Maia Chao

In her artistic practice, Maia Chao becomes deeply embedded in her environment. As part of her research for the Public Artist-in-Residence program, Chao shadowed the Times Square Alliance’s sanitation and public safety teams, whose often-overlooked work revealed a practiced eye for noticing what the average visitor may tune out — cracks in the sidewalk, graffiti on a street sign, a sticker on a bench. The sanitation and safety staff document each of the tasks that require repair or removal, capturing the fleeting moments when what is meant to disappear becomes visible: french fries scattered across the plaza, an empty stroller left on the sidewalk. From these evocative images, Chao began inventing narratives, imagining the everyday dramas that gave rise to these accidental tableaus, then turning her attention to the close observation of pedestrian behaviors, which ultimately shaped American Idle, the performance.

ABOUT MAIA CHAO

Maia Chao is an artist who works collaboratively in performance, film, and social practice. She is co-creator of the social practice project, Look at Art. Get Paid (2015-20) with Josephine Devanbu, which piloted at the RISD Museum. She has since made collaborative works with artists including Ethan Philbrick, Fred Schmidt-Arenales, and Ree Bradley. Chao has created commissioned films and performances for the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, The Shed, and MoMA Education. Her work has been presented at the Bronx Museum, Cuchifritos Gallery, Mural Arts Philadelphia, Boston Center for the Arts, Tufts University Art Galleries, Smack Mellon, and Oregon Contemporary. She has completed fellowships and residencies from the Fine Arts Work Center, Pioneer Works, and Queer|Art. In 2022, she was named a Pew Fellow and in 2023, she attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Based in Philadelphia, Chao is an artist-member of the art collective and DIY space, Vox Populi. She holds a BA from Brown University, and an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is currently full time faculty at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

ABOUT TIMES SQUARE ARTS PUBLIC ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

Designed around the unique characteristics and communities of Times Square, the Times Square Arts Public-Artist-in-Residence program supports multidisciplinary artists interested in exploring social, cultural, or political concerns within the context of New York City’s most iconic commercial and cultural district. As part of the program, Times Square Arts facilitates connections with relevant individuals and organizations in Times Square — which could include theaters, restaurants, retailers, hotels, non-profits, or street vendors — and provides resources and expertise from the broader Times Square Alliance team across departments, including from operations, to policy and research. In addition to a fee covering the residency period, artists are eligible for funding toward the public presentation of an artwork in Times Square.