New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced the last in a series of three speaking events commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the 1965 cornerstone laying at the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 30 in The Egg’s Hart Theatre Lounge. This free event will feature nationally recognized experts speaking and answering audience questions about the Empire State Plaza Art Collection.

Previous talks in the series were titled “Power, Politics and the Plaza: A Look at Rockefeller and Corning,” and “An International Capital: The Architecture and Construction of the Empire State Plaza.” These panel discussions are also being made available for viewing on the OGS YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/nysogs.

September 30 – A Vision for Public Art: The Empire State Plaza Art Collection

6 p.m. Swyer Theatre, The Egg

The Empire State Plaza Art Collection has been heralded as the greatest collection of modern American art in any single public site that is not a museum. The collection was assembled during the construction of the Plaza under the direction of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller who believed it was vital to have the work of artists living and working in New York placed in the capital city. Learn what makes the Plaza’s collection unique and how it fulfills Rockefeller’s vision of art for the people.

David Novros, an artist whose untitled work is a part of the Plaza Art Collection and whose art is also included in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; along with Dennis Anderson, curatorial consultant and director/curator of the Plaza Art Collection from 1988 to 2012; and Matthew Levy, an associate professor of art history at Penn State Behrend who specializes in modern and contemporary art with a focus on American art of the 1960s will make up the panel. Ian Berry, director of the Frances Young Tang Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College will moderate.

The 50^th anniversary commemoration also includes a special exhibit at the New York State Museum. Running through January 17, 2016 the exhibit tells the story of the Plaza’s construction and evolution. Located in the main lobby and west corridor of the museum, it includes art, photographs, digital displays, original sketches by architects, and examples of the architectural elements that make up the Plaza and where they came from. Visitors to the exhibit will discover how such a massive complex is heated in the winter and cooled in the summer, what the “Rule of 30” is and how it was incorporated into the design of the Plaza, and hear the stories of those who worked on the project.

Free parking for the speaker series will be available after 5 p.m. in the East Garage on the corners of Madison Avenue, Eagle Street, and Philip Street. Parking is also available for $5 at the visitor or V lot underneath the plaza.

Visit The Empire State Plaza at 50 webpage or follow us on Twitter @ESPat50, EmpireStatePlaza50 on Facebook, and empirestateplaza50 on Instagram to learn more about the commemoration.