Art Really *Is* All Around, Thanks to ADNY’s Placemaking Work

It’s our 30th anniversary, and we’re self-celebrating. Over the next few months, we’ll be rolling out 30 stories about 30 of our biggest accomplishments, including everything from our daily public safety and sanitation work, to our small business outreach, to how we helped the neighborhood navigate challenges and even tragedies. You’ll be able to find these stories on our website, as well as in our weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. 

One of the best ways to brighten up a neighborhood? Free art — and live music! The Downtown Alliance has long prioritized public art in Lower Manhattan (see: Re:Construction and River to River), and in 2019, we upped the ante with our public space activation program, Art Is All Around. Thanks to the partnership of property owners in the district, we have brought installations from local and international artists as well as free performances to more than a dozen of the neighborhood’s public spaces, activating and enriching these spaces and supporting Lower Manhattan’s evolution into a mixed-use neighborhood. 

Past programming includes the 2024-2025 interactive installation “Star Light Star Bright,” by design studio Hou de Sousa; 2023’s “Art Above the Mantel,” which was a six-week stretch of holiday-themed visual art installations and events that took place in empty storefronts along the Nassau Street corridor in Lower Manhattan; and 2022’s “Downtown Stories,” a monthlong series of performances inspired by the people and places of Lower Manhattan done in association with nonprofit theater group En Garde Arts. Our programming has been incredibly popular, netting write-ups in national publications such as the New York Times, Vogue and Forbes, in addition to local media, and drawing thousands of locals and visitors alike to live events across the district.

Not only do these events and installations make the neighborhood more vibrant and lively, they also engage local businesses in the area and encourage attendees to dine and shop downtown. To learn more about placemaking, check out our website and be sure to read our interview with ADNY Placemaking Manager Victoria Pennacchio.