Artist Jennifer Wen Ma Selected for 70 Mulberry Percent for Art Commission

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For Immediate Release: June 15, 2023

Contact: publicaffairs@culture.nyc.gov

NYC DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS ANNOUNCES ARTIST JENNIFER WEN MA SELECTED TO DESIGN PERMANENT PUBLIC ARTWORK FOR 70 MULBERRY IN MANHATTAN’S CHINATOWN

The building – a community hub which was severely damaged by fire in January 2020 – is being restored by the City’s Department of Design and Construction and Department of Citywide Administrative Services

A headshot and images of Ma’s past work are available for download here

New York, NY – The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) has announced the selection of artist Jennifer Wen Ma through its Percent for Art program to design a permanent, public artwork for 70 Mulberry. 70 Mulberry is a historic facility in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood which was home to a number of community, cultural, and social service organizations before a devastating fire severely damaged the building in January 2020. The City has committed to restoring this critical community hub and, as part of this project, DCLA’s Percent for Art program has commissioned Ma to create a permanent artwork for the site, in collaboration with the local community, architects, and design agencies.

"Congratulations to Jennifer Wen Ma on being selected for this exciting public art project that will help define this important neighborhood hub," said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. "Public art can do so much to bring us together and express who we are, so we're thrilled to have Ma collaborating with the architects and local residents to create a lasting artwork that reflects the energy of the dynamic Chinatown community."

“DDC is one of the leading agencies for ‘Percent for Art’ and also the City’s leading builder of cultural institutions and museums, so this is a natural partnership as we seek to restore this important Chinatown institution,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley. “We expect the new installation by Jennifer Wen Ma to reflect the values of the Chinese culture the museum celebrates and to integrate well with the design by Grimshaw, the internationally celebrated design firm that we engaged for this project through DDC’s Design & Construction Excellence Program.”

“For over three years we’ve been supporting efforts to rebuild, revitalize, and reimagine 70 Mulberry Street for the community members who call this area home,” said NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “With this permanent art installation by Jennifer Wen Ma, we are reminding the Lower East Side and the entire city, that we care about this site and we especially care about the people. Art reflects culture and adds depth, and we are excited to have Jennifer share her vision with the world.”

"I am thrilled to be selected to make an artwork for the reconstruction of 70 Mulberry Street,” said Jennifer Wen Ma. “Having called Chinatown and Lower Eastside home for 24 years, this project is dear and near to my heart. I look forward to developing a work that will reflect the dynamic energy of the neighborhood and the future we envision for our community.”

The 70 Mulberry restoration will be designed by Grimshaw Architects, who will work closely with Ma as she conceives and designs her artwork to integrate it into the facility. 70 Mulberry Street is a historical landmark in Manhattan’s Chinatown, originally designed and operated as Public School (P.S.) 23 in the late 1800s. In its more recent history, the five story red brick building was home to non-profit community groups and served as an anchor to its community. In January 2020, 70 Mulberry Street was severely damaged by a fire that destroyed the top three floors and displaced its five tenants. The scope of the project to restore 70 Mulberry will:

Preserve and restore portions of the existing historic façade, retaining the building’s original identity;

Return 51,000 square feet to the previous tenant institutions, including the Museum of Chinese in America, Chen Dance Center, Chinatown Manpower Project, American Planning Council, and United East Athletics;

Create additional community spaces and offices, including a multi-purpose room for indoor sports, performances, galas and community events;

The façade and rooftop of the building will be optimized for generating renewable energy as a direct response to the community’s wish for the new 70 Mulberry to both respect the history of the site, and to look forwards toward the future with hope and optimism.

Ma was selected for the commission following a community engagement process led by DCLA’s Percent for Art program. A selection panel consisting of arts experts, community members, neighborhood stakeholders, and the project team first narrowed a field of artists to four finalists. The finalists then participated in an open-format design charrette with the project team, where they also responded to questions submitted by the community. In making their final selection, the panel was impressed by Ma’s international level of artistry in combination with an intimate understanding of the local community, a contemporary, forward-looking approach that is rooted in community engagement, and the ability to collaborate closely with the design team to embed her artwork into the building.

“Jennifer Wen Ma’s combination of artistic vision and history of community collaboration makes her the perfect artist to lead the exhibit at the rebuilt 70 Mulberry Street. I’m confident that her work will capture the site’s iconic status while also breathing new life into this community landmark,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

“Congratulations to Jennifer Wen Ma on being selected to design the public artwork for 70 Mulberry Street,” said State Senator Brian Kavanagh, who represents the site. “I also want to thank the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Design and Construction for their work to restore and preserve this historic building and vital community resource. I look forward to continuing to work with the City as this project continues, and to seeing the new and improved 70 Mulberry once the work is complete.”

“The whole team at Grimshaw is thrilled to have participated in such an inclusive process that led to selecting artist Jennifer Wen Ma. We look forward to collaborating closely with her, her team, and the community to bring to life her artistic vision in the new 70 Mulberry,” said Iouyu Chen, project architect for 70 Mulberry at Grimshaw Architects.

“As a participant in the DCLA’s Percent for Art panel process for 70 Mulberry, and a true believer in the power of the arts to strengthen individual and community bonds and support people’s mental and emotional health, I am thrilled by the selection of artist Jennifer Wen Ma as the designer of a permanent, public artwork that will help to restore and capture the vitality and splendor of this important community hub,” said Robin Schatell, Founder/Director, Mov!ng Culture Projects.

Percent for Art, established in 1983, is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. An installation of artwork commissioned through the program over the last 40 years was recently unveiled at New York City Hall.

Jennifer Wen Ma - Artist Bio

Jennifer Wen Ma (1973, Beijing, China) is a visual artist who moved to the United States in 1986 and received her Master of Fine Art degree in 1999 from Pratt Institute, New York. Ma works and lives between New York and Beijing. Ma’s interdisciplinary practice bridges varied media such as installation, drawing, video, public art, design, performance, and theatre; often bringing together unlikely elements in a single piece, creating sensitive, poetic and poignant works.

Projects include: Fosun Foundation, Shanghai, 2022; New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut, 2021; Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse, Lille, France, 2021; Art Macao Festival, Macau, 2019; Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, 2019; Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2018; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2017; Cass Sculpture Foundation, 2016; Qatar Museums, 2016; Temple of Dendur, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015; Flux Projects, Atlanta; Market Square Public Art Program, Pittsburgh, 2015; 5x5 Nonument Park, Washington DC, 2014; Vancouver Art Gallery, 2014; Performa 13, New York, 2013; Ullens Center For Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2012; Eslite Gallery, Taipei, 2011; Biennale of Sydney, 2010; The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, 2009; Echigo-Tsumari Triennial, Japan, 2009; Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain, 2009; and the National Art Museum of China, Beijing, 2008, Singapore Biennale, 2006, among others.

Public art installations include, A Landscape of Metamorphosis, MGM Cotai, Macau, 2022; Nature and Man in Rhapsody of Light at the Water Cube, The National Aquatic Center, Beijing, 2013; In-Between World—Daydream Nation, Digital Beijing Building, Beijing, 2008; Aeolian Garden, city of Colle di Val d'Elsa, Italy, 2005, among others.

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In 2019, Ma was a recipient of the Anonymous Was a Woman Award and grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2015, she conceived, visually designed, and directed installation opera Paradise Interrupted, performed around the world, including Lincoln Center Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Singapore International Festival of Arts, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, National Theatre and Concert Hall, Taipei, MGM Cotai Theatre, Macau, among others. The opera won the prestigious international award from Music Theatre Now in 2016. In 2008, Ma was on the core creative team for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics and received an Emmy Award for its US broadcast.

Ma teaches in the Master of Fine Arts program at the School of Visual Arts, New York, and guest lectured at many institutions including Skidmore College, Rhode Island School of Design, Cornell University, Michigan State University, Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China Academy of Art, among others.

More info: www.littlemeat.net

About NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City’s vibrant cultural life. DCLA works to promote and advocate for quality arts programming and to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the City’s vitality. The Department represents and serves non-profit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary, and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens, and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists at all skill levels who live and work within the City’s five boroughs. DCLA also provides donated materials for arts programs offered by the public schools and cultural and social service groups, and commissions permanent works of public art at City-funded construction projects throughout the five boroughs. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/culture.