Key to the City, presented by Creative Time. app for iPhone and iPad

For centuries, the key to the city has been used to honor a city’s heroes and visiting dignitaries. Now, artist Paul Ramírez Jonas has created a Key to the City that is not only a symbolic award, but also a functional key—opening spaces across all five boroughs of New York City. Presented by Creative Time in cooperation with the City of New York.

This Key to the City is intended for everyday citizens, who will award one another the key for reasons large and small. Once in hand, the key launches a citywide exploration of back doors, front gates, community gardens, graveyards, and museums that suggests that the city is a series of spaces that are either locked or unlocked.

Your digital passport to the project, the Key to the City iPhone app contains information about the project and artist, an interactive list of lock sites with photos and descriptions of what your key will unlock, and a location-based map to help guide you on an exploration of public and private space across all five boroughs. Cant decide which site to visit first? The choose a random lock function will pick one for you.

Visit www.creativetime.org/keytothecity for more information about the project and the organization that has presented the most innovative art in the public realm for the past 36 years.