Art in Odd Places

Background

In 1996, a group of artists led by Ed Woodham founded AiOP as part of the Cultural Olympiad of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. AiOP was created as a response to the disappearance of public space and personal civil liberties. Each year, AiOP curates at least one large-scale project. AiOP took a hiatus from 1998 to 2005. Since 2005, AiOP has been headquartered in New York City.

The annual festival presents work in all disciplines outside of traditional public arts presentation and performance spaces, most notably along 14th Street in New York. During AiOP events, pedestrians happen upon the artwork by coincidence while others (like a scavenger hunt) use a map to discover art in unexpected places.

Mission

Art in Odd Places aims to stretch the boundaries of communication in the public realm by presenting artworks in all disciplines outside the confines of traditional public space regulations. Projects have included a performance addressing the issues of public vs. private as it applies to the public restroom, to art teams activating space by cleaning the sidewalks of 14th Street in Manhattan.

Timeline

In 2006, Art in Odd Places presented "Imagining New Public Space", a panel to discuss alternative public places for art. The panel was presented in collaboration with Radhika Subramaniam, founder of interdisciplinary art journal, Connect:art.politics.theory.practice and Setha Low, president of the American Anthropological Association, with panelist: Bill Brown of Surveillance Media Players; Clarinda MacLow, choreographer and performer; and Melbourne's Paul Carter, philosopher and artist from the Lab Architecture Studio.

In 2012, Art in Odd Places was selected as a representative in the U.S. pavilion at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Spontaneous Interventions: Design Actions for the Common Good" received a special mention from the Biennale Jury, the first exhibition in a U.S. pavilion to receive the honor.

In September 2015, more than fifty artists from around the world participated in "Art in Odd Places: 2015/TONE Orlando".

In May 2021, Art in Odd Places (AIOP) 2021: NORMAL launched a series of installations, performances and visual art along 14th Street. It was curated by artist Furusho von Puttkammer and featured Akiko Ichikawa, Gretchen Vitamvas, Jonothon Lyons, Ivan Sikic, Yeseul Song, Yasmeen Abdallah, Julia Justo, Sara Lynne Lindsay and dozens of other artists.

In 2024, Art in Odd Places was curated by husband-and-wife team Christopher Kaczmarek and Patricia Miranda,

In 2025, Art in Odd Places celebrated its 20th Anniversary with the multi-day outdoor festival VOICE presented by the City of West Hollywood and featuring 35 artist projects. and "Nothing" in New York City in response to the organization losing funding from the New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA).

References

References

1. (2016-10-07). "Art in Odd Places Festival Comes to Manhattan - Cultivating Culture".
2. Huebner, Jeff. (Fall/Winter 2012). [https://forecastpublicart.org/temporary-art-can-have-lasting-impact-on-struggling-communities/ The Power of Impermanence: Temporary art's impact on struggling communities.] Forecast / ''Public Art Review'' #47.
3. Jacob, Mary Jane and Michael Brenson (1998). Conversations at The Castle, MIT Press. {{ISBN. 0-262-10072-X.
4. "Art in Odd Places web site".
5. [https://www.newmuseum.org/person/ed-woodham/ Ed Woodham.] New Museum.
6. "Art in Odd Places: 2005".
7. "Art in Odd Places: 2006".
8. "Art in Odd Places: 2007".
9. "Art in Odd Places: 2008".
10. [https://www.tc.columbia.edu/arts-and-humanities/arts-administration/prospective-students/professional-development/ Arts Administration: Professional Development: Ed Woodham.] Columbia Teachers College.
11. In addition to New York City, AiOP has produced events in [[Boston
12. (2023-10-17). "'Art in Odd Places': DRESS transforms public space in New York".
13. "Art in Odd Places: Interview with Founder Ed Woodham and AIOP 2018 Curator Katya Grokhovsky".
14. "Art in Odd Places : ''Meaning Cleaning''".
15. "Lower Manhattan Cultural Council: ''Imagining New Public Space''".
16. Architecture (May 3, 2025)[https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/international-jury-biennale-architettura-2025 The International Jury of the Biennale Architettura 2025 …"The Jury may also award a maximum of one special mention to National Participations".]
17. Spontaneous Interventions featured 124 urban interventions by architects, artists, city planners, designers, and others designed to bring positive neighborhood and urban solution to cities.Custer, Lee Ann (September 17, 2012). [https://www.guggenheim.org/articles/lablog/124-ways-to-change-a-city-spontaneous-interventions-at-the-venice-biennale 124 Ways to Change a City: Spontaneous Interventions at the Venice Biennale.] Guggenheim.
18. [https://www.awesomefoundation.org/en/projects/51258-art-in-odd-places-tone-orlando#:~:text=Art%20in%20Odd%20Places%20(AiOP,Street%20to%20the%20Washington%20Street. Art in Odd Places: TONE/ORLANDO.] The Awesome Foundation.
19. "Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2021: Says this is NORMAL".
20. "BYU's Sara Lynne Lindsay connects generations through her art {{!}} Community News {{!}} heraldextra.com".
21. Krasner, Bob. (19 May 2021). "Artists set up pop-up installations for three-day festival on 14th Street". amNewYork | The Villager.
22. Cascone, Sarah (August 28, 2024). [https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-in-odd-places-new-york-2024-2527284 A Quirky Art Festival Will Be Unfolding in New York—One So Low-Key It Might Surprise You.] Artnet.
23. Art and Cake LA (July 20, 2025). [https://www.artandcakela.com/post/voices-in-the-street Voices in the Street.]
24. Nayyar, Rhea (October 20, 2025). [https://hyperallergic.com/1050555/art-in-odd-places-2025-resists-by-doing-nothi ng/ Art in Odd Places Resists by Doing "Nothing"]. Hyperallergic.