The FCBID regularly creates programs, events and printed materials to promote the Fashion District and its tenants, as well as create awareness of the FCBID’s role in the neighborhood’s development.

GLAMOUR, NEW YORK STYLE, AT THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK In April 2005, as a benefit of membership, all district tenants and property owners were invited to a cocktail reception and special viewing of Glamour, New York Style, an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, highlighting the people, events, and styles that have made New York City the glamour capital of the country.

ELIZABETH FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS EXHIBIT
In Winter 2006, the FCBID supported an exhibit at the new EFA Gallery, “Everything Beautiful and Noble is the Result of Reason and Calculation,” the inaugural exhibit of that gallery on West 39th Street. All district tenants, property owners and NYC real estate brokers received invitations to view the exhibit. Over 450 people attended the opening night reception on February 2, 2005.

ENVIRONS In February, the FCBID debuted ENVIRONS, an updated version of the BID’s quarterly newsletter, using a new size and format. ENVIRONS is distributed to all property owners and tenants, as well as City agencies and other interested parties.

Environs newsletter

SUMMER GARDEN At the suggestion of Trizec Properties, Inc., the owners of 1411 Broadway, the FCBID is planning to mount another exhibition for display on that building’s plaza in Summer 2006. In 1998 and 1999, the FCBID created “Summer Garden” exhibitions that were well received but were subsequently discontinued due to funding. A new exhibit system is currently being designed by Antenna Design, the firm that created the FCBID’s multirack news-box structure. The Summer Garden exhibit is expected to be on display for July and August 2006.

FCBID Chairman George Kaufman with the FCBID’s Deputy Director Jerry Scupp, who organized the festival.

FIRST FASHION DISTRICT ARTS FESTIVAL More than 2500 members of the public enjoyed the FCBID’s first annual Fashion District Arts Festival, which ran from
October 17 to 23, 2005. The festival was created to showcase the artists, crafters, galleries and theaters that now make their homes alongside celebrated designers in the heart of America’s fashion capital.

During this special week, the public was invited to:
catch a new off-Broadway show or an avant-garde
performance art presentation
see a gallery exhibit
make a behind-the-scenes visit to artists’ studios
learn about pottery and print making
listen to noted fashion designers describe the link between art and fashion
dance the Salsa on the plaza of 1411 Broadway and even fly a kite on the roof of the Port Authority!

Generously sponsored by North Fork Bank, with an additional contribution from Con Ed, the 2005 Fashion District Arts Festival brought attention to an increasingly important community within the Fashion District. Over the last five years, the Fashion District has seen a steady influx of artists and arts-related organizations that are transforming the neighborhood into a 24-hour destination. As this group has grown, so have the FCBID’s efforts to support it.

In 2004, the FCBID created the Eats & Seats program to promote local theater and restaurants, and joined with the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts to promote a fall Open Studios weekend. This year, those efforts were expanded into a full-fledged festival which encompassed over 120 activities and events hosted by over 100 participants.

LAUNCH PARTY The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts was the location for the FCBID’s press conference announcing the 2005 Fashion District Arts Festival. Over 80 people attended the cocktail party event on October 5, leading to coverage of the festival in the Daily News, Women’s Wear Daily and the New York Sun and on NBC, WB11, as well as FOX News television broadcasts, among many others.

150 kids enjoyed �ying kites on the Port Authority roof.

FLIGHTS OF FANCY! On Sunday, October 16, the FCBID kicked off the Arts Festival with a first-ever public kite flying event atop the roof of the Port Authority. On this beau-tiful fall day, more than 150 kids from Free Arts NYC, an organization that serves “at risk” city youth, enjoyed mak-ing and flying kites. Volunteers from Materials for the Arts, Free Arts NYC and the New York High School of Fashion Industries assisted the participants in decorating and flying their kites. Entertainment and refreshments were provided by Jerry Joy Music.

In addition, prominent designers created kites for a public display in the lobby of 1411 Broadway. The kites were later auctioned, with proceeds benefiting the non-profit Materials for the Arts and Free Arts NYC, two organizations that support the arts for kids in NYC.

SALSA ON BROADWAY! On Monday, October 17, the Fashion Center BID band got the neighborhood into the swing of the festival by performing Salsa on Broadway on the 1411 Broadway Plaza – much to the delight of lunchtime crowds. FCBID sanitation personnel joined with profes-sional Latin musicians to create the sounds of Salsa, and an appreciative crowd sprang to their feet to dance to the beat!

Salsa on Broadway!

SEMINAR SERIES Prominent fashion designers partici-pated in the FCBID's festival discussion series, focusing on the nexus between art and fashion.
On Monday October 17, celebrated couturier, Ralph Rucci led a discussion entitled “A Master’s Class” at the Abing-don Theater. Wednesday, October 19 found Bryan Bradley of Tuleh discussing “Text and Textiles in Context” at the Lower East Side Printshop. Executives from the celebrated Ratti textile house were also on hand, as guests examined various textiles during the discussion.

Despite being delayed by a meeting with Madonna, Isaac Mizrahi found that more than 50 had turned out to hear him describe his life-long involvement in theater and dance as he discussed “Clothes that Dance” at the new Baryshnikov Arts Center on Thursday, October 20. Yeohlee Teng provided the finale to the discussion series, “Material Architecture,” at the Exit Art Gallery on Friday, October 21, as she examined the influence of architecture on her designs. Architect Jorge Schwartz presented architectural examples and concepts that Yoehlee then related to her work.

Barbara Randall, Valerie Steele, Director of the Museum at FIT and Chair of the Fashion Walk of Fame Selections Committee, designer Ralph Rucci, and fashion columnist Marylou Luther.

OPEN STUDIOS One of the core elements of the 2005 Fashion District Arts Festival was the “open studios” program that allowed the public access to artist studios, from group settings such as the Lower East Side Printshop, Tribeca Potters and Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, to more than a dozen of the district’s independent artists’ studios as well. A number of the galleries which have opened in the neighborhood participated with special exhibits and openings during the festival.

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