Observer: “The Shed is the museum of the future,” the new cultural hub’s board vice chairman, Jonathan Tisch, proudly told the assembly at a press preview this Wednesday. The description provides a far more concise vision for the center than last year’s commissioned 50-page manifesto by curator and scholar Dorothea von Hantelmann and proved a rallying call for the day’s events.
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The Shed is a ridiculous project. Having read this article and the other about its exclusive location in one of the more isolated parts of the city, it feels like even more of a failure than I had already thought. The concept of a massive new arts space is lovely. The idea of having a space dedicated to boosting diversity in arts creation, support, and exposure is a worthy cause, but it couldn’t have been done in a dumber way. As per usual, the top of the project are white billionaires, which is no surprise and is not always the worst thing if those with privilege are truly offering their platform, their standing, and their resources to those voices without. However, given the speeches mentioned in this article that does not seem the case. The location is really the dumbest one. Hudson Yards is awful to get to. The extension of the 7 line helps, and it helps that the 7 train is also one that does extend beyond the wealthy neighborhoods of Manhattan, but the 7 is hard to get to if you don’t live near it and runs infrequently. There is also nothing else in the near vicinity of Hudson Yards that could be called affordable besides the Megabus, which picks up passengers nearby. I’m honestly just disappointed in this project (and especially its stupid endless staircase counterpart) that I thought should have just been turned into desperately needed affordable housing in the first place. Want to diversify the cultural web of New York City? Actually allow other cultures into the heart of it by letting them lives their lives and spread their voices within it.
Initial reactions to an arts center which claimed to have the mission like the Shed does is hard to contest but some very good points are brought up. I think this article is written with a view which reflects a frustration in finding that claims of diversity and inclusion are turning up ill addressed and unsupported. I can also see the reasoning for responding negatively to such large claims that are being made about a space that doesn’t really seem revolutionary instead it is keeping up with the times. Thinking about the mechanisms in place for the building itself it certainly doesn’t seem revolutionary in any sense of the word. The roof that has the ability to open is certainly cool but isn’t really new or innovative in any way that it claims to be. With this being said I certainly don’t want to harp to negatively on a creation of a new space for art but I think as the author said as a center for the community that the community itself will need to take an active role in determine how the space will be used.
I always find it a bit jarring to read about the new developments in New York. Although I was raised there, I still feel some distance with the actual happenings of New York. It is constantly changing, and there is so much I can always find something there that I either missed, or wasn’t there before. The “Shed”, this new arts building, shows some promise, but it will take a lot of strength and bravery of the less privileged for this place’s mission to succeed. It's hard for an arts community of diverse background to thrive in this bougie neighborhood. Surrounding areas make me feel as though this easily will become a place for fancy clientele. Although a move in the right direction, simple things such as vendors can become such an influence is something I have realised over the years, and something which this article very well brings up. How do they expect many less privileged people to create and present here, when food, a necessary part of our human existence, is so overpriced? Otherwise, I am excited to see such a beautiful, changeable structure being built, like no other. I am hopeful for the continuous challenges that the group will have to face in order to truly make this place the place it is.
Dang. This article is pretty critical of such a young organization. It brings up some good points that the Shed should try to address or look into like the fact that it is being run by a less than diverse group of people who are talking about how diverse they are… These types of things need to be looked into. I feel like this article might be overly negative though. I mean it seems like this group of people have the right intentions and are working towards something that is overall going to be beneficial and an improvement of what already exists. Even if they are not doing it in the absolute best way right now, that does not mean they will stay on that same path. Give them some time to figure out how they are going to do what they have set out to accomplish and give them the benefit of the doubt. At least for a little while before tearing them apart.
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