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For Immediate Release: October 20, 2025
Contact:
DCLA: publicaffairs@culture.nyc.gov
SCA: Kevin Ortiz, 718-472-8559, kortiz2@nycsca.org
ARTIST MIGUEL ARZABE CELEBRATES NEW YORK CITY’S CREATIVE SPIRIT IN EXPANSIVE WOVEN PAINTINGS COMMISSIONED BY DCLA’S PERCENT FOR ART PROGRAM AND SCA’S PUBLIC ART FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Photos of Miguel Arzabe’s Artwork at the Queens Innovation Center are Available Here
‘WEaving NYC’ by Miguel Arzabe. Photo by Arturo Sanchez.
Queens, NY— The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), in partnership with the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA), is delighted to announce two new artwork commissions: "WEaving NYC" and "Weaving Queens" by artist Miguel Arzabe. The artworks are unique, permanent installations created specifically for the new Queens Innovation Center, which offers 3,066 seats to New York City high schoolers. In line with Public Art for Public School’s mission, "WEaving NYC" and "WEaving Queens" seek to create welcoming, inspiring experiences for students, families, faculty and community members.
The artwork was commissioned by DCLA’s Percent for Art program, in collaboration with SCA’s Public Art for Public Schools, and NYC Public Schools. They will join the more than 2,000 artworks in NYC Public Schools’ official art collection, which dates back to the late 1800s and features such esteemed artists as Romare Bearden, Donna Dennis, Jeffrey Gibson, Hans Hoffmann, Faith Ringgold, Sarah Sze and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
‘WEaving Queens’ by Miguel Arzabe. Photo by Arturo Sanchez.
"WEaving NYC" and "WEaving Queens" are large-scale woven paintings featuring exuberant colors and bold geometric patterns that combine weaving traditions from around the world, including from the artist’s own Bolivian heritage. Arzabe also incorporated references to the natural, built and cultural environments of New York City. "WEaving NYC," spanning the back wall of the lobby and greeting visitors as they enter the building, features abstract allusions to the urban fabric, along with recognizable imagery, like the Empire State Building and boomboxes. The second artwork, "WEaving Queens," positioned in the first floor corridor and enlivening the cafeterias’ queuing area, shows the energetic, rippling waves of the East River as seen from Queens.
To create each artwork, Arzabe drew inspiration from iconic masterworks of abstract painting in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. He painted two separate compositions. One was cut into vertical strips; the other was cut into horizontal strips. Arzabe then carefully planned his weaving pattern and hand-wove the slender strips as the warp and weft of his final combined compositions. The artworks celebrate the rich culture and dynamic spirit of Queens, while acknowledging its diverse ties to cultures around the globe.
“Public art in our schools is about creating spaces that inspire, connect, and reflect the communities they serve,” said NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “Miguel Arzabe’s works at the Queens Innovation Center highlight the vibrant cultural fabric of Queens and the global stories that weave through our city. Through the Percent for Art program, we’re proud to support these dynamic installations that celebrate school communities and serve as lasting symbols of unity, creativity, and cultural pride."
“Art has the power to transform our schools into places that not only support learning, but also celebrate the creativity and diversity of our city,” said President and CEO of the NYC School Construction Authority Nina Kubota. “Miguel Arzabe’s woven paintings bring together global traditions and local stories, reflecting the spirit of Queens and the energy of our students. We are proud to continue expanding our Public Art for Public Schools collection with works that inspire and connect generations of New Yorkers.”
“Arzabe has a singular technique of hand-weaving two separate paintings into one complex tapestry that combines organic, geometric and figurative patterns,” said Public Art for Public Schools Director Tania Duvergne. “We are thrilled to be welcoming these two new artworks as the very first woven paintings in our collection, expanding the diversity of media on view for New York City’s students.”
“The artworks have a bustling energy that mirrors the youthful promise of the school and the city,” said artist Miguel Arzabe. “Like a familiar face in a strange crowd, the pieces welcome students and public alike with colorful woven patterns that allude to the variety of textile traditions around the world.”
Project Collaborators
Miguel Arzabe’s artworks were installed by Marshall Fine Arts. Additional expertise was provided by NYC School Construction Authority’s in-house Architecture and Engineering team.
About the Artist
Miguel Arzabe (b. 1975, St. Louis, MO; lives and works in Oakland, CA) creates colorful and dynamic painted and woven abstractions that draw inspiration from the textile tradition of his Andean heritage. His works often blur the boundary between form and content, inviting viewers to draw their own interpretations of his imagery. Arzabe has achieved notable recognition in the art world; he has exhibited at the ICA San Francisco and Festival Hors Pistes (Centre Pompidou, Paris) and his artworks have been acquired by the de Young Museum and the Harn Museum, among others. The commissions at Queens Innovation Center are Arzabe’s largest permanent public artworks to date.
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About Public Arts for Public Schools
Public Art for Public Schools (PAPS), a division of the New York City School Construction Authority, is the only program in the country dedicated exclusively to public art in pre-K – 12 schools. As stewards of New York City Public Schools’ public art collection, PAPS oversees more than 2,000 artworks, dating from the late 19th century to the present, installed in schools throughout the five boroughs. PAPS preserves and celebrates this rich visual legacy through conservation, educational outreach and research. For newly constructed school buildings, the program commissions contemporary site-specific artworks that enhance learning environments, foster critical thinking, spark curiosity and inspire creativity. Together these initiatives offer students the joy and transformative potential of art as an essential part of their educational experience. For more information visit www.nycsca.org/publicartforpublicschools.
About NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City’s vibrant cultural life. DCLA works to promote and advocate for quality arts programming and to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the City’s vitality. The Department represents and serves nonprofit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary, and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens, and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists at all skill levels who live and work within the City’s five boroughs. DCLA also provides donated materials for arts programs offered by the public schools and cultural and social service groups, and commissions permanent works of public art at City-funded construction projects throughout the five boroughs. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/culture.
About NYC School Construction Authority
The School Construction Authority's (SCA) mission is to design and construct safe, attractive and environmentally sound public schools for children throughout the many communities of New York City. We are dedicated to building and modernizing schools in a responsible, cost-effective manner while achieving the highest standards of excellence in safety, quality and integrity. Established by the New York State Legislature in December 1988, the SCA has provided over 333,000 new school seats to New York City students, and protected, repaired and upgraded over 1,800 schools in over 1,400 school buildings with over 12,500 capital improvement projects. For more information visit www.nycsca.org and follow us on social media.