Alejandra Zapata

Studio led by Professor Jacob Alspector

Pont Des Arts

An art center that bridges two communities and connects its users with the larger urban fabric through the performance and education of the fine arts.

The Ponts des Arts is a cultural center that expands the creative experience and fosters the community by empowering people to make, perform and learn about the fine arts. Located in front of the Cooper Square in New York City, the proposal attempts to create a connection between two contrasting communities. It aims to have a multigenerational approach that is inclusive to the larger New York community. As a vision the Ponts des Arts, engages its users into a welcoming and inclusive community where lives are enriched through the shared experience of the fine arts. The space uses dazzling colors and soft shapes and surfaces that infuse the scene with immediacy. The space urges the artists to engage in “real life” to advance their level of sophistication and emotional reach. Through various exhibition spaces, classrooms, studios, communal market and maker spaces the center inspires people to aspire to higher levels of creative risk-taking, purpose and communal life.