NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13TH ANNUAL CANSTRUCTION HELPS FEED THE HUNGRY;
TALENTED TEAMS TRANSFORM CANNED FOOD INTO ART WITH COLOSSAL SCULPTURES ON DISPLAY AT CROSSGATES
Celebrating Capital Region CANstruction: “Dream STEAM” Themed Display
May 7 – May 19, 2024
All cans, including those collected from visitors, are donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District
Exhibition: May 7 – May 19, 2024
Location: Crossgates Mall, Ground Floor, Two Locations Near APEX Entertainment and Burlington
Fee: No Fee; Donation of Canned Goods Encouraged
Albany, NY – At the 13th annual Capital Region CANstruction design/build competition, talented teams of architects, designers, builders, and engineers will join forces to create innovative and gravity-defying structures embodying the theme, “Dream STEAM!” The structures will be made entirely of canned food, instead of bricks, stone, glass, and other traditional building materials. Structures are comprised of an average of 4,000 cans. Benefitting The Food Pantries for the Capital District, these structures will be on display at Crossgates Mall from May 7 – May 19, 2024. This will be the second year the event is being hosted at Crossgates Mall.
The 10 participating teams include AOW Associates with Envision Architects, CSArch, Exyte, Hyman Hayes Associates with Greco Construction, kW Mission Critical Engineering, Labella, MJ Engineering & Surveying, Mosaic Associates, Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering & Surveying, and Stantec. An additional structure will be part of the exhibit and will be constructed by Girl Scouts from the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York in support of Girls CAN Do, an annual program the scouts participate in that encourages not only STEM, but service to their community. All “building materials” used in the displays were purchased with generous support from Price Chopper/Market 32, the presenting sponsor, and will be donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District, a coalition of more than 70 food pantries in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties, at the end of CANstruction.
Visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods (tuna, beans, canned vegetables, soups/chilis, and fruit) to Crossgates Mall and participate in the CANstruction competition and food drive. Visitors can use their canned goods as ballots to vote for the winner of the People’s Choice award. Donation receptacles will be stationed at each structure. A jury of designers, local business owners, and local dignitaries will also judge the structures. Awards include Best Original Design, Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, and Structural Ingenuity. Additional awards include Largest Cash Donation and Best Signage. Along with juried prizes, a People’s Choice Award will be bestowed on the structure that gains the most votes (most food donations) from visitors. Last year nearly 3,000 cans were collected from the public.
Pam Cerone, Director of Community Relations for Price Chopper/Market 32 says, “CANstruction is a creative, scientific, unique way to bring attention to nutrition insecurity in our community and provides essential sustenance at a time when food pantries are in greatest need. Price Chopper and Market 32 have proudly supported this event for over a decade, and we look forward to seeing the 2024 canstructures.”
Jennifer Smith, Marketing Director at Crossgates Mall remarked, “Crossgates is proud to host the Capital Region CANstruction event again this year. Guests truly love seeing the event set up in the center’s common area, while also being able to help such a tremendous cause. We are grateful that our faithful Crossgates shoppers love to give back. We’re honored and excited to be a part of this event and can’t wait to see the structures take shape again within our center.”
“Our theme this year is Dream STEAM. Leonardo daVinci said, “to develop a complete mind: study the science, study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” Be prepared to see 11 incredible CANstructures that represent Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. This community-building event provides invaluable support to the food insecure in the Capital Region, while also showcasing the deep expertise and unlimited creativity of local design firms and contractors,” said Jill Shorter, Capital Region CANstruction President and Director of Marketing at Ryan Biggs Clark Davis. “We are excited to showcase our exhibit at Crossgates again this year. Our creative and passionate teams have created an inspiring edible art exhibit by implementing the engineering principles they use to design our most essential facilities and infrastructure. After two weeks, these colossal structures will be deCANstructed and thousands of canned food items will be donated back to the local community. We invite all visitors to Crossgates to bring canned goods to vote for People’s Choice to further increase the donation we provide to The Food Pantries because together we CAN make a difference.”
Natasha Pernicka, Executive Director of The Food Pantries for the Capital District said, “The Food Pantries is incredibly grateful for the support from the design community. CANstruction heightens awareness of the ever-present need to support those who are food insecure in our community. Since 1979, The Food Pantries has been feeding the hungry. Member pantries provide enough groceries for a minimum of 3 meals per day, for at least 3 days per week, for each person in the household. Last year, enough food was distributed for more than 4 million meals and this year we continue to see increased community need.”
This year’s CANstruction is presented by Price Chopper/Market 32 and Crossgates Mall with Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering & Surveying, Envision Architects, and C2 Design Group. Platinum sponsors are Arnoff Moving, Storage & Rigging, New Leaf Energy, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York, and Page/ Design. Gold Sponsor is Eastern Contractors Association. Silver Sponsors are JMT, Curtis Lumber, and Creighton Manning Engineering. Bronze Sponsors are Turner Construction, ROI Office Interiors, and Dal-Tile.
Since its inception in 2011, the Capital Region event has donated over 900,000 pounds of food and raised more than $400,000 to help fight hunger. For over 40 years, The Food Pantries for the Capital District has worked to mobilize resources in the community to alleviate hunger.
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About Capital Region CANstruction:
Part of the international program organized by the Society for Design Administration. CANstruction events are held annually in over 250 cities around the world including North America, Australia, South America, Europe, and Asia.
You can learn more about Capital Region CANstruction at:
Website: https://www.capregcans.com/
Blog: https://www.capregcans.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapitalRegionCanstruction?ref=br_tf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalregioncanstruction/
Hashtag for Event: #thecansareback #dreamSTEAM #capregcans2024
About Crossgates:
Crossgates is the Capital Region’s premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination offering an impressive selection of national brands and the newest retail concepts. The center is anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Primark and Best Buy, while offering more than 180 retail shops, including Apple. Crossgates offers 10 entertainment venues and over 20 on-site eateries, such as Dave & Buster’s, Get Air, Billy Beez, Apex Entertainment, The Standard Restaurant & Lounge, Maggie McFly’s and Regal Cinemas with IMAX. Or simply relax at our award-winning day spa, Spa Mirbeau. Located adjacent to a dual-branded 192-room Homewood Suites and Tru by Hilton hotel, Crossgates is your destination to EAT. SHOP. PLAY. STAY. Additional information regarding Crossgates can be found at shopcrossgates.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Pyramid Management Group, LLC:
Pyramid Management Group, owner of Crossgates, is one of the largest, most innovative, privately-held real estate developers in the northeast. Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, Pyramid’s portfolio of dynamic shopping, dining and entertainment destinations and expanding hospitality presence dominates the northeast with 14 properties located throughout New York and Massachusetts. For nearly 50 years, Pyramid has built its reputation on being first, fast, ahead of the curve and always what’s next, leading the industry in combining the best elements of traditional retail with world-class dining and entertainment, all under one roof. For more information, visit www.pyramidmg.com.