Famous for his role in New York’s artistic heritage and the Pop Art movement, Andy Warhol believed that everyone had it in them to be a star for fifteen minutes. Through his own art, he defined his identity and shaped the world around him. He once commented that he’d like his tombstone to say only one word: “Figment.”

So to all of the unrecognized art stars out there—aka emerging artists—if you have an idea for a work of art that is still a figment of your imagination, and you want to have a great time making it real, the time to act is now.  Below: Summertime Minigolf hole [par 5] by Gary Dolan; photo: © Merritt-Birnbaum, courtesy Figment Photos

Figment NYC, self-described as a forum for the creation and display of participatory and interactive art by emerging artists across disciplines, began in July 2007 as a free, one-day participatory arts event on Governors Island, in New York Harbor, with over 2,600 participants. Since then, Figment has expanded to include summer-long projects, including a City of Dreams Pavilion, a Minigolf course and a Tree House. Figment NYC 2017 is scheduled for June 3 and 4, showcasing art that encourages participants to play, dance, sing, create, engage, experiment, and explore their environment. And it’s still free.

This year’s theme for the 10^th iteration of the artist-designed minigolf course is New York City Has the Beat, and the call for art invites artists to bring the sounds of the city or its music scene of the past, present or future into play. Creativity and innovation in the use of low-impact materials is key. In fact, Figment’s mantra, Leave No Trace, requires that artists design and build projects that can be disassembled in a day, leaving no Matter Out Of Place. MOOP, the shorthand, makes even ordinary building tasks into fun events.

There’s still time to design and submit a hole for the Figment NYC Minigolf 2017, which will be in place for the summer season, with a deadline of March 10. Info For theatre, dance, music [including DJing], performance art, games, sculptural installations, creative costuming, workshops and interactive projects that will be part of the two-day Figment NYC 2017 Weekend, the deadline to submit designs is April 22. Info Figment NYC is an all-volunteer organization that makes volunteering as much fun as making art. Maybe you want to get your feet wet this summer and lend a hand? Info

Below: Fringe by Liyan-Zhao and Kim Dai; photo © Kim Breland, courtesy Figment Photos. Note the handy MOOP removal bag:)