Spring 2013 Newsletter

Found Art So Far

Our year-long “Found Art In North Troy” project got off to a great start last fall with StoryHarvest, an event that’s fast becoming a local tradition.  

We were thrilled to host not just Bread & Puppet Theater, the renowned Vermont-based radical performance troupe, but also an amazing Korean percussion ensemble known as the Sonagi Project.  

There was plenty of great nutritious food all day, thanks to the awesome KitchenSanctuary potluck! 

We all worked creatively together to develop a neighborhood parade with lots of kids following a route from the Troy Central Little League playing fields along Sixth Avenue to Freedom Square, with stops along the way at Troy Bike Rescue, Collard City Growers, Missing Link Street Ministry and The Sanctuary for Independent Media. Despite a brief downpour that had everyone seeking shelter, we all gathered under a rainbow at Freedom Square for performances by our featured guests! 

The humble vacant lot at 101st Street where 5th and 6th Avenues meet was the perfect site for this community gathering – celebrating creativity, freedom of expression, the universality of art, and our deep collective need to hang out together having fun!

Construction Begins

The next phase of “Found Art In North Troy” will bring more great art, music, films and performance to our neighborhood. Over the winter months we fundraised, organized, planned, dug test pits, and scouted found objects – setting us up for new burst of activity outdoors.

We’re working on sculptures, murals, gardens, bike paths, mosaics… all kinds of art projects to beautify the neighborhood.  

And we’re pushing for major improvements at Freedom Square to make outdoor activities even more fun!

The Philosophy

What’s “Found Art in North Troy” all about?

“Found Art in North Troy” is a year-long, community-wide public art project using found objects to address themes of re-purposing, re-use and sustainability.

Our creative place-making aims to enhance the livability of one neglected block of 6th Avenue between Glen Avenue and 101st Street, catalyzing it into a hub for public art, education and exchange. This whirlwind of collaborative arts activities has a clear structure: music and cultural festivals bookending participatory public art projects driven by a summer arts program. 

Capitalizing on existing local assets and community voices, our collective goal is to strengthen the unique community identity and sense of place of North Central Troy!