The Cubes

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
September 16, 2016: Socrates Sculpture Park and NYC Parks released the first design renderings for "The Cubes," a new 2,640 square-foot, two-story building that will become a permanent home for Socrates Sculpture Park, designed by the innovative architecture firm LOT-EK. Multi-functional by design, the space will provide new facilities for the park's arts education, gallery and administrative offices, creating new opportunities for year-round public programming. The building's origin, materials, and design invokes Socrates Sculpture Park's founding principles, which stresses reclamation, adaptable re-use, and the neighborhood's industrial roots.

The Cubes will better serve the growing demands of the Park, currently attracting more than 150,000 people annually with its contemporary art exhibitions and programming. Over the last three decades, the Park has presented outdoor public artworks by morethan 1,000 artists, developed an educational program that serves more than 10,000 youth annually, and presents a dynamic array of public programming, including an acclaimed international film festival, dance, opera, jazz, and theater, as well as largescale community events and a local job creation program.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Socrates Sculpture Park is an essential cultural anchor for the borough of Queens. Its pioneering efforts in the realm of the arts and community engagement have transformed it from an industrial landfill into an arts organization unlike any other in New York City.

“We are thrilled to create a new home that will expand our programmatic possibilities and secure our future as an arts organization in New York City,” says Executive Director, John Hatfield. “LOT-EK’s design is an innovative contemporary work of architecture that conceptually and aesthetically reflects the Park’s history, connects to the Park today, and provides a platform for its future.” “We are exceptionally grateful to our partners, NYC Parks and Commissioner Mitchell Silver for their partnership on this transformative project, and for the longstanding and unwavering support of Council Member and Majority Leader Jimmy van Bramer and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, who have provided critical funding to make this project a reality and, more importantly, championed its impact on the cultural landscape of Long Island City.”