Photoville is a staple of Brooklyn's arts and culture calendar. The large-scale photo festival is in its ninth year, and is not slowing down for the pandemic.
In fact, it is spreading its reach and expanding over the five boroughs to make the show accessible to those who can't get to Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Kicking off on Thursday September 17, the festival includes more than 60 exhibitions in 30 outdoor locations across the city, with artist talks and workshops to be held online. To give viewers ample time to see the works by more than 260 artists, the show will run for two months rather than the usual two weeks — from September 17 through November 29.
Photoville co-founder Laura Roumanos said New Yorkers were using public spaces more than ever and parks had become the one escape during the pandemic.
"Parks have become an even more crucial place for people to unwind and relax, and we thought, 'what a perfect opportunity to engage our communities with stories from around the world.'"
She said since not everyone could make it to Brooklyn, the team decided to take the stories to them. In Brooklyn, shows will be held at Brooklyn Bridge Park and at Washington Street and Old Fulton Road.
President of Brooklyn Bridge Park Eric Landau said he was proud to be part of the team bringing photography exhibits to the Park, free of charge.
"During the pandemic parks have proved to be more important than ever, and Photoville has done an amazing job of bringing art, culture and important storytelling to New Yorkers in a way that is safe for the current times."
On top of the public exhibitions, Photoville will also hold a full slate of online programming, including artist talks, workshops, demonstrations, educational programs, storytelling events and community programming.
Online offerings include Photoville Education Day 2020, a series of educational programs for young people and educators that will run throughout October. The program includes Meet the Artist Exhibition Tours, where students can connect with Photoville artists; Youth Photography Panels, where students learn from peers; and an Educators Lab, where teachers connect with Photoville artists and collaborate on lesson plans based on their work.
Online programming starts today and will run through October. For more details visit photoville.nyc
