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FIGMENT is celebrating its 10th year!



In honor of this major milestone FIGMENT Founder and Executive Producer David Koren wrote a book on FIGMENT: FIGMENT. What is this? Why is nothing for sale? Why is everyone smiling?

Packed with awesome photos from FIGMENT events from cities around the world, the book is a case for creativity, collaboration, learning, and gratitude. It is an invitation to imagine a place where everyone is invited to create,  share and grow. 

Join us for the FIGMENT Book Launch on June 2, at Abby Ehmann's new bar in the East Village, LUCKY. There are only 100 tickets available for this special event, where David will be signing the first 100 print copies of the book. Tickets include a signed copy of the book, snacks, and beverages.  

All the proceeds of the book go straight to our FIGMENT events and programs. We will also be toasting to NYC'S 10th annual event which begins the very next day. 

Your name is probably in this book! (And if it isn't, it should be!)

Buy your Tickets Here! 

*Please note that $40 of the $100 event cost will be tax dedutible

Check out these beautiful photos taken by Greg McMahon at our Fundraiser May 3rd. 

George, one of our producers, gives a talk to the partygoers.

FIGMENT is really humming this year. We have events in more cities than ever (11 in 3 countries!), our ALPHA event was bigger and better than ever, the infrastructure and support systems we put in place for all our events are working well, and a new FIGMENT book is about to be released!  

However, at the same time, we just got hit with our annual insurance bill... $32,000. This is 20% more than last year, 3x what we paid in 2014, 4x 2013, and 6x what we paid in 2012 and before. FIGMENT is growing, but by 5-10% a year. We're built to keep scaling, but not if our insurance and other costs go up so much faster than we're growing. 

We need your help to get through this. This is an urgent appeal. This enormous insurance bill (the most we've ever paid for anything in our history) has the potential to make it very difficult for us to continue. Can you make a donation today to help us get past this? Any amount helps.  

Thank you for your help in getting us past this hurdle and on to a beautiful summer of free public participatory art for everyone!

Please note that all donations are 100% tax deductible. 

We're excited to announce that the treehouse will return this summer as part of FIGMENT NYC's 10th Anniversary celebration! 

Benjamin Jones, original artist of the famous FIGMENT NYC Treehouse, retired his original design at the end of the 2015 season, and now a group of architecture students have envisioned an entirely new design that will debut this summer at the 2016 FIGMENT NYC event.

Join Us!

We are excited to announce that we are now accepting art project submissions for the FIGMENT NYC 2015 Weekend!

A distinguished jury has selected the winning design in the sixth annual City of Dreams Pavilion Competition:

Hanger Barn by Folio (Youngsu Lee and Bosuk Hur). 

Hanger Barn Rendering by Folio

Pending approvals and fundraising, this temporary art structure will be assembled on Governors Island and open to the public for the summer 2016 season. 

The annual competition is hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). The City of Dreams Pavilion, so named for its focus on the future of a world that faces strains on both economic and natural resources, aims to promote sustainability-oriented thinking amidst the architecture and design communities. The competition requires designers to consider the environmental impact of their designs in everything from materials sourcing to disposal (or ideally reuse) of waste at the end of the season.

Folio promises to construct the 2016 pavilion, Hanger Barn, out of used wire coat hangers sourced from dry cleaning facilities and other places of reuse around the city. Jury member Benjamin Jones, designer of the FIGMENT Treehouse that has appeared on Governors Island for the last five summers, says he’s excited because, “It takes something entirely non-structural and makes a structure out of it.”

Folio’s proposal for the Hanger Barn turns recycled clothes hangers into a pavilion using modular design techniques. It also creates the illusion of motion due to the placement of the hangers in fractal patterns, which create shadow effects on the ground below that change with the movement of the sun. The modular design is composed of the hanger’s original triangle shape, rotated and paired with mirrored segments that connect with zip ties. The intention is for the materials to be reused after disassembly at various sites around New York City. 

Folio will work with FIGMENT, ENYA, SEAoNY, and Governors Island to select the exact site for Hanger Barn, refine the design, obtain necessary approvals, and fabricate and install the pavilion on the island.

FIGMENT is accepting tax-deductible donations to support the fabrication, installation, and maintenance of the pavilion on Governors Island for the 2016 summer season. Donations can be made by following the link here: http://www.figmentproject.org/donate. The project will likely also be launching its own funding campaign.

Check out our webpage for more information on the City of Dreams Pavilion!

Calling all artists! Submissions are now open for two 2016 summer-long programs: Minigolf and Sculpture! 

FIGMENT NYC hosts a number of summer-long programs on NYC's Governors Island. From June through September you will find these wildly creative, original exhibitions on the island. They are all FREE for the public to enjoy and interact with while the island is open. We are currently accepting submissions from artists who want to participate in these exciting programs in 2016.

The City of Dreams Pavilion summer-long program is now accepting submissions for the 2016 competition!

The Pavilion is a gathering place, a site for people to learn about the arts programs on the island, enjoy performances and lectures in the shade, and interact with the historic context of Governors Island.

FIGMENT teams with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects NY Chapter (AIANY) and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) to host this annual competition. The challenge: design and construct a temporary pavilion on Governors Island that meets the criteria outlined here.

We ask entrants to consider how to construct a temporary structure efficiently and sustainably—to create a pavilion that has net zero impact and serves as a prototype for a new, truly sustainable approach to design and construction. Entries are encouraged from individuals or teams of architects or non-architects of any age or experience level, provided they are prepared to carry out the project. 

These eye-catching structures are always highlights of the FIGMENT NYC season, and the 2016 contest winner will be our 6th Pavilion!

Do these beauties look familiar?

(c) 2015 Anthony Collins Billion Oyster Pavilion by BanG Studio(c) 2015 Melanie Rieders/Gothamist Organic Growth by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects

They're the 2015 winners, currently installed on Governors Island through the summer.

More information about the program and submission guidelines can be found here.

Don't Let the fun stop when that last ferry docks! Come to the historical Hideout Bar inside Fraunces Tavern TONIGHT for the official FIGMENT NYC afterparty. Help us celebrate a successful 9th annual FIGMENT, meet your fellow participants and artists, and let loose!

Happy Hour drink prices from 5-9pm. Enter on Broad st and Water st, just one block from the Governors Island ferry! Everyone is welcome.

WHAT: Official FIGMENT NYC afterparty

WHEN: TONIGHT! June 7th, at 5pm (happy hour prices from 5-9!)

WHERE: Fraunces Tavern's Hideout Bar, 54 Pearl st, Manhattan

http://www.frauncestavern.com/

See you there!

This Saturday and Sunday, June 6th and 7th, join us on Governor's Island for our 9th annual FIGMENT NYC Weekend Festival! It marks the opening of the 2015 summer season, which includes some nifty season-long programs. This weekend's event runs 10am-6pm both days, and as always is FREE. Here is information about how to get there, including a ferry schedule. 

Also, BIG NEWS! For the first time ever the FIGMENT app is live for Android! The 2015 information is up to date in the iPhone app as well. Download these free apps and have an instant pocket reference for your visit. 

And, if you love FIGMENT and want to support us, it's not too late to volunteer! We need help Friday-Monday this week and can always use a few more hands with everything from building and painting to greeting people as they arrive from the ferry. Fill out this form and one of our hardworking volunteer coordinators will be in touch to schedule you for a shift. 

(c) 2014 Tim Schreier

See you out there!