Art in the Parks

This installation proposes a new kind of public monument, one that represents all people, not just the political and economic elite. The artist uses plywood salvaged from storefronts boarded up during the Black Lives Matter protests to reexamine Egyptian obelisks, which were traditionally raised in pairs in keeping with the Egyptian values of balance and harmony. In uniting two in this sculpture, Zelehoski seeks to reclaim the symbol and propose a reconciliation of extremes. The two obelisks come together to form a caltrop, a spiked, metal object that protestors have traditionally thrown in the path of oncoming cop cars. Two decades later, participating in Black Lives Matter protests around Manhattan and Brooklyn – many culminating in McCarren park – he was reminded of these caltrops and how protest can be a powerful force for socio-political reconciliation.

The Plywood Protection Project is an initiative to collect the plywood used by NYC businesses to board up their windows during the protests of 2020 and redistribute it to artists, extending and repurposing the life of this material. Arts not-for-profit worthless studios collected over 200 boards of plywood and initiated an open call for artists, eventually selecting five local makers to participate in a unifying public art project across all five boroughs of New York. This piece is one of the five created by the project, each installed in a different borough of New York City.

This exhibition is presented by worthless studios.

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.

Through conversations with ecologists, ecoacoustics scientists, and researchers, Kamala Sankaram embarked on a process of field recording plant and animal life in Black Rock Forest. To honor the agency of the wildlife, Sankaram chose not to manipulate or interpret these sonic happenings. Instead, she listened to the forest, a dynamic and complex ensemble on its own. Retaining the original pitch and timing of each element, Sankaram found natural times where the sounds of various elements aligned and grouped them by tempo. In doing so, she devised a formula that rendered one year of the tree’s life equal to approximately two minutes of the composition. Expanding over five parts and ten hours, The Last Stand invites us into 300 years of sonic history exploring the richness of life and memory within the forest’s ecosystem. As the years progress, the drastic shifts in species, weather, and technology are revealed and the loss of life is visceral.

This project is presented by Creative Time.

The sculpture, a 10ft tall geodesic dome, is designed as a structural ecosystem covered in native plants that filter water in a gravity-fed system that mimics the geologic features of the watershed. It is part of a multiform project and installation that brings attention to New York City’s intricate drinking water system and the communities who steward upstate watersheds and drinking water sources. With this project Mattingly emphasizes the human care that goes into having access to clean water and calls for more reciprocal relationships among our neighboring communities and the planet. 

This exhibition is presented by More Art, Prospect Park Alliance, and Brooklyn Public Library.

We’re Still Hereâ?¦ features 100 artworks by local Brooklyn artists printed on banners displayed on the fence surrounding J.J. Byrne Playground. After over a year of struggles during COVID, this exhibition celebrates the resilience, strength, and diversity of our amazing Brooklyn community.

This exhibition is presented by The Old Stone House & Washington Park and Arts Gowanus.

This exhibition is presented by BRIC and Prospect Park Alliance.

The Photoville FENCE is a year-round public photography project exhibited in major parks and downtowns across North America. Featuring over 85 photographers annually, the exhibition brings compelling visual stories into the public realm, and to a wide and diverse audience. Consistently attracting exceptional work by a diverse pool of photographers, the Photoville FENCE spotlights a wide range of photographic and lens-based stories. By exploring the universal themes of People, Streets, Play, Creatures, Home, Food and Nature, the exhibition elevates our understanding of the world-at-large and issues close to home.

This exhibition is presented by Photoville.

This installation by Oluwaseyi (Shayee) Awoyomi, a fifth-generation textile dyer from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, tells the story of Iya Alaro (“Mother of Dyers”). Indigo dyed textile is known as Adire, which translates as (adi) “to tie” and (re) “to dye.” The honor of Iya Alaro comes with great responsibility, overseeing the harvesting of the indigo plant, prepping the dye baths, composition of solvents, and organization of the community of women. Once the Adire is ready for market, the Iyaloja (the “Mother of the Market”) is selected, an honor of Chieftaincy voted in by the fellow market women, nominated by the King, and/or politically chosen. The Adire textile is prepared for the coronation of the Iyaloja.

This exhibition is presented by Harlem Needle Arts.

A painted fiberglass structure that stands 16 feet tall, this monumental sculpture features artist Hebru Brantley’s signature character, Flyboy. Within the canon of comics, very few characters of color exist. Flyboy was created by Brantley as an exploration into what a superhero character of color would look like. Inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American military aviator pilots who fought in World War II, they carried out all successful missions and had the lowest loss records of all fighter groups. At a time when Black folks were treated far less than equal, the Tuskegee Airmen’s successes meant that much more. Flyboy is a nod of admiration and respect to these men and an inspiration to future generations aspiring to soar far above their predicted possibilities.