New York's Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit Returns This Memorial Day Weekend

Inaugurated by legendary abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock in the spring of 1931, the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit returns to New York City this Memorial Day weekend for its 87th year.

Struggling to make rent during the trying years of the Great Depression, Jackson Pollock figured he had nothing to lose—so one spring day, he gathered a few paintings from his humble Greenwich Village studio and displayed them on the sidewalk by Washington Square Park.

Little did he know, Pollock’s small-scale exhibition would position his work in front of the right people, including Whitney Museum of American Art founder Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and then-Director of the Museum of Modern Art, Alfred H. Barr, Jr. From then on, his career was poised for unimaginable success.

Aside from serving as a platform for exhibiting artists to showcase their wares, the exhibition has explored important themes in art, to include “the abolishing of an early ban on nudes; the opening of the show to photography as an art form; and the recognition of crafts, provided each piece is one-of-a-kind and hand-made,” according to the event’s website.

Artists serve as judges, and dole out cash prizes for the best works of fine art, graphic art, mixed media works, paintings, photographs, sculptures and ceramics, crafts, jewelry, glass, and more.

The spring 2017 edition of the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit will be held along University Place between Waverly and 12th Street from May 27 through May 29, and June 3 and 4 from 12pm until 6pm.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

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Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

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