Ai Weiwei launches Kickstarter for NYC public art project against Trump

Ai Weiwei has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, a large-scale public art project across New York City's five boroughs. The project, organized with Public Art Fund, aims to install over 300 artworks at 300 sites, including major installations in Central Park, Washington Square Park, and at the Unisphere, as well as smaller interventions at bus stops, billboards, buildings, and lampposts. The title is taken from Robert Frost's poem Mending Wall (1914) and critiques Donald Trump's immigration policies. The campaign seeks $80,000 and runs until early October 2017, with over $30,000 already raised. The exhibition is scheduled from October 2017 to February 2018. Controversy has arisen: the Washington Square Association has asked Public Art Fund to withdraw a proposal for a large sculpture under the Washington Square Arch, arguing it would alter the monument for the first time in 125 years. Ai Weiwei, known for his activism and criticism of the Chinese government, has previously addressed migrant crises in exhibitions in Florence, Prague, New York, and Berlin.