Submit Your Proposal | IDEAS CITY 2013

Two years ago, the Architectural League joined a group of downtown cultural institutions, led by the New Museum, to produce a major new civic event for New York City, the Festival of Ideas for the New City. Next year, the festival, renamed IDEAS CITY, will return to downtown Manhattan, bringing together hundreds of artists, arts and culture organizations, and community groups to explore the theme of Untapped Capital through exhibitions, performances, installations, and demonstrations, many of which will take place at an innovative street fair held on the Bowery and surrounding streets on Saturday, May 4th.

We invite your organization to submit a proposal for IDEAS CITY 2013, taking place May 1–4, 2013. We also welcome collaborative projects if you choose to apply in partnership with other groups. Your project must relate to the theme of Untapped Capital and can take place at your own space, at any independent location within the festival footprint, or at the StreetFest around the Bowery.

Click here for more information and to submit your proposal.
Update: Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, the submission deadline has been extended to December 14th

ABOUT IDEAS CITY
IDEAS CITY 2013 is a unique biennial event in New York City including a conference with visionaries and leaders, an innovative StreetFest around the Bowery, and hundreds of independent projects. Formerly known as the Festival of Ideas for the New City, the 2011 event brought together over 200 organizations and attracted 70,000 visitors. This ambitious initiative is built upon the core belief that arts and culture constitute a driving force behind the vitality of urban centers worldwide.

The theme for IDEAS CITY 2013 is Untapped Capital. As the world’s resources continue to be endangered, depleted, and destroyed, we all need to imagine new solutions and develop innovative approaches and practices. Rather than focusing on deficits, IDEAS CITY 2013 will encourage intensive examination of surplus resources that may be under-recognized or underutilized: Untapped Capital. There are many ways of thinking about what might define “untapped capital,” ranging from people and raw materials, to ideas, networks, varied resources, and modes of communication. The topic of Untapped Capital provides a touchstone for alternative thinking about new methodologies, new solutions, and new goals. At Urban Omnibus, this theme is near to our hearts, and relates directly to the concept of excess capacity that we have investigated in projects as diverse as Zipcar, energy-harvesting revolving doors, or chashama.

This is an open application; please feel free to share it with other downtown New York City organizations.