NEW YORK.- The festival of ideas for a new city is a major new collaborative initiative between scores of downtown organizations, from large universities to arts groups and community organizations, working together to affect change. The Festival is a first for New York and will demonstrate the power of the creative community to imagine the city of the future. The Festival will serve as a platform for artists, architects, designers, and other thought leaders to exchange ideas, propose solutions, and invite the public to participate in improving urban life.

For the occasion of the inaugural Festival of Ideas for a New City in New York City, Storefront for Art and Architecture jointly with the new Museum and new york city’s Department of transportation (NYCDOT) are launching a competition for the design, management and construction of temporary outdoor street tents that produce new ways for collective gathering and city engagement. These structures will be part of an innovative outdoor “Streetfest” and accommodate a variety of activities including vendors, workshop areas, outdoor classrooms, demonstrations, installations, music, and other performances and exhibitions. For more information on the competition, visit storefrontnews.org/exhibitions_events/.

The festival of ideas for a new city will take place the weekend of May 7 and 8, 2011, and in addition to the Streetfest, the festival will include panels, roundtables, symposia, workshops and dozens of projects, performances and events opening simultaneously at multiple downtown venues.

The Bowery will serve as the spine of the Festival, with Cooper Union and the New Museum acting as anchors and hubs for conversation, discussion, learning and action. The New Museum conceived the Festival over a year ago, and quickly involved a core group of organizing partners (listed below). Together, they have been developing the Festival and have expanded it to include a wide range of participants. the festival is partially funded through generous grants from the rockefeller Foundation and Brookfield.