2022 Arsenal Gallery Exhibits

December 1, 2020 – January 4, 2021

38th Annual Wreath Interpretations Exhibition

View this exhibition online

NYC Parks is pleased to announce the 38th annual Wreath Interpretations exhibition, bringing in the holiday season with an array of imaginative and unusual wreaths. This year, the exhibition will take place virtually, with nearly 40 wreaths displayed on the agency’s website. The exhibition includes wreaths by artists, designers, and creative individuals who reimagined the traditional holiday motif. This year’s wreaths feature unexpected materials like paintbrushes, newspapers, aluminum cans, coconut husks and shells, work gloves, earrings, grains and spices, and matchbooks. Some wreaths address timely topics like COVID-19, working remotely, and creative reuse and recycling, while others serve as a lighthearted inspiration and symbols of hope. Welcome the holiday season with this unique, fun, and socially-distanced exhibition.

Image: Kaitlyn E. Hay, Hail to the Art Teacher, paintbrushes, wood frame, glue, acrylic paint

March 13, 2020 – September 30, 2020 

Alice Momm: The Gleaner’s Song

The Gleaner’s Song is a collection of mixed-media works, words, and photographs by artist Alice Momm, inspired by her daily, immersive walks in Central Park. The materials and impressions gathered on these rambles become the seeds of artworks that pay tribute to the ragged beauty of found objects in nature and honor the quiet dramas unfolding in unexpected places. While often humorous, the artworks reflect a deep concern for our environment and an appreciation of the interconnectedness of all living beings. This solo exhibition is Momm's love song to Central Park and an invitation to find wonder and joy in New York City’s parks.

Images: Alice Momm, Untitled from Gleaner's Song, 2017, bark, gouache, wire, paper; Central Park, Reaching Tree, 2019, digital photograph

January 16, 2020 – February 27, 2020

Namesakes: Honoring African Americans in NYC Parks

Many of New York City’s parks and monuments honor African Americans who have shaped the landscape of our culture. Monuments and green spaces of all sizes, from Marcus Garvey Park in Manhattan to Hattie Carthan Community Garden in Brooklyn, pay tribute to the contributions and lives of notable African Americans from the 18th century to the 21st century. “Namesakes: Honoring African Americans in NYC Parks” is an exhibition of photographs that highlights a sampling of such namesakes throughout the city.

Presented by NYC Parks’ Ebony Society and Art & Antiquities.

Image: Children Playing Ping Pong, Marcus Garvey (formerly Mt. Morris) Park, April 26, 1943, NYC Parks Photo Archive