NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced a series of “pop-up” art performances that will be held statewide to help revive the industry hard-hit by the pandemic.
The governor said the “New York Pops Up” initiative will help accelerate the restoration of culture, arts and creative energy amid the pandemic, as well as put thousands of New Yorkers back to work.
The newly announced program will include 300 events in 100 days of free “pop-up” performances, that will be available online and in-person.
“We’re going to have the pop-up events happen all across the state,” Cuomo said. “It’s going to be exciting. These will then be in-person pop-up entertainments, with really great entertainers.”
According to the governor's office, the pop-up events "will meet New York City and State residents where they are, infusing their daily lives with the surprise and joy of live performance."
"Instead of there being masses of audience members at a handful of events, this Festival is a mass of events, each for a safe and secure 'handful' of audience members," Cuomo's office said in a press release.
The series will kick off on Sat, Feb. 20 and will include performances by actors such as Hugh Jackman, Matthew Broderick, Chris Rock, Patti Smith, Alec Baldwin and more. Smith's performance will be held at the Brooklyn Museum in remembrance of the late Robert Mapplethorpe.
The first performance will be held at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan and members of the artists council, which is leading the program, will hold a special tribute to healthcare workers. The performance will feature Jon Batiste, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Ayodele Casel, and additional special guests.
Throughout the day, the performers will travel around New York City and meet audiences at various locations, such as the Flushing Post Office, Elmhurst Hospital and St. Barnabas Hospital.
“This is exciting, it’s different, it’s exciting but these are different times, and we have to address them,” Cuomo said.
The program will culminate with the opening of Little Island at Pier 55, and the 20th anniversary of Tribeca Film Festival in June.
The pop-up events will also eventually lead to the permanent reopening of venues for arts using rapid testing, the governor noted.
In January, Cuomo outlined his “New York Arts Revival” for the reopening of venues in which the state will begin to reopen venues after the pop-up events using rapid testing.
New York State plans to launch rapid testing sites throughout multiple cities so that people can get tested, receive a negative result and be able to attend events within the same day. Anyone who tests positive will not be permitted to attend.
The rapid testing plan was first tested in early January when 6,700 fans were allowed to attend the Buffalo Bills playoff game. Cuomo said there were “virtually no” cases as a result of that game.