Latest news with #PigeonImpersonationPageant
New York Post
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
High Line putting on first-ever Pigeon Impersonation Pageant
She's got beauty, she's got grace. She's got feathers on her face. East Village artist Miriam Abrahams is one of seven acts competing for the crown at the inaugural Pigeon Impersonation Pageant on the High Line, an event aimed at reinvigorating love for the city squabs amid a surge of shocking hate and crime against them. The 34-year-old has had plenty of practice cooing along in her beloved paper mâché pigeon costume — but Saturday will mark the first time she'll take the stage dressed as one of the iconic city birds. 7 Miriam Abrahams is one of seven acts competing in the High Line's inaugural Pigeon Impersonation Pageant. Stephen Yang 'They're the underdogs, but they're brilliant and intelligent animals,' Abrahams, 34, told The Post. 'I feel like I want to give them a moment and just kind of show them off a bit.' The first-ever pigeon pageant is expected to be the highlight of the High Line's day-long Pigeon Fest, which will include games like pin the tail on the pigeon and pigeon corn hole, as well as panels educating visitors on how to make the Big Apple friendly for birds. Each act — some of which include multiple contestants — will have two minutes to coo, squawk and waddle in front of the crowd, Project Runway style. 7 The East Village artist first made the costume for Halloween in 2022. Stephen Yang The lucky ducks who make it to the second round will have to soar to new heights for their chance at the title by either dancing, lip synching or some other form of creative storytelling, even if it means taking their pigeon impersonation to fantastical levels. Several awards will be given out to the contestants, but only one will be crowned the first-ever 'Top Pigeon of New York City.' As whimsical as it sounds, the pageant is also very serious — each contender was plucked for the event after submitting an audition. Abrahams is confident, however, that she has the pageant in the bag. The England-born artist has slipped into 'Pigeon,' a simply, but aptly named persona, on numerous occasions over the years and has perfected her bobbing. 7 Abrahams adopts the 'Pigeon' persona whenever she dons the costume. Stephen Yang 7 'They're the underdogs, but they're brilliant and intelligent animals,' Abrahams said of the fowl. Stephen Yang 7 The pageant winner will be crowned the 'Top Pigeon of New York City.' Stephen Yang 'It's become my New York City persona. When I put it on, I become 'Pigeon' and I take on those traits — they're so intelligent, silly. They're wonderful creatures,' explained Abrahams, who crafts plenty of costumes and statues as a member of the Pussypaws Puppetry troupe. Abrahams offered The Post an exclusive sneak peek at how she slips into Pigeon, a chicken wire and paper mâché ensemble she originally intended just to be part of a Big Apple-themed Halloween foursome that also included a rat, cockroach and exterminator. But the English-born artist fell in love with the costume and has donned it several times over the last few years, popping up throughout the city to hang out with her fellow flock and even square up with confused canines. 'In the past year, I had someone come up to me with a piece of bread and I ran over to them and started pecking,' said Abrahams, calling the live performances 'magic.' Her typical performance included bobbing and playing cooing noises from a speaker hidden inside Pigeon's massive cranium — but she promised that her pageant act will involve much more 'pizzaz.' 'I'm going to be accompanied by some very wholesome New York accompaniment with the sounds and the music that's going to be involved in this,' Abrahams teased, opting to keep any further details close to her wings. Other than her love of performing, Abrahams was drawn to the pageant for her deep love of animals — especially for the birds who are derogitarily referred to as the rats of the sky. 'I really do believe they get a bad rep with a lot of people and in the city and a lot of it is lack of knowledge,' said Abrahams, a longtime volunteer with the Wild Bird Fund. 7 'People often think that they are dirty and diseased, but it's actually the cities we built and all the trash and stuff that they eat that makes them that way,' said Abrahams. Stephen Yang 'People often think that they are dirty and diseased, but it's actually the cities we built and all the trash and stuff that they eat that makes them that way.' That sentiment — and a splash of the look-alike contests that were sweeping the city — is exactly what inspired the pageant and Pigeon Fest in the first place. The day-long festival centers around 'Dinosaur,' the massive Pigeon sculpture by Iván Argote that has been guarding the railroad garden since the summer. 'I think it's key that there's no more iconic bird in urban centres than the pigeon, but it's simultaneously maligned and marginalised, and that makes it a really powerful symbol for exploring all of these related themes,' said Taylor Zakarin, the associate curator for High Line Art. 7 Pigeon Fest will center around 'Dinosaur,' a massive sculpture of a pigeon by Iván Argote. Stephen Yang Despite the heavy themes, Zakarin promised the pageant would be all in good fun. The Top Pigeon of New York City is the award to win, but the Best Plumage, Coolest Moves, Fiercest Flapper and Avant Garde Avian awards will also be up for grabs. There will even be an audience participation award, Zakarin teased. 'We certainly wouldn't be mad if people showed up in costume to watch the performance because they might just win an award for themselves,' she said.
UPI
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Pigeon Fest to celebrate New York's most controversial birds
The High Line elevated park in New York City announced it will host Pigeon Fest, a celebration of the city's most common birds, on June 14. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo May 22 (UPI) -- A New York park is celebrating one of the city's most iconic animals next month with Pigeon Fest, a day-long event featuring art exhibitions, science demonstrations and the city's first Pigeon Impersonation Pageant. The High Line, an elevated park on the West Side of Manhattan, announced Pigeon Fest will be held from noon to 8 p.m. June 14, coinciding with National Pigeon Appreciation Day. The park's website said the event is partially inspired by Dinosaur, artist Iván Argote's 17-foot-tall aluminum pigeon sculpture that resides at the park. Alan van Capelle, the park's executive director, told The New York Times that the festival will include "a pigeon impersonation pageant and a panel on urban ecology and bird conservation." The events also include a Zumba-style Pigeon Dance Party and a puppet show put on by Tina Piña Trachtenberg, aka Mother Pigeon, who is famous in New York for feeding the birds while dressed in a giant pigeon costume. "Love them or hate them, people are fascinated by our feathered friends," van Capelle told TimeOut New York. "This festival felt like a fitting way to celebrate New Yorkers' dynamic relationship with art, nature and, most specifically, pigeons."
Time Out
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A pigeon festival may be coming to the High Line, complete with a "pigeon impersonation pageant"
New Yorkers are known for strutting their stuff, but on Saturday, June 14, it's the pigeons' turn. The High Line is hosting Pigeon Fest, an all-day celebration of NYC's most divisive bird in honor of National Pigeon Appreciation Day. From 12pm to 8pm, the elevated park's 30th Street section and Spur will transform into a feather-filled playground of art, science, dance and bird-themed hijinks—including what may be the city's first Pigeon Impersonation Pageant. Inspired by Iván Argote's Dinosaur — the giant 17-foot aluminum pigeon sculpture that currently looms above 10th Avenue—the festival will explore the complicated relationship New Yorkers have with their most common avian neighbor. 'Love them or hate them, people are fascinated by our feathered friends,' said Alan van Capelle, the High Line's executive director. 'This festival felt like a fitting way to celebrate New Yorkers' dynamic relationship with art, nature and, most specifically, pigeons.' Expect pigeon-themed carnival games, family-friendly art workshops, a hands-on Discovery Fair and appearances from more than a dozen urban ecology organizations. But the real showstopper is the 2pm pageant, where contestants will channel their inner city bird and be judged on costume ("plumage"), physicality ("strut") and vocal performance ("sound"). Hosted by NYC legend and costume designer Machine Dazzle, the pageant will also feature a special appearance by Argote himself. Before the pageant, attendees can warm up with a Zumba-style Pigeon Dance Party at noon or catch Mother Pigeon's Impeckable Puppet Show at 1pm—a delightful mix of animal rights activism and sing-along storytelling. Later in the day, there's a panel on building bird-friendly cities (3:30pm), a talk with Argote and High Line Art curator Cecilia Alemani (4:15pm), and a musical finale (5:30–8pm) presented in collaboration with the Birdsong Project. Whether you're a lifelong pigeon defender or someone who dodges them on your daily commute, Pigeon Fest promises a new perspective on the birds that have been part of NYC's ecosystem—and personality—for more than a century.
