Art in the Parks

In addition to the public displays, Photoville has also put together an abundant calendar of virtual events surrounding the festival, including artist talks, workshops, demonstrations, educational programs, storytelling events, and community programming.

Locations: Exhibitions in parks can be found in Soundview Park and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx; Anchorage Plaza in Brooklyn; Chelsea Park, Jackie Robinson Park, and St. Nicholas Park in Manhattan; Astoria Park and Travers Park in Queens; and South Beach Promenade in Staten Island. For more more locations, please visit photoville.nyc.

This exhibition is presented by Photoville.

This mural’s abstract design captures motion with colors that convey an abundance of energy and brings life to this exterior retaining wall along Walton Avenue. Residents in the community and park visitors will develop a joy and appreciation of color, and how it affects our moods and behavior. This mural was painted by Publicolor, a youth development program that fights poverty by aggressively addressing the alarming dropout rate and low levels of educational attainment and youth employment in New York City. The program engages high-risk, low-income students, ages 12-24, in a multi-year continuum of design-based programs to encourage academic achievement, college preparation, job readiness, and community service.

This mural is inspired by conversations with the garden’s founder about the history of the garden and plans for its future. On one side of the shed, silhouettes of a group of people clapping and celebrating, with reflections of the garden painted within the group’s outline. Other images incorporated into the design include a pumpkin patch, a flower bed, the garden’s pathway, an early morning scene, native butterflies, oversized flowers, and an array of green leaves and foliage.

This project is part of NYC Parks GreenThumb’s Art in the Gardens - Shed Murals project, an initiative that provides local artists with the opportunity to collaborate with community gardens as a platform to create and display their art.

Vincent Parisot is a Greece based artist who has exhibited worldwide. One of the works that has resulted from their home and its flora is Athanatos-for ever, a veritable wall painting. It represents an “agave americana,” which in Greece is called “Athanatos,” or “without end,” an allusion to its longevity. Often, there are hearts on its leaves, along with names of young couples who hope that the plant’s longevity will be transmitted to their love.

This project is part of NYC Parks GreenThumb’s Art in the Gardens - Shed Murals project, an initiative that provides local artists with the opportunity to collaborate with community gardens as a platform to create and display their art.

The Boogie Down (Youth) Booth is colorful public installation that brings Bronx music, solar-powered lights, seating, and community art to an underutilized space at Keltch Park on 170th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Highbridge/Concourse area of the South Bronx.

it follows three previous booths, installed between 2014 and 2016 at different sites in Crotona Park East and Melrose. Designed by Chat Travieso, this newest booth was informed by the “Yes Loitering” Project, a public space and safety youth initiative that sought to investigate how teens might be excluded from or targeted in public spaces, and developed ideas on how to create more youth-powered spaces. The research project was led by Travieso and a team of Bronx teens from the area. The group of young researchers met with community members, merchants, and other key stakeholders to gather valuable input regarding neighborhood needs.

Like all previous booths, the Boogie Down (Youth) Booth pays tribute to the rich culture of the Bronx, as expressed through music. It incorporates solar-powered speakers that stream music continuously, featuring a playlist curated by Elena Martinez and Bobby Sanabria of WHEDco’s Bronx Music Heritage Center, showcasing the sounds of the borough, including salsa, jazz, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, hip-hop, Garifuna, and blues.

This exhibition is presented by WHEDco

This exhibition is presented by BRIC and Prospect Park Alliance.

TimberWolf takes utilitarian materials like reclaimed lumber to beautify this corner of the park and serves as a metaphor for how everyday materials can be repurposed. It plays into the importance of resourcefulness, breathing use back into what is considered to be “used-up.” The artwork takes the form of a dog’s head, a nod to the popular nearby dog park. At the end of the public art installation period, TimberWolf will be donated to another public space to be enjoyed. The possibility to be reused or repurposed with additional functionalities gives this living installation another life.

This exhibition is presented by BRIC and Prospect Park Alliance.