Artefacting Public Art + Research Practice

Willets Point is a surreal industrial landscape of pothole-peppered roads where auto parts merge with urban identity, but beneath this gritty skin lies an interconnected economy that serves as the lifeblood for thousands of workers and families. Sustained is an ethnically diverse community of workers who rely on a strong interconnectedness to make this regional auto repair destination work. In an effort to upgrade the quality of life for the workers of Willets Point a vacant junk filled lot was transformed into “El Estadio” or “Mad Max Stadium” to host a 22-team soccer tournament and family festival. Families and workers were unified around the activity and life this civic space allowed for, and reflected was the positive spirit of the community.


As a result, workers and families were brought closer together, and small scale upgrades by locals have seen the stadium become more permanent and used on a regular basis.

Click play below for a 6-minute film on the El Estadio project, festival & tournament

Click here to go to blog for more info

Click here for festival photos by collaborating artist Annalisa Iadicicco