If you have a question about submitting your project to FIGMENT or what is possible on Governors Island, please review the following FAQs. If, after reviewing this information, you still have a question, please email curatorial@figmentnyc.org.

When can I install my project? What are the installation and setup hours?

Arrangements must be made with the FIGMENT team for all deliveries, installations, and de-installations to or from Governors Island. Once you have submitted your project, you can speak about logistical needs in more detail with one of our curators or email logistics@figmentnyc.org.

Who can submit a project to FIGMENT?

Anyone can submit a project to FIGMENT! Adults, children, professional artists or those looking to create their first piece! Anyone who can bring their project to FIGMENT by their own means and deinstall it when the event is over is welcome to submit.

What can content be?

In the past, FIGMENT has hosted a wide variety of artistic endeavors… Street theater, costuming, sculpture, inflatable art, dance, performance art, installations, social experiments, mobile art, workshops, games, community building projects, arts & crafts, sound art, bands & DJ’s, lectures & seminars on themes of participatory art & culture, and anything else you can imagine! Please do remember that FIGMENT is an event for everyone when deciding on subject matter for your project.

Installations, performances, activities, or other projects that can be set up outdoors are welcome. We will have stages available for performances. Indoor space may be available for certain projects, though we strongly encourage you to take advantage of the beautiful outdoor environment on Governors Island. You can set up your own area or host a scheduled event or performance. If you have an idea for FIGMENT and have questions about whether it’s plausible, don’t hesitate to get in touch. No matter what you do, the one requirement is that it somehow engages audience participation. Just bring it to FIGMENT and try it out!

What are the deadlines?

Key projects will be given placement on the island on a rolling basis. If you have a large project or a project that requires specific placement or infrastructure, please submit it as soon as possible so that we can accommodate it. The final deadline for project submission is May 1, 2010.

What about funding?

FIGMENT is a community-based event organized and run by volunteers. Its success is dependent on community participation. FIGMENT does NOT provide funding for the production, transportation, or insurance of works to, at, or from the island. FIGMENT encourages artists to apply for outside grants and fundraise for your project within your personal capacity. Please note that no corporate sponsorship (including logos and credit lines) is permitted at the event. In addition, nothing may be sold at the event other than food and beverages from licensed vendors contracted through Governors Island.

When can I install my project? What are the installation and setup hours?

Artists are encouraged to set up and break down their exhibits before and after FIGMENT, instead of during the event itself. The island will be open for project installation during the week leading up to FIGMENT, from Monday, June 8 through Thursday, June 10 from 9 am to 4pm. Those are the hours during which the Governors Island staff is on the island and unfortunately they are not flexible. You must receive confirmation from a FIGMENT curator for your date and time of installation, as the ferries during the week are not open to the public and your name must be on a ferry list. Please bring ID to the ferry as it will be checked and you will be turned away otherwise. If you need to set up during the event, there will be early AM non public ferries available that also require approval from a curator.

Arrangements must be made with the FIGMENT team for all deliveries, installations, and de-installations to or from Governors Island. Once you have submitted your project, you can speak about logistical needs in more detail with one of our curators.

For projects that are part of the season-long sculpture exhibit, the mini-golf course, or architectural pavilion, you should speak directly with one of our curators for more details.

When can I deinstall my project?

You can take it with you on Sunday when you leave FIGMENT, or schedule a deinstallation ferry time from Monday, June 14 through Thursday, June 17. Please email logistics@figmentnyc.org.

Can I DJ at FIGMENT?

While FIGMENT will be creating several central stages for the event, the vast majority of the sound systems at FIGMENT are brought by collectives, groups that take over an area at FIGMENT to bring a variety of art and activities to the event. If you would like to DJ at FIGMENT, we would recommend getting together with friends to propose a project as a collective, and making your DJ stage part of the proposal. Previous FIGMENT events have had collectives including Disorient, Fairytale Collective, and Wax, all of which included DJs as part of their themed area.

Can I distribute fliers for my band/art project?

Please do not distribute fliers or printed materials at FIGMENT. We are trying to provide as waste-free an event as possible.

Can I sell my CD?

We kindly ask that you do not sell anything – including CDs – at FIGMENT.   FIGMENT is an entirely free and non-commercial event in which everyone volunteers their time and effort to participate… the organizers, the artists, the participants. which interactions between people are not mediated by commercial transactions of any kind. Everything at FIGMENT is free, and there is no advertising, nothing for sale, and no one insisting that you have to give a donation to participate. We understand that many of you make your livelihoods by selling your art and we support you – FIGMENT is just not the time or place.

Can I collect email addresses for my mailing list?

Yes, you may collect addresses, but we ask that you manage the list and make it clear to participants that they are signing up for your list and not the FIGMENT list. Please do not leave unattended clipboards around the island; keep the list with you so that you can get participants excited about your project.

Is there electrical power available?

Power is available only for FIGMENT artists who submit a project via our website by May 1 and also coordinate with a curatorial contact.  If you are not able to work with us to meet our deadlines,  please plan to operate without power during FIGMENT. These restrictions exist so that we do not blow out the power system on the island, depriving everyone of electricity.

Should I bring an extension cord?

If you have been in touch with FIGMENT and are approved for power, yes, please bring at least a 100′ extension cord. The longer the cord, the better.

Can I bring my car?

The short answer is no. FIGMENT ferries have limited space and the Island has asked us to minimize car traffic. However, if you absolutely need your car to transport materials for your project AND have corresponded with a FIGMENT curator about bringing your vehicle on a specific ferry to install, then it is permitted. Please note: if you arrive at the terminal with your vehicle and have not received FIGMENT approval for ferry transport, you will be turned away by the ferry staff. Additionally, any time you bring a vehicle on the island, we will need to provide the ferry staff with the list of all driver and passenger names and the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle.

There are some supplies that I need. Can I get them from FIGMENT?

FIGMENT promotes radical self reliance, so please make every effort to bring all the supplies that you need for your project. As an all volunteer event, we give our time and passion to the event, but it’s a bit more challenging to buy things. FIGMENT can help direct you to free, donated and low cost resources from which to source materials. Please get in touch with us for more information.

What if I did not submit a project to FIGMENT but I still want to bring it? 

We encourage you to bring projects that you can carry while walking on to a public ferry. Projects will not be on our  map or schedule, but FIGMENT is about serendipity and discovery so that’s quite all right. Unregistered projects will not have access to power, cannot be stored overnight and cannot be installed in a building or on any structure on the island. Please take your portable project with you when you leave the island and leave no trace.

When is FIGMENT?

FIGMENT is Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13 from 10am until 5pm on Friday and 10am through 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. The event ends an hour before the last ferries depart from the island.

How do I get there?

Public Ferries depart from the Battery Maritime Building in Manhattan and from Brooklyn. Please check the schedules on the Governors Island website as they change daily.

When are the ferries?

Please check the schedules on the Governors Island website as they change daily.

Can I put stakes down or make holes in the ground?

If you must put stakes in the ground, they can only be 6 inches deep. Due to the island’s history as a military base, there may be crazy things underground. Please check with your curator before staking.

Can I hang things from trees?

As long as they are light and will not damage the trees, you may hang items. Think cloth and paper. Please check with your curator before hanging.

Is there access to water?

While Governors Island is surrounded by water, it’s an active harbor and not a beach. There is no potable (drinkable) water on the island and no waterfront access. If you need a small amount of water (a bucketful) for your project, there is a hose. Please do not place projects in the water.

Can I have tables and chairs?

We have a small number on the island that we have allocated based on requests for artists who submit projects via our website. We are not able to accommodate everyone’s requests due to sheer numbers, so chairs and tables should be considered an extra. If you have portable tables and chairs that you can carry on to the ferry and really need them for your project, we recommend bringing them if possible. 

How do I reserve time on a non-public Ferry to get out before installation?

We needed this information in advance to book you on a private staff ferry. Please work with your curator and our logistics team. We are working diligently to ensure all projects are installed in time. Please remember to bring your ID to board a private ferry.