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The Garment District Alliance is enhancing the concrete jungle with a vibrant Celtic braid mural created by district-based artist Steed Taylor and an array of free summer programming, including live musical performances and a Broadway Squeeze lemonade stand.
Bit, Bridle and Reins – which consists of a dynamic, extreme, yellow-colored Celtic braid across a brilliant, tanzanite blue background – is displayed across 63 concrete blocks and guides pedestrians through a vivid path along the 7th Avenue pedestrian corridor. The artwork is part of the Garment District Alliance’s summer programming, which features Broadway Rhythm, a series of live musical performances presented in partnership with Music Under New York (MTA Music). The summer concert series will be held on Wednesdays from 12 – 2pm on the Garment District pedestrian plazas between 39th and 40th Streets through August 31st.
New Yorkers and visitors can also enjoy complimentary, fresh lemonade by Renegade Lemonade at the Broadway Squeeze stand located between 39th and 40th Streets on Thursdays during lunch time in the Garment District through August 25th.
“This compelling art installation in the epicenter of Midtown Manhattan creates a welcoming path along the 7th Avenue corridor for all who are visiting the neighborhood or commuting through the major transportation hubs nearby,” Barbara A. Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance, said. “We are thrilled to showcase Steed Taylor’s work once again in our neighborhood, complemented by wonderful musical performances and refreshing lemonade, and we hope all enjoy summer in the Garment District!”
Located along 7th “Fashion” Avenue from 35th to 41st Streets, Bit, Bridle and Reins will remain in place through April 2023. The linear mural is printed on vinyl and applied to both sides of the concrete barriers, enabling those walking along the sidewalk or driving through to enjoy the beautiful, braided work. Taylor created the new mural to transform the corridor into a quarter-mile art exhibition, with the design signifying the complications and restraints individuals face in their daily lives.
The installation is part of Garment District Art on the Plazas, a year-round public art program made possible through the NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program (DOT Art). The Garment District Alliance and DOT Art work closely to coordinate and install exhibits and individual pieces, which enhance public plazas and make them even more welcoming to New Yorkers and visitors.
For a full schedule of Broadway Rhythm performances, please visit https://garmentdistrict.nyc/news/broadway-rhythm.
About Steed Taylor
Born near Fayetteville, North Carolina, Taylor’s practice includes public artwork as well as gallery settings. His art has been displayed across the U.S., including the Bronx Museum, the Mint Museum, the San Bernardino County Museum, and the Neuberger Museum of Art’s 2001 Biennial Exhibition of Public Art.
Previous works by Taylor displayed in the Garment District have included Magic Hour, a 225-foot road mural presented in 2021, and Sew and Sew, a 400-foot road mural presented in 2017. Taylor’s solo shows include The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Ambrosino Gallery in Miami, and Il Ponte Contemporanea in Rome.
He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master of Business Administration from American University, and also attended the Skowhegan School for Painting and Sculpture.
About the Garment District
The Garment District is home to diverse business sectors from technology to hospitality and includes thousands of people working in the creative economy, including fine and performing artists, designers, architects, photographers and more than a hundred theaters, galleries, performance spaces and studios.
About the Garment District Alliance
The Garment District Alliance (www.garmentdistrictnyc.com) is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1993 to improve the quality of life and economic vitality of Manhattan’s Garment District. Through programs in the areas of streetscape improvements, sanitation and public safety, marketing and promotions, economic development, and community service, the Garment District Alliance supports the neighborhood’s transformation into a modern, 24/7 destination for dining, nightlife, hotels and unique office space.
For more information on the Garment District Alliance’s many art initiatives, please visit https://garmentdistrict.nyc/
About the NYCDOT Art Program
The New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program (DOT Art) partners with community-based, nonprofit organizations and professional artists to present temporary public art on NYC DOT property throughout the five boroughs for up to eleven months. Artists transform streets with colorful murals, dynamic projections and eye-catching sculptures. Sidewalks, fences, triangles, medians, bridges, jersey barriers, step streets, public plazas and pedestrianized spaces serve as canvases and foundations for temporary art. Over the past 12 years, DOT Art has produced over 300 temporary artworks citywide.
For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/dotart @nyc_DOT, @nyc_DOTArt
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