks Department will need to sign off on any future plans, but art galleries and independent curators have already begun approaching the group with projects in mind, Shostrom noted.
The space may also have enough features left behind by the pop-up project to install another temporary structure at the site, she said.
“We’re thinking about having a competition every year for a temporary structure,” Shostrom said, adding that a pop-up project would be as easy for the Parks Department to approve as public art, as long as it stays for less than a year.
The empty lot also connects to a long-dormant section of First Park along East Houston Street that was overhauled to accommodate the Guggenheim project, widening the scope of what’s possible for the larger space.
Attendees expected at Saturday’s event include representatives from the Parks Department’s Department of Arts and Antiquities, the Hester Street Collaborative, the Penn State School of Visual Arts, local firm Todo Design, Partnership for Parks and the First Street Block Association.
The event starts with a meet-and-greet at 10 a.m. on Sat., Sept. 10, at 33 E. First St.
