WATERPOD

PHOTOGRAPHS

WATERPOD PROCESS

WEBSITE

THANK YOU

The businesses, groups, and individuals who made Waterpod happen write something about it:

NYC Dockmaster Unit

Governor's Island GIPEC

Rik van Hemmen

Robert Mann Gallery

Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation

Mary Mattingly, Cory Marvis, and Dockmaster Frank J. Carnesi, November 2008

Origins and Evolution of the Waterpod

Several months of conceptual work included creating: designs; theoretical treatises describing the mission and objectives of the Waterpod; business plans and budgets; maps and itineraries; one-page descriptive documents, two-page descriptive documents, architectural layouts; and artistic and scientific programming timelines. Pages and pages of grant applications were prepared to put this project in front of the appropriate city, state, and federal agencies ranging from the United States Coast Guard, to the NYC Dockmaster Unit, to our legal counsel Blank Rome, to barge companies, art collectors, investors, in-kind donors (solar panels and water purification equipment, towing services and shipyard facilities), and fiscal sponsors. I also established an LLC to assume the financial and operational risk.

Creating a cohesive support network among government, legal, private, and public groups was essential for this project to gain the support needed to execute such an undertaking in New York City. Before we even started the buildout, the Waterpod represented hundreds of thousands of dollars of work contributed on an in-kind and pro bono basis, without which, this project would never have gotten off the ground.

In one capacity or another, many people stood by me throughout the entire journey believing that the project would become reality: Mira and Derek Hunter, Eve K. Tremblay, Leslie Bocskor, and Cory Mervis.

A few key people reached out at critical points to move the project forward. Among these are Allison Jaffin at NYC Deputy Mayor Patti Harris’s office, Jamie Bennett at the Department of Cultural Affairs, and Maxeme Tuchman from the Mayor’s Office of Special Projects. Richard Singleton from Blank Rome, LLC and his colleague Glen Oxton met with me regularly to review my progress. They convinced the Blank Rome Executive Committee to take on the project as a pro bono assignment. When the Waterpod was able to draw support and inspiration from these individuals, the missing pieces fell into place.

As the project began to develop a solid base of support, other highly talented teammates came on board, including John McGarvey, Alison Ward, Carissa Carman, Lonny Grafman, Dockmaster Frank J. Carnesi, Rik van Hemmen at Martin Ottaway, Evan Korn and Jessica Rosenfield at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Citywide Events Coordination and Management, U.S. Coast Guard Commander Brian S. Gilda, Sara Reisman at Percent for Art, Ken Hollenbeck, Richard Massey, and many others. In the final stages of planning, other invaluable collaborators joined our effort, weaving the fabric that made the Waterpod work, including co-curator Ian Daniel, Mayra Ciment, Nicole Pilar, Kristen Parker, Janet Persia, and scores of talented and enthusiastic volunteers.