ROCKEFELLER CENTER® COLLABORATES WITH THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME AND THE CLIMATE MUSEUM FOR “THE FLAG PROJECT 2022”
Selected artwork submissions from around the world will adorn all 193 flagpoles surrounding the Plaza to raise awareness about the environment and positive climate action
Submissions are open now through February 24th
Rockefeller Center today announced a collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate Museum for the third annual The Flag Project. Each spring, this crowd-sourced art exhibition invites the public to submit art for consideration to be displayed on one of the 193 flagpoles that surround the Plaza. Artists of all levels can submit their work through the Rockefeller Center website until February 24th. The flagpoles, traditionally adorned with the flags of the nations recognized by the United Nations, will be flown at Rockefeller Center from April 1st to May 6th to mark Earth Day and on June 5th for a special commemoration of World Environment Day.
The global call for submissions is now open for mixed-medium artwork that celebrates “Only One Earth,” the theme for this year’s World Environment Day, showcasing our appreciation for the environment and how to live sustainably and in harmony with nature. UNEP and the Climate Museum will select winning designs that will be transformed into eco-friendly, biodegradable flags. This year’s Flag Project will also be the focal point of Rockefeller Center’s Earth Day celebrations on April 22nd that will include free, public programming with the Climate Museum, including a talk on climate arts inspiring action with Miranda Massie, Founder and Director of the Climate Museum (presented in partnership with Never Stop Learning), Climate Art for Congress youth climate art and advocacy project, and additional activities.
Rockefeller Center has collaborated with UNEP and the Climate Museum this year to create a monumental call to climate action through public art. The collaboration also coincides with Stockholm+50, an international meeting that will be held this June 5th, 2022 in Sweden to recognize global action towards a sustainable society, World Environment Day and the 50th anniversary of the UNEP.
“This is a critical year marking important environmental milestones, including UNEP’s 50th anniversary and Stockholm+50, to gather momentum to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,” said Ligia Noronha, United Nations Assistant Secretary- General and Head of the New York Office. “This collaboration with the Rockefeller Center is a great opportunity to call for urgent actions for a healthy planet for the prosperity of all.”
“We’re absolutely delighted to partner with Rockefeller Center and UNEP on these vital Earth Day initiatives that prioritize a global call to climate action, inviting us all to break the climate silence,” said Miranda Massie, Director of the Climate Museum. “Rockefeller Center’s accessibility to a broad public makes the Flag Project and additional events an important nexus for public art, dialogue, contemplation, and action focused on climate change and the environment, bringing participants and visitors together to build community around progress toward a climate-safe future.”
“We’re delighted to be partnering with UNEP and the Climate Museum to address the global threat of climate change this year with inspirational art by artists from around the world. The Flag Project has quickly become one of Rockefeller Center’s most beloved events. It’s an opportunity for artists of all ages, near and far, to share their visions for our one earth.” – EB Kelly, Managing Director and Head of Rockefeller Center
The first-ever Flag Project was launched in spring of 2020 and was Rockefeller Center’s first-ever, crowd-sourced art initiative. The exhibition was created to give New Yorkers and global contributors a creative and positive artistic outlet as the world was grappling with the effects of the pandemic and on-going social and racial injustices.
The Flag Project returned in 2021 and was presented in partnership with the world-renowned New York–based nonprofit and publisher Aperture Foundation to celebrate the city through photography. The 2021 Flag Project presented dual exhibitions - a lightbox exhibition featuring works by esteemed NYC street and subway photographer Jamel Shabazz, in addition to the flags which featured the winning submissions.
The Flag Project has routinely featured artists of all walks of life to participate, including Jeff Koons, Marina Abramovich, KAWS, Christian Siriano, Elliot Erwitt, Tyler Mitchell and Ryan McGinley. Additional contributors will be announced at a later date.
For more information visit rockefellercenter.com and follow Rockefeller Center on Twitter @rockcenternyc, Instagram @rockefellercenter, and Facebook @rockefellercenternyc.
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About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
About the Climate Museum (www.climatemuseum.org)
The Climate Museum’s mission is to inspire action on the climate crisis with programming across the arts and sciences that deepens understanding, builds connections, and advances just solutions. In its public programming to date, it has created an activist, cultural approach to community engagement with climate, recognizing that most Americans are worried about the climate crisis but are unsure how to take meaningful action. The Museum’s free, accessible exhibitions, art installations, online events, youth programs, and more have broadened the climate movement, introducing an interdisciplinary approach to climate with an emphasis on community, justice, equity, and inclusion. The Museum has commissioned a wide range of climate art and juried numerous climate arts, design, and photography competitions including the AIGA Design Conference, The Art of Resilience Exhibition presented by GFDRR’s Lab and the World Bank Group Art Program, Decade of Change Photography Awards, and capstone design projects at RISD and SVA, among others. Programs are presented at the Museum’s exhibition hub on Governors Island, in public spaces citywide, and, since 2020, through virtual events. The Museum is currently scaling out to a permanent, year-round presence in New York City.
About Tishman Speyer (http://www.tishmanspeyer.com)
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 30 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. We develop, build and manage premier office, residential and retail spaces for industry-leading tenants, as well as state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties venture. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, we are unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers’ evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO., and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 484 properties, totaling 219 million square feet, with a combined value of over $121 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.