When: Thursday, November 19, 4 pm

Where: Queens entrance to the Pulaski Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path, 11th Street and
Jackson Avenue, Long Island City

What: Unveiling of bench sculpture and stencil graphics on the Pulaski Bridge

Who: Queens artist Joel Voisard, NYC Department of Transportation, Transportation
Alternatives, Mayor's Community Affairs Unit

Queens-based artist Joel Voisard has installed a set of stencils and created a new meeting point for residents and commuters at the center of the Pulaski Bridge. The piece, titled the "Bridge that Binds," brings the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens together and highlights the commonality of Newtown Creek. The project was developed with support from the Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation's Urban Art Program.

The once-empty space overlooking Newtown Creek and the Manhattan skyline has been transformed into a gathering space for residents of both boroughs, complete with a bench made from reclaimed lumber which echoes Newtown Creek's past and present as working waterfront. The project includes a series of silhouettes expressing, gesturing and performing different actions like walking and riding bikes along the pedestrian path to a meeting point at the center of the bridge. Stencils extending from the Queens side are colored in maroon, inspired by the No. 7 train logo, while those from the Brooklyn side are green in honor of the G-train.

"Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Long Island City, Queens share a pathway that converges over Newtown Creek," said Voisard. "At some point on the Pulaski Bridge, Queens becomes Brooklyn and Brooklyn becomes Queens. In this installation, the bench sculpture and stencil graphics on the bridge's barrier highlight the interaction of two communities and two boroughs."

The artist thanks the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit and the children of Andrews Grove, who helped develop the stencils.

About Joel Voisard
Joel Voisard is a Queens-based, 3-D artist. Having grown up in the Rust Belt, his sculptural work is heavily influenced by old industry. By questioning or interpreting the purpose of formerly operational objects, new stories are built and new levels of understanding are reached. These fabricated solutions acknowledge and respect previous function, and simultaneously provide new insight, and ideally, new life.

About NYC DOT's Urban ART Program
The DOT's Urban Art Program to enhance public space through art and improved street design and streetscapes. Launched in October 2008, the Urban Art Program brings the vision of the agency's World Class Streets initiative to life by partnering with community organizations to install murals, sculptures and other art forms in plazas and on medians, triangles, sidewalks, jersey barriers and construction fences for up to 11 months on DOT properties.