Showcasing harmony
Tolerance posters showcases global artists in East Village
BY AIDAN SEIDEN
Over the last 200 years,
the East Village has established
itself as a haven
for free-thinking individuals
to create art of all different
forms, encouraging works
that refl ect social, political or
personal messages.
Since its establishment, The
Cooper Union, a private college,
has functioned as a New
York City landmark that has
fostered activism, advocacy,
and education for over a century—
making it the perfect location
to host the groundbreaking
Tolerance Project, an art
exhibition that promotes social
acceptance through the power
of design.
From now through Feb. 24, a
collection of handcrafted posters
designed by contributing
artists from around the world
will be on display in the colonnaded
windows of Cooper
Union’s Foundation Building
in the East Village, with all
the pieces sharing the message
of inclusion, diversity, and of
course, tolerance.
“It’s all part of an effort to
spread respect and thoughtfulness
in a world increasingly
split by distinctions of race, religion,
sexuality, and national origin,”
said the project’s creator,
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Tolerance Project on display at The Cooper Union in the East Village.
Mirko Ili´c. “In posters that are
by turns playful and profound,
surprising, and original, The
Tolerance Project utilizes the
unique power of design to remind
us what we all have in
common—and what it takes to
bridge the divides between us.”
Ili´c, a renowned Bosnian
visual artist-activist, fi rst conceived
the initiative after becoming
inspired by the annual
“House of Tolerance” festival
in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a similar
project that utilizes its platform
to advocate for positive social
change by reminding the public
of the tragedies that took place
during the Holocaust.
Since its inception in 2017,
The Tolerance Project has
reached over 300,000 people in
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COOPER UNION
37 different countries, gaining
new posters with each installment.
The posters are supplied
by each of the region’s prominent
artists, whose only requirement
for designing the prints is
to feature the word “tolerance”
in their native language; to
date, Ili´c has collected over 180
posters for the project.
Each exhibit displays the
posters wherever they can be
seen most by the public: in
parks, on university campuses,
even on buses— seeking to engage
with as much of the population
as possible.
“I have worked with him
Ili´c for over two decades and
his hand, eye and mind has
contributed incalculable value
to the pages that I designed
and art directed,” said Steven
Heller, a frequent collaborator
to the project.
Ili´c began the project with
the goal of inspiring positive
change among individuals in all
corners of the world, however,
of the 129 shows The Tolerance
Project has staged over
the last 4 years, there has never
been an exhibit in New York —
until now.
With 13 shows in Croatia, a
small country with a population
of 4 million people, and only
eleven shows in the US, with
a population of 330 million
people, Ili´c is stifl ed by these
numbers, forcing himself to
question how Americans truly
feel about intolerance.
However, after witnessing
the impact that the posters
have, and the precision and
consideration that goes into designing
them, Ili´c will continue
to bring his campaign for the
advancement of inclusivity, diversity,
and equality in society,
around the world.
“I really hope it’s the fi rst of
many more to come,” he said
of the Union Square exhibit.
“The Tolerance Project starts
a conversation about inclusion,
which can only begin with a
foundation of tolerance.”
Lincoln Center announces free, ‘choose what you pay’ programs
BY MYRIAN GARCIA
Lincoln Center for the Performing
Arts recently announced
plans to make
performances, discussions and
civic activations either free or
more accessible with a choosewhat
you-pay ticketing model
this spring beginning Feb. 27
and running through June 15.
Serving the world’s leading
presenter of superb artistic
programming, the Lincoln
Center presents around 3,000
programs, events and initiatives
each year. According to the website,
“this spring season brings
together dozens of arts organizations
and artists from across
New York City and Lincoln Center’s
Lincoln Center
own campus, exploring the
intersection of culture, civic engagement
and community building
through vibrant and varied
weekly programming.”
REUTERS/LUCAS JACKSON
This season, free programming
is offered through Lincoln
Center Passport, Moments and
Activate. Additionally, the David
Rubenstein Atrium will reopen
with all free events.
Passport to the Arts, beginning
virtually on Feb. 27, is specifi
cally created and inclusively
designed for children, teens
and adults with disabilities to
attend for free. The program
is an Adapted Dance Workshop
with New York City Ballet
and will continue through
June 15 with music, dance and
theater workshops. The workshops
are in collaboration with
the Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln
Center, the Metropolitan Opera
Guild and many more. Inperson
performances are to be
announced by the Center in the
coming weeks.
Lincoln Center Moments is
created to continue the support
of individuals, caregivers and
families impacted by dementia.
Moments programming from
March 9 to June 14, is partnering
with arts organizations
across disciplines with virtual
and in-person performances free
of charge.
The Lincoln Center is also
introducing Activate, which offers
a shared platform for artists
and educators to connect,
collaborate and build new ways
to spark change across the arts
industry. This program is from
March 16-17 with sessions from
April 6-7 focusing on the power
of regional cultural networks.
For more information, visit
www.lincolncenter.org.
20 February 10, 2022 Schneps Media
/www.lincolncenter.org
/www.lincolncenter.org
