Twenty-five years ago, in a Queens community where northern Long Island City and Astoria converge, artists Isamu Noguchi and Mark di Suvero decided to help reshape their neighborhood with a focus on art. Noguchi launched the Noguchi Museum across the street from his Long Island City studio in 1985, and one year later, di Suvero established neighboring Socrates Sculpture Park as an ongoing art laboratory. Today, the mixed industrial and residential community is on the verge of drastic change again. Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City is a joint project of the Noguchi Museum and the Socrates Sculpture Park that aims to recreate Noguchi and di Suvero’s mix of artistic and civic thinking by inviting four teams to reenvision the future of the community. Artists Natalie Jeremijenko, Mary Miss, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and George Trakas, each partnered with an architect or planner, present their visions for development in the neighborhood. Tiravanija, for instance, who worked with architect Neil Logan, would like to transform the stretch of Broadway from the sculpture park to the subway station into a greenway with programmed activities, promoting public interaction and entrepreneurial culture. Each team’s work will be on display at the Noguchi Museum through April 22; further components will be exhibited at Socrates Sculpture Park in May 2012. • noguchi.org
