'Ark For The Arts' To Address Climate Change In Red Hook

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN – Two Brooklyn-based artists are creating a portable work of art inspired by Noah's ark that will bring a message about climate change to Red Hook.

Isabelle Garbani and Jeannine Bardo won a city competition to create a work that deals with global warming, according to the Red Hook Star Revue.

Their proposal to create a piece called "Ark for the Arts" was selected after a public input session that saw nine entries this summer.

Garbani described the winning submission as "a moveable work of art that can become a stage, a classroom, or any community event that the residents of Red Hook can dream about. Best of all, it is pulled by a bicycle so it is both green and will keep us healthy!"

The idea is based on Noah's ark, with the artists saying their structure will symbolically safeguard all that's precious in Red Hook, which is considered particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels amid global warming.

“Building resilient communities requires thinking beyond technical solutions, and this community-driven art project will provide a platform for creatively engaging Red Hook residents of all ages to envision the future of their neighborhood in new ways," Jainey Bavishi, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency, said in a statement.

Rendering courtesy of Jeannine Bardo and Isabelle Garbani.