DAY 316

ART FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Taking Art to the Streets

ART PARADE, DEITCH PROJECTS

Don’t be surprised if you find a ukulele orchestra, street performers, homemade costumes, floats, balloons, portable sculptures, and people dressed as giant cockroaches and ice cream cones cavorting down the streets of New York City every September—it’s just the Art Parade. Organized by Deitch Projects, longtime gallerist Jeffrey Deitch’s alternative art space devoted to promoting contemporary art, the Art Parade has been invading the streets of Manhattan since 2005 with its eclectic combination of art, performance, and equal parts kitsch and comedy. As stated by Susanne Geiss, Deitch Projects gallery director, the idea for the Parade “grew out of the gallery’s programs, as an extension of our performance and installation projects.”

Unofficially marking the beginning of the art and gallery season in New York City each year, the Parade remains fresh and relevant by opening the call for proposals to all levels of artistry and experience, from established and emerging art practitioners to art school musicians—projects by Kenny Scharf and Yoko Ono keep in time with music and art by the Scissor Sisters and the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. Over the course of an hour and a half, you will be dazzled both visually and aurally by the sights and sounds of living artworks parading through the streets of New York to their own funky beats! —SBR