Blue Man Group: Ready...Go!, on view at the Museum of the City of New York from July 19, 2019, through September 2, 2019, is a new interactive installation highlighting the creativity and legacy of the bald, blue-hued, silent trio who first burst onto the downtown New York scene in 1988 and still perform nightly at the Astor Place Theatre.
One of the centerpieces of the Blue Man Group New York show is an imaginative percussive instrument constructed from PVC piping. The original instrument, on loan from the Blue Man Group archives, heads uptown to the Museum of the City of New York for six weeks this summer as part ofBlue Man Group: Ready...Go! The installation invites visitors to jam out on the PVC pipe while learning about the group's New York City origins and taking a look at the world through the eyes of a Blue Man.
The lively space-spattered with bright colors-includes the large PVC pipe instrument adorned with UV paint and surrounded by LED screens featuring text and other interactive moments.
"This fun and engaging installation offers visitors hands-on access to the Blue Man Group's original instrument for the very first time," said Whitney W. Donhauser, Ronay Menschel Director and President of the Museum of the City of New York. "There's often a 'look, don't touch' approach at cultural institutions. However, with this Blue Man Group installation, we're encouraging visitors to engage and play, in all senses of the word, while learning more about the Blue Man Group's Big Apple legacy."
"The city of New York is an integral part of Blue Man Group DNA. Though what we started on the streets and stages of downtown ultimately struck a chord with a global audience, it's incredibly gratifying and humblingthat some of that raw, experimental, New York-grittiness is felt everywhere that Blue Man Group goes," says Matt Goldman, co-founder of Blue Man Group.
Blue Man Group will appear atUptown Bounce, the Museum's annual summer block party series, on August 7th. The freeevent, presented in partnership with El Museo del Barrio, celebrates East Harlem at the top of Museum Mile and includes programming and entertainment for the whole family.
"We are so excited to see this partnership with the Museum of the City of New York-another beloved New York City institution-come to life," said Camille DePascale, Resident General Manager of Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theatre. "This is a great opportunity to share our story, bring more New Yorkers into the Blue Man fold, and further connect with the New York community through the Museum'sUptown Bounce event."
"Blue Man Group was birthed in the downtown Manhattan counterculture of the 1980s and went on to become a worldwide phenomenon," said the Museum's Chief Curator and Deputy Director Sarah Henry. "They are anonymous yet instantly recognizable. They make statements, yet they are silent. Their slyly subversive humor and innovation cast a new light on modern life and its ordinary objects. This installation presents fresh insights into the group's creativity and strong New York ties."
Ticket combination packages will be available and will include discounts for Blue Man Group performances at the Astor Place Theatre as well as Museum admission.
Blue Man Group: Ready...Go!is organized by Morgen Stevens?Garmon, Associate Curator at the Museum of the City of New York.
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