Monthly Program is Organized and Supported by the Times Square Advertising Coalition

in Partnership with Times Square Arts

August 2013, every night from 11:57 p.m. – midnight

Pioneering artist Jack Goldstein’s seminal 1978 film “The Jump” will be shared with New Yorkers and visitors amidst the modern digital frenzy of Times Square in the August “Midnight Moment”, a synchronized program on over fifteen of the largest digital signs in Times Square.  Goldstein’s work will premiere just before midnight on August 1st and play every night throughout August from 11:57 p.m. – midnight.  The “Midnight Moment” is a presentation of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) and Times Square Arts. This month's program coincides with the critically-acclaimed first American retrospective of the artist at The Jewish Museum. This comprehensive exhibition frames Goldstein as a central and influential figure of the “Pictures Generation” of the 1970s and 1980s and runs through September 29, 2013. 

Goldstein’s 16mm film, “The Jump,” shows slow-motion footage of a diver performing dives in succession. The diver’s iridescent body floats against a blackened backdrop, disappearing and reappearing with each completed jump.  The artist used the innovative animation technique of rotoscoping to show a leaping diver, his form a blur of red and sparkling gold, performing a somersault and disintegrating into fragments, introducing a new language of picture making in the 1970’s. 

Alan High, Chairman of the Times Square Advertising Coalition and President & General Manager of Clear Channel Outdoor Spectacolor & Mall Divisions, said: “We’re excited to showcase Rick Goldstein’s momentous 1978 film ‘The Jump’ on the screens of Times Square as part of the Midnight Moment. New Yorkers and visitors can appreciate the innovative animation of Goldstein’s celebrated work among the modern digital frenzy that in part defines Times Square."

Sherry Dobbin, Director of Public Art Director for Times Square Alliance, said: “Digitally-remastered for our contemporary screens, this seminal work references the dynamic history of an artist’s role in leading sign technology, once again drawing attention to the cutting-edge technology and innovation showcased nightly on Times Square’s signs.”

Claudia Gould, The Jewish Museum’s Director, said: “We are happy to be partnering with the Times Square Advertising Coalition and Times Square Arts. Showing Jack Goldstein’s iconic film, The Jump, as part of the Midnight Moment enables us to share this influential artist’s work with a larger public. The Times Square presentation gives people just a little taste. They can see much more by visiting the Goldstein exhibition at the Museum.”

Midnight Moment is the largest coordinated effort in history by the sign operators in Times Square to display synchronized, cutting-edge creative content on electronic billboards and newspaper kiosks throughout Times Square every night. The program premiered in May 2012 and is organized and supported by the Times Square Advertising Coalition in partnership with Times Square Arts, the public art program for the Times Square Alliance, with additional partners of participating sign holders and artists.

Each night, Times Square becomes a digital art gallery through dazzling visuals on select billboards and newsstands. Every show begins at 11:57 p.m. with a "countdown" that signals the start of the three minute nightly presentation.  Past artists featured in the program include Robert Wilson; Tracey Emin; Seoungho Cho; Vicki DaSilva, Surabhi Saraf, and Elly Cho; Erika Janunger; Takeshi Murata; Bel Borba with Burt Sun and André Costantini; Brian Gonzalez (aka Taxiplasm);Björk; JR; Ryan McGinley; and Yoko Ono. For more information on past projects, please visit www.TimesSquareNYC.org/MidnightMoment.

The following digital screens are participating in the August Midnight Moment: ABC Super Sign, American Eagle Times Square, Bank of America, CEMUSA, City Outdoor, Disney, JVC Screen, NASDAQ, Spectacolor HD129 / Times Square Museum & Visitor Center Marquee, ClearChannel HD128, Spectacolor HD127 / CNN Screen, Times Square Museum & Visitor Center, Viacom North & South (SL Green Realty) Thomson Reuters, and 7TS (7 Times Square). 

Content changes monthly; selected works are announced in the weeks preceding the start of a new show as are the exact signs participating in that month's selection. Guidelines for artist and designer participation in future programs are located on the Times Square Alliance website.

Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) is a trade association comprised of major advertisers, retailers, real estate firms, media companies and other businesses involved in the outdoor sign industry in Times Square, along with organizations representing Broadway and the community.   Members of TSAC include:  ABC Regional Sports & Entertainment Sales, Clear Channel Spectacolor, Daktronics, D3 LED, Digital Domination, Hines Management, Jamestown One Times Square, Lamar Advertising Company, Landmark Sign & Electric, Metro Media Technologies, Newmark Knight Frank, North Shore Neon, P.R.omotion!, Sherwood Outdoor, SL Green, Times Square Alliance, The WOW Factor and Thomson Reuters. www.timessquareadcoalition.org

Times Square Arts, the public arts program of the Times Square Alliance, presents leading contemporary art and performances in multiple forms and media to more than 400,000 daily visitors to New York City’s Times Square, making it one of the highest profile public arts programs in the United States. Since its inception, Times Square Arts has featured works by a diverse group of more than five dozen prominent and emerging artists. Working in partnership with cultural institutions and festivals, the program is further supported by ArtPlace America, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and partner institutions. Visit www.TimesSquareNYC.org/arts  for more information. Follow us on Twitter: @TSqArts

 About the Artist

Jack Goldstein lived and worked in southern California and New York City. Born to a Jewish family in Montreal in 1945, Jack Goldstein moved to the West Coast when he was 16. He studied in the late 1960s at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and then at the newly founded California Institute of the Arts under John Baldessari. In 1972 he became one of the first recipients of a CalArts Master of Fine Arts degree, and in 1977 was included in the seminal exhibition Pictures at Artists Space in New York. He was planning an exhibition of paintings in Los Angeles at the time of his death in San Bernardino, California in 2003. Goldstein’s work appeared in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, shortly after his death.

About The Jewish Museum

Widely admired for its exhibitions and collections that inspire people of all backgrounds, The Jewish Museum is one of the world’s preeminent institutions devoted to exploring art and Jewish culture from ancient to contemporary. Located at Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street, The Jewish Museum organizes a diverse schedule of internationally acclaimed and award-winning temporary exhibitions as well as dynamic and engaging programs for families, adults, and school groups. Admission is Pay What You Wish on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm and free on Saturdays. www.TheJewishMuseum.org