Art in the Parks

Musa Hixson’s steel sculpture includes several stools enclosed within a flower-shaped frame, which provide a space for intimate conversation in the public park. The sculpture’s horticultural form references the park’s mature landscape.

This exhibition was made possible by the Art in the Parks: UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant.

Jane Manus’ strongly geometric aluminum sculptures, personally welded by hand, draw their primary inspiration from the angularity and structure of architecture. With the play of its cheery, vibrant yellow paint and a dynamic use of negative space, Danielle transforms its surroundings and inspires an interactive viewing experience. The sculpture’s angular lines and joyful hue spring forth from the green lawns and trees surrounding it.

One Map of Many Moments is an artist led, community generated project that transforms trash into inspiring public art by turning hundreds of broken glass shards collected from Fort Greene Park into a mosaic map of the park. Drawings from park visitors depicting everything from historic figures of Fort Greene to the current day activities and horticultural wonders of the grounds are sprinkled throughout the map. Each piece of the larger whole offers a contemplative view of our neighborhood’s waste and deep dedication to our park and highlights the role of community in preserving urban green spaces.

This exhibition is presented by the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.

4 Seasons of Lindens at the Linden Sitting Area consists of four decommissioned parking meters, each outfitted with a small diorama of linden trees throughout the seasons. The meters pay homage to the trees that this small park is named after. These works are part of an ongoing series of work, The Parking Meter Project, by artist Conrad Stojak. Stojak works with obsolete New York parking meters, many of which can be found out on the city streets and in warehouses, by upcycling them into public works of art. Each one is an individualistic, self-contained micro-world depicting New York City scenes in the form of urban dioramas that are community specific.

This exhibition is presented by Alice Mizrachi, in partnership with GreenThumb, William B. Washington Memorial Garden, and Building Healthy Communities, funded through the Fund for Public Health NYC.

Mark Paul Deren, aka MADSTEEZ is known for his vivid, large-scale, multi-layered paintings, where strange and familiar figures are integrated into abstract landscapes. His artistic approach is influenced by being almost blind in one eye, where he sees only abstractions and lines of colors, most notably reds, purples, and oranges, which appear frequently in his work.

This exhibition is presented by Mountain Dew. 

The title of this new site-specific work is inspired by writer and activist Maya Angelou’s groundbreaking 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and reflects the artist’s deep respect for the black female experience and the personal connection to Angelou he found while reading her life story. Created out of 150 archival printed aluminum morphed into unique sculptures, no two individual pieces are the same. The sculpture becomes interactive when another dimension is revealed with an augmented reality app, which can be called up using a QR code posted on nearby signage.

This exhibition is presented by the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance Public Art Initiative with funding from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Additional funding provided by the Harlem Community Development Corporation, Socrates Sculpture Park, and Council Member Bill Perkins. Additional support provided by Materials for the Arts.

Peaceful Perch is a figurative bust-like sculpture: resonating as female, sitting elevated as an honored monument of watchfulness. The sculpture embodies the ubiquitous presence of race and the female form celebrating women of color, their unique features and hair: reflected within the neighborhoods of Harlem. Kim Dacres utilizes recycled motorcycle tires, layering them to reinterpret the features and hair of a woman, reimagined and accented with gold paint and enamel. By collaborating with artist Daniel Matthews, Dacres elevates the bust so that she sits as an honored monument of watchfulness.

This exhibition is presented by the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance Public Art Initiative. Additional funding provided by the Harlem Community Development Corporation, SWAB Reuse and Repair administered by Citizens Committee for New York City. Rubber materials were donated by Harlem Bolt Bike Shop.

Migrations spans the retaining walls that line the central walkway of Jacob H. Schiff Playground in Hamilton Heights. As part of the Audubon Mural Project, this mural raises awareness about birds that are impacted by climate change – in particular, the following four threatened species: Bank Swallow,  Common Redpoll, Northern Shoveler, and the White-faced Ibis.

Migrations was completed through a rich collaboration among volunteers of the Jacob H. Schiff Playground Neighborhood Association; Paid Youth Apprentices and Teaching Artist Jessie Novik with Creative Art Works; and The Audubon Mural Project/Gitler& Art Gallery.

Folk Art on the Broadway Malls, a new initiative that is part of the Lincoln Square BID’s signature and ongoing Streetscape and Beautification program, is a community-based temporary public art project that will beautify the Broadway Malls between 60^th and 70^th streets.

Inspired by textile works from the American Folk Art Museum’s (AFAM) permanent collection, the Lincoln Square BID, AFAM and volunteers from New York Cares installed murals using stencils at seven Broadway Malls in the Lincoln Square BID’s boundaries, recreating works of art that represent the very best of the neighborhood. Mural locations include: 60^th street (the “gateway” to the Malls), 63^rd street (both sides), 64^th street (northern side), 67^th street (both sides), and 70^th street (south side, the BID’s northern boundary).

This exhibition is presented by the Lincoln Square BID and the American Folk Art Museum.