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For immediate release

PUBLIC ART FUND in collaboration with THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART presents…

ARTIST FRANCIS ALŸS: THE MODERN PROCESSION
CELEBRATING THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART'S MOVE TO MoMA QNS..

Festive event ushers iconic works from Midtown into Long Island City

Departing from MoMA, 11 W 53rd, Sunday June 23, 2002 at 9am

The Modern Procession, organized by artist Francis Alÿs and presented by the Public Art Fund in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art, is modeled after a traditional ritual procession. Beginning in front of MoMA at 53rd and Fifth Avenue at 9am, the procession will walk through midtown Manhattan, cross the Queensboro Bridge into Long Island City, march along Queens Boulevard, and end at the door of MoMA QNS (33rd St at Queens Blvd). Both festive and ceremonial, the procession will make the museum's historic transition both visible and public, linking the two boroughs in a spectacular and memorable way. The procession features:

• 12-member Peruvian brass band, Banda de Santa Cecilia

• Dozens of other uniformed participants carrying reproductions of MoMA's most famous works-including Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Marcel Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel-on hand-held wooden carriages

• Artist Kiki Smith will participate as a representative of contemporary art

• Banners, strewn rose petals, horses, and more

The Modern Procession will be documented with a video to be exhibited in Projects 76: Francis Alÿs, opening June 29 at MoMA QNS.

8:15-8:45am, 11 W 53rd between Fifth and Sixth Aves: Interview opportunities with artist Francis Alÿs; Tom Eccles, Director of the Public Art Fund; and Mary Lea Bandy, Chief Curator of Film and Media and Deputy Director, Department of Curatorial Affairs, The Museum of Modern Art.

9am-12pm, photo and filming opportunities along the procession route:

• North on Sixth Avenue (between 53rd and 57th Streets)

• East on 57th Street (between Sixth Avenue and Madison Avenue)

• North on Park Avenue (between 57th and 59th Streets)

• East on 59th Street (between Madison Avenue and First Avenue)

• Across the Queensboro Bridge; please call 212-980-4575 for route in Queens

About Public Art Fund
Public Art Fund is New York's leading organizer of artists' projects, new commissions, installations and exhibitions in public spaces. With 25 years of experience and an international reputation, the Public Art Fund identifies, coordinates and realizes a diversity of major projects by both established and emerging artists in New York City. By bringing artworks outside the traditional context of museums and galleries, the Public Art Fund provides a unique platform for an unparalleled public encounter with the art of our time.

The Public Art Fund is a non-profit arts organization supported by generous contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations, and with public funds from The New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs.

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Contact:
Public Art Fund
tel: (212) 980-4575
e-mail: press@publicartfund.org