Get set for The Shed, new Hudson Yards arts venue
BY GABE HERMAN
A dedication ceremony and
ribbon cutting was held
Monday at Hudson
Yards’ The Shed, ahead of
the art center’s April 5
opening.
The April 1 ceremony
was attended by city
offi cials, artistic directors
and artists. They
braved cold weather
and whipping winds to
praise the building’s design
and the varied arts
programs it will host.
The Shed is a
200,000-square- foot
structure with a retractable
outer shell. It will host
all types of programs, including
performing arts, visual arts,
theater, dance and music from hip
hop to classical. A performance space
called the McCourt can hold 1,250 in a
seated audience or 2,000 standing.
The Shed was created from $500
million of public and private investment.
“New York City is the greatest arts
and cultural center in the world,” Mayor
Bill de Blasio said at the ceremony.
“And today it got greater.”
De Blasio said he liked The Shed’s
focus on accessibility and affordability
for all New Yorkers, with ticket prices
PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
Mayor Bill de Blasio speaking at
the dedication of The Shed.
for some events starting at $10.
The Shed will also host a program
called Open Call, which is free and will
feature 52 emerging local artists. It will
run from May 30 to Aug. 25.
“I love that the focus will be on the
newest artists of every background,” de
Blasio said.
De Blasio said that along with
the city needing more affordable
housing, it also needs
opportunities for artists to
make a living.
“There’s nothing more
crucial to the identity of
a city than a thriving
cultural community,”
he said.
Kiyan Williams, a
multidisciplinary artist
who explores the history
of migration in the
African diaspora, will
be featured in The Shed’s
Open Call program. Williams
said The Shed gives
opportunities for artists who
are trying to earn a living.
“I’m grateful that The Shed allows
us to pursue and practice our artistic
visions,” Williams said.
Musician Kelsey Lu performed at the
ceremony. Lu will be featured in the
“Soundtrack of America” program at
The Shed, which runs April 5 to 14.
Poet Anne Carson read an excerpt
from her work “Norma Jeane Baker of
Troy,” a spoken and sung performance
piece which will run at The Shed from
April 6 to May 19.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson,
whose district includes Hudson Yards,
applauded a teaching-artists program
that worked with nearby Landmark
High School and residents in the NYCHA
Chelsea-Elliot Houses.
“We are excited and lucky to now
have The Shed as a crown jewel of the
city,” Johnson said. He said he was also
excited at the agreement that the building’s
lobby and bathrooms would be
open to the public.
Manhattan Borough President Gale
Brewer lauded the technical feat of the
building itself and its programming for
supporting emerging artists. She noted
that low-cost and free tickets will be
available to public-housing residents,
and that The Shed is the only institution
that has done that.
The Shed was also praised by Steve
McQueen, the acclaimed fi lm director
who conceived and is directing
“Soundtrack of America.” The concert
series celebrates the impact of African-
American music on contemporary culture.
McQueen called The Shed “a place
for experimentation, for things to happen,”
adding, “It is now in our culture.”
Other upcoming programs at The
Shed will include “Bjork’s Cornucopia,”
a staged concert running May 6 to June
1, and “Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise,”
a futuristic “kung fu musical” running
June 22 to July 27.
Javits Center to become city’s solar leader
BY GABE HERMAN
The Javits Center is taking a shine
to sun power in a big way.
Governor Cuomo recently announced
that a developer has been selected
to design and install more than
4,000 solar panels on the roof of the
Chelsea-based convention center. It
will be the city’s biggest rooftop solar
project to date.
Siemens, a company that produces
energy-effi cient technology, was selected
for the project, which will offset
the building’s electric load.
An estimated 1.3 million pounds of
carbon emissions will be offset annually,
or the equivalent of removing 262
cars from the road, according to the
March 20 announcement.
Construction of the rooftop solar
grid is scheduled to begin in early
2020. Siemens will own and operate
the solar panels. The New York Power
Authority will then purchase the solar
energy, and sell it to the Javits Center.
Along with the rooftop solar panels,
there will be a street-level solar array
along 11th Ave.
Cuomo touted the Javits Center
project as part of his Green New Deal,
which aims for New York State’s electricity
to be 100 percent carbon-free
by 2040. The plan also calls for 70
percent of the state’s electricity
to come from renewable energy
sources by 2030.
“New York State is leading
the nation in advancing
bold actions for a cleaner,
greener energy system
that also spurs economic
growth,” Cuomo said in a
statement. “Installing solar
technology on the roof of
the busiest convention center
in the United States sets
an industry standard for venues
throughout New York and
across the nation on how best to
embrace renewable energy.”
The Javits Center — located between
34th and 38th Sts. and 11th and
12th Aves. — currently has a 6.75-acre
green roof, which was constructed as
part of the center’s 2014 renovation.
The green roof includes technology to
control temperatures throughout the
facility, which has reduced the center’s
energy consumption by 26 percent.
The roof is also a wildlife sanctuary
for 26 bird species, fi ve bat species and
thousands of honey bees, according to
the Javits Center. The planned rooftop
solar panels will be built on top
of existing HVAC units, to avoid
disturbing the roof’s greenery.
“Our green roof has become
a model of sustainability
for buildings throughout
the Empire State,” said
Alan Steel, president and
C.E.O. of the New York
Convention Center Operating
Corporation, which
operates the Javits Center.
“We are proud to work with
the New York Power Authority
to further expand our environmental
impact.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman,
who represents the Manhattan district
including the Javits Center, said
in a statement about the solar project,
“This is the busiest convention center
in the United States — and the perfect
place to model a swift transition
off of fossil fuels with New York City’s
largest rooftop solar project. Climate
change isn’t waiting for us, so we can’t
afford to wait to prevent its worst impacts.”
COURTESY JAVITS CENTER
The Javits Center’s rooftop will
be getting a slew of solar panels.
But they won’t cover up the building’s
existing rooftop. Instead
they’ll be placed over existing
HVAC systems.
8 April 4, 2019 CNW Schneps Media