Public Programming at LMCC offers a dynamic annual season of free, public experiences that take place at The Arts Center at Governors Island and throughout Lower Manhattan.
Programs emphasize the important role that artists play in society through themes that speak to contemporary concerns, inviting audiences to interact with the artists and their work in order to make connections with their own lives. For artists, public programming offers a welcoming place to experiment and move their ideas forward. From the River To River Festival to Exhibitions and Partnership Programs, public programming at LMCC supports artists at all stages of professional development and fosters connection between their ideas and a broad public.
The Take Care Series at The Arts Center at Governors Island
The Take Care Series offers audiences an opportunity to experience art, explore one’s own creative potential, and carry the work beyond Governors Island.
Through performance, workshops, talks, and Open Studios, we explore different ways to care for ourselves and world around us. This series reframes curation as mindful, inclusive and open, linking the practice back to the word’s root meaning - curare - to care - and highlighting the idea that through care, we can positively affect those around us, and by extension, our planet.
River To River Festival
Presented by LMCC, River To River is Downtown New York City’s completely free summer arts festival.
From its origins in the aftermath of 9/11 to the present context of the pandemic, River To River has long highlighted the fundamental role that creativity in all its forms plays in processes of recovery, resilience and renewal.
Past Public Programs
Governors Island Winter Ice Sculpture Show
Every year, The Trust for Governors Island and LMCC present the inaugural Governors Island Winter Ice Sculpture Show!
New York City-based artists and artist teams are invited to submit ideas for an ice sculpture, to be completed at the annual Winter Ice Sculpture Show at Governors Island.
Eiko Otake: Slow Turn
On September 11, 2021, Eiko Otake performed at 7am and 6pm at Belvedere Plaza in Battery Park City by the Hudson River, directly west of where the Twin Towers once stood.
Created specifically for this occasion and this site, Eiko’s new piece, Slow Turn, centers on a monologue of her personal memories of that day and its aftermath.
Dance Party NYC at Governors Island
Part of The New York Public Library’s summer program, Dance Party NYC is a joyous citywide festival that will take place at more than 80 venues across the city–including in Nolan Park on Governors Island, with performances from Brooklyn United Marching Band and Brass Queens, tunes from DJ Aguapanela Mami and DJ Yung Mayne, food trucks, and a beer garden from Threes Brewing.