The Waterfront Committee of Manhattan Community Board 2, the community board which serves the West Village and Soho is seeking ideas on possible programming for Pier 45 (at Christopher Street) that could be arts-related.

The Waterfront Committee is interested in exploring new community-based programming ideas for Pier 45. At their last meeting on September 26, when suggestions included dance events and free outdoor Shakespeare – ideas that were met with a very affirming response.  The committee decided to solicit the NY arts community at large for more specific ideas.

You or your arts organization are invited to propose your ideas for new arts programming for Pier 45 at the next  Waterfront Committee meeting Monday, October 24, beginning at 7:00 PM at Housing Works, 320 W. 13th St. 4th Floor Conference Room.  If you cannot attend, you are welcome to send a one-sheet to Jonathan Slaff at jslaffATacedslDOTcom. He will submit it for you at the meeting.

Arts-related ideas are not the exclusive focus of the committee’s thinking, but they are an important one.  The committee also plans to solicit ideas from a variety of non-arts related community organizations, including FIERCE, a gay youth advocacy organization.

Pier 45 is part of Hudson River Park.  It lies at the foot of Christopher Street and is accessible by nearby highway crosswalks at the ends of both Charles St. and Christopher St.  Its dimensions are 858 feet x 94 feet.  It has a grass surface and a 50′ x 50′ canopy at its western end.  Nearby mass transit includes two PATH stations (9th Street and Christopher Street) and the #1 Subway.  Although service has been reduced, the pier is also still served by the M8 bus on weekdays.

In requesting your creative ideas, the committee is simply taking first steps to explore an idea.  This is not a funding opportunity!!!  As promising, suitable ideas are presented, the committee hopes to refer them to the full Community Board and to recommend them, as community input, to the Hudson River Park Trust, which is responsible for the management and operation of the Pier.

Solicitation is not limited to organizations or individuals located in the area of Community Board 2.