The Whitney Groundbreaking Ceremony

An extraordinary ribbon cutting ceremony for the Whitney Museum of American Art’s groundbreaking in 2011, created by Elizabeth Streb in which Risen from the Thread LLC designed the costumes of the dancers, a custom jacket for Elizabeth and seven customized STREB shovels to commemorate the event. As part of the event Mayor Bloomberg, Adam Weinberg: curator, and other city officials were invited to “break ground”.

An additional outcome of this project was participating at the STREB Action Maverick Award Benefit. The Action Maverick Award celebrates the bravery, openness and interdependence that both SLAM (Streb Lab for Action Mechanics) and STREB embody. We provided limited edition silkscreen prints using thermochromic ink, to create an interactive analogue experience. The buyers were asked to hang the prints where the sun could reach it so the heat from it would make the print “disappear” and appear again as the temperature cooled down.

A member of the Streb Extreme Action Company breaks through a framed panel of mock glass during ground breaking ceremonies for a new Whitney Museum, in New York, Tuesday, May 24, 2011. The nine-story, metal-clad building, which will include a series of asymmetrical rooftops for outdoor exhibitions facing the High Line and the nearby Hudson River, is designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and will nearly double the museum’s current gallery space. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Dirt falls on the helmeted head of artist Elizabeth Streb during ground breaking ceremonies for the new Whitney Museum, in New York, Tuesday, May 24, 2011. The nine-story, metal-clad building, will include a series of asymmetrical rooftops for outdoor exhibitions facing the High Line and the nearby Hudson River, is designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and will nearly double the museum’s current gallery space. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

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