Art above NYC. Water above all.
Water tank art for water awareness.
About
Map
What Is The Water Tank Project?
Launching summer 2014, The Water Tank Project will transform the New York City skyline.
Artwork by acclaimed artists and New York City public school students will be wrapped around rooftop water tanks throughout the city, celebrating the talents of established and emerging artists, and calling attention to the global water crisis.
The Water Tank Project is part art exhibition, part awareness campaign. For the duration of the project, art above will be complemented by action on the ground through educational programs, public tours, social media activities and a symposium dedicated to inspiring fresh views on global water issues.
Our aim is to produce art as social intervention, to inspire awe and joy, to educate, and to alter attitudes and habits among those who experience The Water Tank Project, ultimately creating meaningful and long-lasting change.
The Water Tank Project is the inaugural initiative of Word Above the Street, a non-profit dedicated to fostering environmental awareness and social advocacy through art.
© 2014 ICY and SOT
© 2014 Marilyn Minter
© 2014 Eteri Chkadua
The Water Tank Project Team
- Team Members:
- Mary Jordan (bio)
- Founder and Creative Director
- Neville Wakefield
- Chief Curatorial Advisor
- Jana La Sorte
- Director of External Relations
- Mitra Khorasheh
- Curator/Project Manager
- Lance Stephens
- Accountant
- David Porras
- Content Producer
- Elana Haviv
- Education Associate
- Tero Turunen
- Water Advisor
- Advisors:
- Henry Buhl
- Founder, Henry Buhl Foundation and Founder, ACE New York
- Baldev Duggal
- President and CEO, Duggal Visual Solutions
- Kim Estes-Fradis
- Deputy Director of Education and Outreach, NYC Environmental Protection
- David Walentas
- Founder, Two Trees Management Company
- Sustainability advisory panel:
- Aimée Christensen
- Founder and CEO, Christensen Global Strategies
- Angela Ferrante
- Director, Alternative Energy Solutions, Energi, Inc
- Dr. Upmanu Lall
- Director, Earth Institute Water Center, Columbia University
- Adam Joseph Lewis
- Environmental expert and philanthropist
- David Orr
- Paul Sears Distinguished Professor, Environmental Studies and Politics and Special Assistant to the President of Oberlin College and a James Marsh Professor at the University of Vermont
- Alex Prud’homme
- Journalist and Author of ‘The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Fresh Water in the Twenty-First Century’
Artists
The Water Tank Project Support
SPONSORS
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); World Resource Institute (WRI), Columbia Water Center (Earth Institute); Waves 4 Water; STUDIO IN A SCHOOL; Newmark Knight Frank; ABC Realty; ArtBase; Bettina Equities; Brown Harris Stevens; The Durst Organization; Fenwick Keats Realty; Forest City Ratner Companies; Halstead Property; Malkin Holdings; Manhattan Skyline; REBNY; Jack Resnick & Sons; Rudin Management; RXR Realty; Two Trees Management; Vornado Realty Trust; Time Equities Inc.; The Shed.
FOUNDATIONAL SUPPORT
Agnes Gund AG Foundation; Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc.; the Booth Ferris Foundation; The Andrea & Charles Bronfman Fund at Brandeis University;The Ford Foundation; Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation; The Rockefeller Foundation New York City Cultural Innovation Fund; the Hauptman Family Foundation; The Ronald and Jo Carole Lauder Foundation; The Lear Family Foundation; The Dorothea Leonhardt Foundation; The Toby Devan Lewis Philanthropic Fund; Solutions, A Donor Advised Fund at Aspen Community Foundation on behalf of Adam Joseph Lewis; Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; ACE Foundation.
MAJOR BENEFACTORS
Bettina & Donald L. Bryant, Jr; Elizabeth K. Belfer; Agnes Gund.
DONORS
Bauer Family; Stephen and Claudine Bronfman; Pippa Cohen; Bobby Foshay Miller; Amanda and Glenn Furhman; Will McDonough; Michelle Smith; David Teiger.
Water Education
Education and Youth Engagement
The Water Tank Project believes that the seeds of meaningful change take root when nourished by education. To that end, The Water Tank Project collaborated with Children’s Movement for Creative Education (CMCE) to develop ‘Trace the Tap’, a water-focused curriculum that encourages students to explore the importance of clean water from biological, environmental, cultural and economic perspectives.
‘Trace the Tap’ reveals to students the bigger picture of a resource they encounter every day and has the potential to empower a new generation of water stewards. It guides them to develop an understanding of the vital importance of water in supporting life, and gives them the tools to investigate local, national and international water issues. The knowledge acquired through this program will give young people a foundation on which to build leadership roles and ultimately educate their communities about one of the most pressing concerns of our time.
This twelve-week supplemental program, supported by both the Department of Education and the Department of Environmental Protection, will be offered through our website.
Student Artist Initiative
In collaboration with Studio in a School, The Water Tank Project engaged New York City public high school students in a competition for the chance to see their artwork featured on a water tank.
With the launch of The Water Tank Project this summer, a selection of student artwork will be displayed alongside art by some of today’s leading artists, strengthening the community’s involvement and reinforcing its connection to the project.
The Water Tank Project believes that providing an educational platform within a public art project is crucial to fostering dialogue about critical issues. The artwork produced by student artists for The Water Tank Project reveals a fundamental grasp of the countless issues surrounding water, and gives hope that a new generation of water stewards will help protect our most vital resource.
Support for the student artist initiative generously provided by: Agnes Gund; The Lily Auchincloss Foundation; The Booth Ferris Foundation; Duggal Visual Solutions; The Ford Foundation; David Zwirner
Contact
Mailing list
Get up-to-date information on The Water Tank Project. Subscribe to our mailing list:
Sponsors
For more information about sponsorships and strategic alliance opportunities, please email:
sponsor@wordabovethestreet.org
Volunteers
Want to volunteer for The Water Tank Project? Please email:
volunteer@wordabovethestreet.org
Press Inquiries
Photo: Clifford Ross
TANK YOU © 2014 The Water Tank Project. All Rights Reserved.