NYC Announces Three New Public Artists in Residence

"The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) has selected three artists to be embedded across public agencies over the next year as part of a 10-year-old municipal residency program. As part of the Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program, the three artists - Ifeoma Ebo, Stephen Kwok, and Mauricio Higuera - will be placed in the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit, New York City Department of Small Business Services, and the Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Operations, respectively."

"The city launched the public residency in 2015, drawing inspiration from the work of Mierle Laderman Ukeles, who served as the City's first official artist-in-residence with the NYC Department of Sanitation in 1977. As part of her unpaid tenure, Ukeles shook the hands of thousands of New York City sanitation workers in her "Touch Sanitation" (1979-80). Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani lauded public arts residencies in city agencies on the campaign trail while speaking about accessibility to the arts."

The Department of Cultural Affairs selected three artists for the Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program and will embed them in city agencies for 12 months. Ifeoma Ebo, Stephen Kwok, and Mauricio Higuera will work with the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit, Department of Small Business Services, and Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Operations, respectively. Each artist receives a $40,000 stipend and a desk at their partner agency to develop a public artwork in collaboration with agency staff. The first four months involve shadowing employees, attending meetings, and visiting sites to build trust, after which residents propose a collaborative project. The residency began in 2015 and draws inspiration from Mierle Laderman Ukeles' 1977 sanitation residency.

Read at Hyperallergic