There are more than 300 miles of construction fences and sidewalk sheds sprawled across the city.

The City Council made a pilot program aimed at beautifying them permanent a little more than a year ago. Now, this summer, the city announced eight pre-approved artist designs. However, property owners can still choose from a list of other artists.


What You Need To Know

  • The City Canvas program gives property owners the chance to display artwork on their temporary structures, like sheds, scaffolding and fences, if those structures are up for more than 90 days

  • Davina Hsu, who has been creating art for nearly two decades, now has her work on display in Battery Park City, sprawling across 400 feet of construction fencing along Wagner Park
  • The city pays artists $1,000 stipends to develop artwork for the pre-approved gallery, with the potential to earn more when a property owner selects their artwork
  • Property owners have the option to opt out of the program if they’re not interested in artwork

Davina Hsu has been creating art for nearly two decades. She has been crafting wool fibers, not to be made into clothes, but into soft sculptures.

“This kind of embodies the essence of the nature of reality. This is how the fabric of life is,” Hsu said.

Now, she has one of the largest audiences of her career, because her work is on display in Battery Park City, sprawling across 400 feet of construction fencing along Wagner Park.

“In this large scale, people can see, and not have to know the behind story, but just kind of [be] immersed in it,” Hsu said.

It’s part of a new program by the city’s Department of Buildings and Department of Cultural Affairs. It gives property owners the chance to display artwork on their temporary structures, like sheds, scaffolding and fences, if those structures are up for more than 90 days.

“This was an opportunity to create artwork on a place, on structures, that were not very attractive in our everyday environment,” said Kendal Henry, the assistant commissioner at the Department of Cultural Affairs.

When a property owner is applying for the temporary structure permit, they are automatically enrolled in the City Canvas program. Property owners have the option to opt out of the program if they’re not interested in artwork.

The Department of Cultural Affairs said the main goal is to create more opportunities for public art across the city.

“We see scaffolding as infrastructure to put something else on it, to sort of cover it up, to sort of make it more beautiful, as a result making the city more livable, more attractive,” Henry said.

Business owners have the choice to pick from participating artists or have the city choose for them.

“What would you prefer to see? Bare scaffolding, or a beautiful artwork covering that? So we see it as infrastructure that is there for artwork. And we’re capitalizing on that,” Henry said.

For Hsu, she’s capitalizing on the platform, adapting her fiber art to a different medium, taking photographs of her work and digitally manipulating it for canvas.

“I use computer to create this digital patterns that otherwise I would not be able to do to make the work in this scale,” she said.

The work was selected and produced by ArtBridge, a nonprofit organization that has been displaying artwork on structures since 2008.

With her work spanning 400 feet, Hsu hopes her colors and patterns give passersby something they can take with them.

“I hope people to see this work and feel energized, and feel a sense of care, connection and curiosity,” she said.

The city pays artists $1,000 stipends to develop artworks for the pre-approved gallery, with the potential to earn more when a property owner selects their artwork.

This is part of the mayor's effort to get sheds down. Property owners pay the cost for the art, which varies depending upon the artist used.