Art Knows No Limits

When told to think of the word ‘art’ our minds immediately conjure up iconic images of Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” or Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans.” Not once do we think of the ordinary and unattractive. Instead, we overlook them, questioning their very existence in the world of art. Yet, this October comes an art festival, Art In Odd Places, manifesting simplistic objects found in our every day lives as extraordinary, stating that art knows no limits.

With the help of 60 artists, New York City’s 14th Street is being transformed into an outside museum as disregarded objects, signs, installations, and live acts flood block after block, giving life to the age old adage: “art is all around us.”

According to the Director of Art In Odd Places, Ed Woodham, the month long festival is intended to not only give passerby’s the chance to interact with artwork in the public domain, but also to relate to the art history of 14th Street.

“In 14th Street, we had a site uniquely calibrated to encourage art that manifests the signs of our times while also being a signpost toward future possibilities,” said Woodham.

Though each of the projects is meaningful and exquisite in nature, Polish artist, Olek’s, sign performers are one of the highlights of this festival. Perched outside public transportation stations and dressed in vibrant crocheted camouflage, stand ordinary people carrying signs from various countries, instilling a silent message of artistic dialogue.

However, the journey into art does not stop there with each day being filled with 10 to 15 acts, such as artist San Randolph’s money hunt, where $1 and $5 bills are hidden for passerby’s delight, or artist Tim Thyzel’s portable water fountains made out of umbrellas and water bottles.

Last year, the overly popularized project was of LuLu LoLo, the 14th Street Newsboy, who would shout out headlines from her newspaper “14th Street Tribune,” solidifying the importance of New York’s history.



According to guest curators, Erin Donnelly and Radhika Subramaniam, the goal is to take commonplace domestic and industrial objects like cardboard boxes, and give them the chance to be something else in a creative sphere.

“We invited artists to explore the freedoms of the public realm and find imaginative apertures in it,” they said.

Therefore, watch your step the next time you tread the streets of New York City, since you never know when you might stumble upon a piece of art.

The festival runs from October 1-26. For more information go to: Art In Odd Places or visit a map of the scheduled events.

Top Image courtesy of Art In Odd Places and Olek