Whitney Museum of American Art Groundbreaking Ceremony & American Art Awards
One of New York City’s biggest nights is the Whitney Museum’s American Art Awards—a who’s who gala for the art world and the museum’s most important fundraising event of the year. When the institution announced they would be constructing an all new building downtown, designed by the famous Renzo Piano, the plans were put into place to align the new museum’s groundbreaking ceremony with the AAAs.
Tents were constructed directly on the soon-to-be construction site in the heart of The Meatpacking District. For the cocktail hour, the museum partnered with Google and the space was inspired by the playful Doodle for Google aesthetics. The gala dinner tent was themed around the concept of construction, using simple materials common to construction sites. Centerpieces, using plastic orange fencing, were sculpted into blooms for each table. The ceiling of the tent was filled with hundreds of suspended shovels all gravitating towards the stage, signifying the location of the groundbreaking.
The following day, the tents were transformed for a series of media events surrounding the new building’s groundbreaking, which included performance art by Elizabeth Streb and Mayor Bloomberg’s press-worthy first shovel dig.
Tents were constructed directly on the soon-to-be construction site in the heart of The Meatpacking District. For the cocktail hour, the museum partnered with Google and the space was inspired by the playful Doodle for Google aesthetics. The gala dinner tent was themed around the concept of construction, using simple materials common to construction sites. Centerpieces, using plastic orange fencing, were sculpted into blooms for each table. The ceiling of the tent was filled with hundreds of suspended shovels all gravitating towards the stage, signifying the location of the groundbreaking.
The following day, the tents were transformed for a series of media events surrounding the new building’s groundbreaking, which included performance art by Elizabeth Streb and Mayor Bloomberg’s press-worthy first shovel dig.
Role _ Creative & Design Lead
Partners _ MKG & Whitney Museum of American Art
Location _ New York City, New York
Photography _ Clint Spaulding & Patrick McMullan
Partners _ MKG & Whitney Museum of American Art
Location _ New York City, New York
Photography _ Clint Spaulding & Patrick McMullan
Collaborations _ Google
Features _ The Wall Street Journal
Features _ The Wall Street Journal