The Museum of Modern Art's PS1 cut the ribbon today on a huge white dome in the Rockaways, set to serve as a pop-up cultural center of sorts in the Sandy-battered area. Boasting a 200-person seating capacity, the dome is located between Beach 94th and Beach 95th streets near the badly damaged boardwalk and will operate until May 18, according to the WSJ. Similar in appearance to a dome that PS1 erected in its own courtyard in conjunction with Volkswagen to host events this past winter (pictured above), the Rockaways project is also part of a larger citywide, summer-long event series called Expo 1, which is meant to approach the city's ecological problems and political/economic instability with a cultural bent.
PS1's director Klaus Biesenbach, in fact, has a personal connection to the Rockaways that makes him even more intent on helping the relief effort: a second home and garden there. Last month, with the Rockaways in mind, the museum also put out an open call for artists, architects, designers, and anyone else with a creative idea to generate solutions for how to create a more sustainable waterfront. Submissions are accepted till March 15, and finalists will present their proposals in April in what's been dubbed the VW Dome 2. (We'll bring you photos of the dome in its beachside location as soon as we get 'em.)
· A Cultural Shelter for the Rockaways [WSJ]
· Expo 1: New York Rockaway Call for Ideas [MoMaPS1.org]