FIGMENT IS: Some ways to think about FIGMENT

In 1 word FIGMENT is:

Free; Participatory; Inclusive; Creative; Community-building; Public; Imaginative; Welcoming; Catalyzing; Uplifting; Energetic; Active; Collaborative; Interactive; Fun; Unexpected; Organic; Experimental

In 5 words FIGMENT is:

A Participatory Arts Event for Everyone

An Annual Celebration of Creative Culture

A Meeting Point for Artists and Participants

An Explosion of Imagination and Creativity

A 15,000 – 20,000 Person Collaborative Art Project

A Community-Based Social Framework

A Laboratory for Governors Island’s Future

An Experiment in Grassroots Community

In 1 sentence FIGMENT is:

FIGMENT is a free participatory arts event in Cambridge June 5 and on NYC’s Governors Island June 11-13 , with season-long exhibitions on NYC’s Governors Island June through October.

FIGMENT provides an open forum for every type of artist, helps build a creative community, and fosters participatory and public art of every sort.

FIGMENT demonstrates what the arts can be: participatory, bursting with creativity and completely free, born from the desire to share imagination and invention between artists and the public.

FIGMENT invites urban residents to enjoy beautiful urban green spaces.  NYC’s Governors Island is a beautiful natural setting and fantastic repository of the city’s history, yet it is practically unknown by those who live and work just minutes away.

In 1 paragraph FIGMENT is:

FIGMENT is an annual free weekend-long participatory arts festival on NYC’s Governors Island and one-day event in Boston with season-long exhibitions in NYC, whose mission is to provide a forum for the creation and display of participatory and interactive art from emerging artists in a variety of disciplines ranging from sculpture to visual art to music, performance, and multidisciplinary work. FIGMENT began in 2007 as a one-day event with 60 projects and 2,600 participants, and grew the following year into a three-day event with over 250 projects and 10,000 participants. By 2009, we had over 400 art projects and over 13,000 people.  For FIGMENT 2010 we expect to expand further in an exciting and freewheeling exchange of art, ideas and experiences.

FIGMENT is about participation. Precisely because it requires interaction between the art, the artist, and the viewer, participatory art can be a vehicle for personal and social transformation. The passive viewer is made active, contributing to the creation, understanding and very definition of the art. These activities bring together artists and community members in ways that build relationships and encourage individual creativity. We believe visitors of all ages and backgrounds have something to offer, and invite them to participate in installation art, costuming, interactive performance, games, activities, workshops, and anything else the mind can envision .

FIGMENT suggests possibilities for the future of Governors Island, and public art in New York. Governors Island is an environment rich in history, redefining itself to be a place for the benefit of all New Yorkers. What better way to explore what the island can become than through art? The most powerful art invites a dialogue between artist and audience; in this same spirit we hope New Yorkers will explore their relationship with the natural and historical treasures around them, beginning with Governors Island, the birthplace of the city.

FIGMENT is an antidote for uncertain times. Precisely because the commercial market for art is facing grave challenges in an uncertain econony, an event like FIGMENT is more important than ever, because it is built on community and not on commercialism. Participatory art expands the definition of “art” – art isn’t about creating an object that can be bought and sold, or creating a “show” that you pay to attend – it’s about creating a shared experience, free from the constraints and pressures of the marketplace. Lack of money should not be a barrier to creativity.