Programming on Governors Island is heating up, with free water-themed events this Saturday and plans to bring artists to the island next summer.
This Saturday, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is hosting City of Water Day. Kayaking, boating and sailing groups will converge on the island for tours, lectures and music. A boat parade featuring the retired fireboat John J. Harvey and the South St. Seaport Museum’s tugboat W.O. Decker will float past the island. Visitors can hop on an eco-tour with N.Y.C. Audubon or take a fishing clinic with I Fish New York. As always, cyclists can bring their own bike or rent one on the island.
In a separate effort to increase the island’s programming in future years, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation announced two requests for proposals earlier this month. One is for a temporary art and dining venue atop an unused parking lot, and the other is for a permanent art studio and exhibition space. Both would open in spring 2009, with a five-year term subject to renewal.
In addition to a restaurant, the temporary venue would include 500 to 800 seats for events under cover, along with outdoor performance space.
The permanent artist space should “establish a lasting and consistent presence of working artists on the island,” the request states. GIPEC wants artists to work on the island year-round and to hold exhibitions at the space. The program will sit in the historic Building 110, a short walk from the ferry landing.
Both R.F.P.s are available at govisland.com and are due Aug. 28.
Governors Island got another boost earlier this month when Statue Cruises, which runs ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, made its first ever stop on Governors Island. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Liberty Harbor Cruise will stop on the island, likely drawing tourists who would not have known about the island otherwise. The cruises leave from Battery Park and offer views of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
The free ferries to Governors Island will continue running from the Battery Maritime Building Friday through Sunday. This Saturday, for City of Water Day, ferries will leave for the island at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and then every half hour until 5 p.m. Return ferries start at 10:30 a.m. and run every half hour until 7 p.m.
