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Index

QUEENS MUSEUM OF ART

ABCDF INTERACTIVE STATIONS

TIME FRAME

ABCDF PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS

INTRODUCTION

PROJECTION SITES•MET

•Guggenheim

•Columbus Circle

•Grace Plaza

•Michael Quill Bus Depot

•Union Square

•Maritime Hotel

•Verizon

•St. Vincent’s Hospital

•Harlem

•ABCDF, Mexico City

•ABCDF, Monterrey, Nuevo León

•ABCDF, Paris

•ABCDF, Washington, DC

•ID International Award

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• ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City is a visual dictionary

that consists of two thousand images organized

alphabetically.

• Each letter of the alphabet is linked to a repertoire of

images that showcase the experience of living in one of

the world’s largest city. This project is a collective effort of

250 visual artists (photographers and videographers),

filmmakers, and writers.

• During Fall, 2005, The Mexican Cultural Institute of New

York will launch ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City, The

New York Project 2005, which will feature monumental

light projections of images from the dictionary. During the

month of October, every dusk, projections of striking

images of Mexico City will be projected on 10 New York

buildings.

• The goal of this project is to document the cultural and

artistic vitality of Mexico City and to foster a greater

dialogue and permanent connection between the cities of

Mexico and New York: Mexico City with its great ancient

past blended into contemporary life and New York City, a

capital of modern urban life.

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• This event will reach a large and diverse audience and have a

tremendous impact on millions of people who will view this

project as part of their own daily lives, and enjoy special events

associated with the projections.

• Parallel to these monumental projections, the Mexican Cultural

Institute of New York is engaged with the following programs:

A partnership with the Queens Museum of Art, which will host

a major installation of ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City, The

New York Project from October to December, 2005.

The installation of interactive stations throughout Manhattan

where people can learn about the project.

Different activities in the performing arts, film and literature

(related to the cultural vitality of Mexico City) presented in

collaboration with institutions in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the

Bronx.

• In 2002, ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City became an

immensely successful exhibition at the Fine Arts Palace in Mexico

City. It was visited by more than 250,000 people in less than

three months and was later exhibited in Paris, London,

Barcelona, Milan, and Washington, DC. This project has received

various awards for its collective effort and artistic value.

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The Mexican Cultural Institute, founded in

1991, is a 501 (c) 3 and tax- exempt

organization committed to generating

awareness of the richness, dynamism and

cultural diversity of Mexico as a democratic,

plural and creative nation, and to foster a

better knowledge and understanding of

Mexico. It also seeks to promote Mexican

cultural enterprises and industries in New York.

Through strategic partnerships with local individuals and organizations, the Institute has

presented over 550 Mexican cultural programs

since its foundation.

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Locations New York City

1 Harlem

2 Guggenheim

3 MET

4 Columbus Circle, MAD

5 Grace Plaza

6 Michael Quill Bus Depot

7 Union Square, Virgin Megastore

8 Maritime Hotel

9 St. Vincent’s Hospital

10 Verizon Building

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Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street

Reference Map

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Guggenheim Museum

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Guggenheim Museum

89th Street and Fifth Avenue

Reference Map

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Columbus Circle

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Columbus Circle

Central Park West

Reference Map

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Grace Plaza

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Grace Plaza

W43rd St. & 6th Ave.

Reference Map

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Michael Quill Bus Depot

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Michael Quill Bus Depot

W41st St. & 11th Ave.

Reference Map

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Union Square

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Union Square

14th St.& Broadway

Reference Map

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Maritime Hotel

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Maritime Hotel

16th St. & 9th Ave.

Reference Map

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Verizon

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Verizon Building375 Pearl St.Lower Manhattan

Reference Map

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St. Vincent’s Hospital

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• Reference Map

St. Vincent’s Hospital

36 7th Avenue at 12th Street.

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Harlem

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Harlem

129 St. and Broadway

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Queens Museum of Art

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• The Queens Museum of Art was founded in 1972 to provide a vital

cultural center for the most racially and ethnically diverse county in

the United States. The Museum is the principal fine arts collecting

institution in Queens. It is the permanent home of The Panorama of

the City of New York (the world’s largest architectural scale model),

displays about the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, as well as a rotating

collection from the Neustadt Museum of Tiffany Art, and the venue for

a wide range of important changing exhibitions. The Museum serves

over 200,000 visitors each year through its programs and exhibitions,

and it has an annual budget of $3 million.

• The Museum’s history, community and future are inextricably linked.

Its home, The New York City Building, was built for the 1939 World’s

Fair and it is the only surviving structure from that event. Following

the Second World War the building became the first US home for the

United Nations General Assembly, and later it was used during the

1964 World’s Fair. Now the international quality of the building’s past

is reflected in the community it serves. According to the 2000

Census, Queens is the most ethnically-diverse county in the nation:

around 120 languages and dialects are spoken in the Borough and

over half of Queens’ households are headed by individuals born

outside the United States. It is the Museum’s aim to provide

exhibitions, educational programs and out-reach activities of the

highest quality that both serve this community and fully reflect its

history.

• It has, for many years, organized special exhibitions of modern and

contemporary art, and, indeed, is considered one of the exciting

venues in New York. The Museum and our exhibitions are regularly

the subject of articles and reviews in a wide range of publications,

including The New York Times, Newsday, Art in America, Time Out,

The Village Voice, local Queens press and international periodicals.

Recent exhibitions that have featured the work of emerging artists,

and have both represented and appealed to the diverse composition

of the Queens population (as well as drawing a large audience from

outside the Borough) include; Global Conceptualism: “Points of Origin,

1950s-1980s”, “Modern Odysseys: Greek American Artists of the 20th

Century”, “Queens International in both 2002 and 2004”, “Joan Jonas:

Five Works” and “637 Running Feet: Black on White Wall Drawings by

14 Artists”.

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Museum’s Floor Plan

Exhibition Area 12,000 sq ft.

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ABCDF

Interactive Stations

There will be different interactive stations throughout Manhattan where people can learn about the project.

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Timeframe

February March April May June July August September October November December

Scouting Fundraising Campaign

Site Check Wrap up

Technical Specifications

Contracting

Calibrating

ABCDF at the Queens Museum of Art

Legal Permits

Curatorial process (projections and parallel programming)

Site Set-up

Marketing, Advertising and Promotional Efforts

ABCDF Interactive Stations

ProjectionsAnd Parallel

Activities

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• ABCDF Words of a City

Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico CityThe exhibit ABCDF Words of a City was presented from March 20 to June

19, 2002, thanks to the work of more than two hundred photographers,

visual artists, writers, and filmmakers. It was visited by 250,000 people.

Previous ABCDF Exhibitions

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• ABCDF Portraits d’une Ville

Institute of Mexico, Paris, France

• ABCDF Words of a City

Museum of Mexican History

Monterrey, Nuevo León

From October 17, 2002 to January 7, 2003. The show

included more than 60 photographs, objects and a

projection room. It was visited by more than 100,000

people.

From November 21, 2002 to February 8, 2003. The

show included more than 45 photographs, objects, and

a small room of projections.

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•ABCDF Portraits of Mexico City

Art Museum of the Americas, OAS,

Washington, DCFrom April 29 to June 7, 2004.

This exhibit included more than 70

photographs, objects

and a projection room.

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• Id International Award

Magazine I.D. recognized ABCDF,

Graphic Dictionary of Mexico City

as one of the best designed books

of the year, 2002.

This document contains confidential and proprietary information belonging exclusively to ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City, The New York Project 2005. This document should not be disclosed, duplicated, distributed or executed, in whole or in part, published any of the materials, designs, plans or concepts presented herein without the prior consent of ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City, The New York Project 2005 and the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York.© Copyright 2005 ABCDF: Portraits of Mexico City, The New York Project 2005.