The Tribeca Festival, sponsored by AT&T and French fashion house Chanel, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a special art project. The Tribeca Festival and Chanel tapped past and present Art Award contributors to create an original sketch or artwork celebrating art and the spirit of New York City.  The resulting campaign, Art is New York/New York Is Art, debuts today and wild postings of the artist’s interpretations create an outdoor gallery of street artwork across lower Manhattan.

The New York-based artists, who contributed to this initiative, include Julian Schnabel, Kiki Smith, William Wegman, Laurie Simmons, Nate Lowman, Kalup Linzy, Don Gummer and Dustin Yellin. In addition to the artworks compiled for Art is New York/New York is Art, Tribeca and Chanel, a lead sponsor since 2005, have created a short film narrated by artists like Julian Schnabel, Donna Ferrato and Chuck D extolling the virtues of working and living in New York City.

“Tribeca’s long-standing partnership with Chanel in supporting human expression through art is deeply rooted in the spirit of the festival,” says Jane Rosenthal, CEO and co-founder of the Tribeca Festival. “Their commitment to honoring the boldness and authenticity of artists is palpable. There’s no better way to see New York come alive and heal than through the creative lens of these wonderful artists. This project beautifully represents the city.”

The Tribeca Festival was founded to reinvigorate downtown New York City in the wake of September 11. Now, the 2021 Tribeca Festival is the first major North American film festival to be held in person since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Running from June 9–20, the event celebrates art, film, fashion and storytelling in and around the Big Apple. The 2021 Art Awards collection will be featured in an online gallery throughout the festival and the art will be presented to winning filmmakers during the award ceremony.

The Tribeca Festival is the only film festival that honors select award winners with both a monetary award and original artwork. This year’s 10 chosen contemporary artists, who have donated work, include Clifford Ross, Curtis Kulig, Deborah Kass, Francesco Clemente, Gus Van Sant, Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao, Laurie Simmons, Meghan Boody, Sheila Berger, Stephen Hannock and Will Ryman.