A new type of cultural infrastructure.

Art Bar is an adaptive reuse of an obsolete vehicle deck which exists in the Staten Island Ferry. Each 5,390 sf space exists on all of the Molinari class ferries in the NYC DOT (Department of Transportation) fleet. They are the newest, largest vessels, and are to be in operation the longest. These ships have a 4,400 passenger capacity and are consistently used for all peak hour trips. Art Bar will occupy one of the vehicle decks and transform the everyday pedestrian experience of the ferry and harbor into a cultural amenity.

The project will contain theater spaces, galleries, a projection room, and other art venues. Given the 25 minute length of the ferry ride, these spaces will host a variety of performances and installations curated for this duration. Program partners will consist of organizations from New York City, established annual city-wide festivals, and artwork created by local artists. The artwork will range in medium and may include painting, sculpture, music, performance, theater, dance, reading, fashion, and video art. Given this varied programing and constant place in the public realm, Art Bar will serve as an iconic platform for art and culture in New York City.

The ridership of the Staten Island Ferry is a diverse constituency of residents from multiple boroughs mixed with tourists from all over the world. This constituency is ideal for artists and cultural organizations that seek to engage a wide variety of audiences in public space. Furthermore, Art Bar will be a significant amenity that improves the experience and character of the ferry ride itself while increasing economic activity of Lower Manhattan and Staten Island.

Art Bar will be installed in one of the Molinari class ferries and designed to be efficiently removed, relocated and operational as a mobile pavilion on land should these ships ever be decommissioned.

Art Bar is an ambitious attempt to push the limits of New York City’s capacity for cultural innovation and provide an unprecedented public venue for the arts. Appealing to the Mayor’s initiatives to strengthen the cultural sector, current efforts to reengage the waterfront and the NYC DOT’s existing art and urban initiatives, Art Bar will be at the forefront of our city’s cultural infrastructure.

Art Bar is a self initiated project. It is our intention to help the public, the Mayor’s office, and the NYC DOT collectively imagine the possibility of Art Bar so that it can be realized. We are currently engaged in strategic planning and feasibility analysis of Art Bar. The feasibility analysis is identifying multiple operating models, schematic design, stake holder participation and development resources so that the city can be in a position to realize this project.