The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) Board of Directors met today and announced that world-famous artist Robert Indiana’s work “NUMBERS ONE through ZERO” will be installed on temporary exhibition on Buffalo’s Outer Harbor. The 10 eight-foot-high COR-TEN steel sculptures, weighing close to 2,000 pounds apiece, will be placed at Wilkeson Pointe in early June and on loan until October 2019. The board approved a contract with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (AKAG) which will facilitate the loan and exhibition of this monumental work of public art. See pictures of the sculptures here.
“Just as the Outer Harbor, thanks to Governor Cuomo, is now open to all, we think that public art should be accessible to all,” said Empire State Development Senior Vice President Christopher Schoepflin. “Wilkeson Pointe is the perfect place to display these iconic works by Robert Indiana. By partnering with a renowned institution such as the Albright-Knox we are both expanding the public’s interaction with art, and activating the Outer Harbor to bring more people to the waterfront to enjoy its natural beauty.”
“We are thrilled to partner with ECHDC to bring these extraordinary works by one of America’s foremost artists into the public realm,” said Albright-Knox Deputy Director, Dr. Joe Lin-Hill. “This summer the museum will present a major retrospective of Indiana’s sculptural work, and this installation at the Outer Harbor allows us to share that exhibition in the wider community through the AK Public Art Initiative.”
These works of art will enhance the millions of dollars of investment at the Outer Harbor and the public’s appreciation of the newly activated property. Wilkeson Pointe is an ideal location, as it has ample space to accommodate Indiana’s work while maintaining public access and allowing for the Outer Harbor Management Group to continue to program the space with fun public events and activities. “NUMBERS ONE through ZERO” will enhance the landscape and serve as an exciting backdrop at Wilkeson Pointe, one of the Outer Harbor’s most popular and active public spaces.
AKAG is an internationally renowned art institution that has an established public art initiative in Erie County, which places artwork throughout the community, including the famous Shark Girl at Canalside. The Albright-Knox is facilitating the loan of Robert Indiana’s “NUMBERS ONE through ZERO” to ECHDC and will provide ECHDC with institutional knowledge and support about the project. The project costs will be direct expenses related to the installation, maintenance, and deinstallation of the sculptures. The AKAG will not receive a fee associated with the project; nor is there a fee associated with the loan of the artwork. The Wilkeson Pointe installation coincides with the exhibition Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery this summer.
For more information on “NUMBERS ONE through ZERO,” visit Robert Indiana’s website.
The ECHDC Board also approved a $480,000 contract to Dixon Schwabl, Inc. for the development of a new website to serve as a “one stop shop” for Canalside and the Outer Harbor and development of a Buffalo “waterfront” umbrella brand to help support the individual Canalside and Outer Harbor brand identities. As key locales on Buffalo’s waterfront continue to grow in the coming years with exciting new development and activities, it is important that both Canalside and the Outer Harbor can be identified together with a singular, over-arching “waterfront” brand and visual identity. In addition, a single “waterfront” online presence will be developed to better inform the public of events and projects, draw more tourism, and start building more awareness of Buffalo’s waterfront, particularly the Outer Harbor which lags behind Canalside in terms of awareness. Dixon Schwabl is a full-service, women-owned marketing firm with more than 30 years of experience in branding, advertising, design, strategy, research, PR and digital services. The new website and brand is expected to launch in spring 2019.
The funding source for both contracts is the New York Power Authority relicensing agreement.
About Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation
The ECHDC is governed by a nine-member board consisting of seven voting directors and two non-voting, ex-officio directors. The seven voting directors are recommended by the New York State Governor and are appointed by the New York State Urban Development Corporation d/b/a Empire State Development as sole shareholder of ECHDC. The two nonvoting, ex-officio director positions are held by the Erie County Executive and the City of Buffalo Mayor.
As a subsidiary of Empire State Development, the state’s chief economic development agency, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation supports and promotes the creation of infrastructure and public activities at Canalside, the Ohio Street corridor and the Outer Harbor that is attracting critical mass, private investment and enhance the enjoyment of the waterfront for residents and tourists in Western New York. Its vision is to revitalize Western New York’s waterfront and restore economic growth to Buffalo based on the region’s legacy of pride, urban significance and natural beauty. For more information on ECHDC, visit www.eriecanalharbor.com.
Contacts:
Pamm Lent (Governor’s Office) | [email protected] | (716) 846-8309
Laura Magee (ECHDC) | [email protected] | (716) 846-8239