Art in the Parks

Ascending the Mountain is a public art installation that celebrates the urban forest that grew up the east side of the mountain of Manhattan Schist. Visitors climb the stairs heading up to the Harlem Fire Watchtower viewing the artwork in 3 parts as the mountain changes from rock to the tree canopy.

At the base of the stairs the first section will explore "Roots in Rock", visitors will be able to see through the fence to a view of roots growing into the rocks of the mountain. Part way up the stairs the second section "Growing Powerhouse", illustrates the trees bringing gallons of water and minerals thru their trunks to photosynthesize and produce leaves. The third section near the top of the staircase and mountain " Tree Canopy" draws the viewers focus to the view of the treetops adjacent to the Harlem Fire Watchtower

Ascending the Mountain is made possible in part with funding from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and administered by LMCC. Additional funding provided by the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance.

Artist Felipe Gallindo Gomez a.k.a. Feggo creates humorous art in a variety of media, including cartoons, illustrations, animations, fine art and public art. The images in this exhibition draw inspiration from world cultures, history, art history, and New York City. For example, "Manhatitlan" celebrates Mexican and American Cultures; while the series "George Washington Returns to New York City," "Frida Khalo in New York," and "Taking Liberties” depict famous historical figures enjoying NYC.

This exhibition is presented by El Taller Latino Americano.

The scale of the installation will illustrate the abundance of single use plastics and their impact on our public spaces and on our environment. Viewers entering the park and facing the photographic assemblage will see the installation in its entirety, a colorful intervention in the space but once they get closer, they will recognize the common subject matter.

The goal of this project is to support the ban of plastic bags in New York City and to encourage residents to take responsibility for their own environmental footprint. 

Plastic Fantastic! is made possible in part with funding provided by the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Friends of Art Park Alliance, and individual donors.

Tomb Effigy of Margaret Corbin pays tribute to Revolutionary War hero Margaret Corbin (1751–1800), considered the first woman to fight for America, and namesake of several Fort Tryon Park features. Corbin took control of her fallen husband’s cannon and fought during the Battle of Fort Washington at this site in 1776. The artwork takes the form of the tomb effigies at The Met Cloisters, figuratively and aesthetically stitching together the Revolutionary War battlefield and the ahistorical, relocated medieval French abbeys that comprise the Cloisters. In addition to paying homage to a lesser-known female historical figure, Landsberg’s sculpture contributes to the contemporary conversation around representation in monuments and public commemoration.

This exhibition was made possible by the Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award. This award was made possible with support from Janet and John Koehne.

This exhibition features nine of George Rickey’s classic, large-scale kinetic sculptures, some of them not exhibited in many years. These works will showcase much of Rickey’s diverse and energetic repertoire, with the oldest first made in 1964, and the latest officially completed in 2002. On verdant Park Avenue, the show will fully realize Rickey’s theses about the bridge between the built and natural worlds. 

This exhibition is presented by Kasmin, the George Rickey Foundation, and the Fund for Park Avenue.

Presented across four separate lawns in the park, Brier Patch features a total of one-hundred wooden elementary school-style desks that erupt with tree branches, cohering into tangled assemblies with complex and layered meanings. The accumulations of desks summon the grid arrangement of classroom seating. Referencing folklore traditions around the world, the work calls on the notion of the brier patch as a place protective for some and dangerous for others, drawing connections to similar disparities within the education system and the ideal of the American Dream.

This exhibition is presented by Madison Square Park Conservancy.

Description: Dream Machine II is a tribute to the human spirit. However fragile we are in our own circumstances, despite these challenges, we remain strong, resilient, and even defiant. As a monument, the wings take flight to carry the hopes of an increasingly challenged generation that dreams of a fair and just society.

This exhibition is presented by Taglialatella Galleries and Randall’s Island Park Alliance.

Inspired by recent and ongoing events and protests for racial justice, the Peace Makers is a 10-foot sculpture that serves as a tribute to peace makers around the world, who tirelessly fight for peace and justice. The sculpture is a dynamic form that represents the spirit of different cultures and races while recognizing the potential for unity in the name of progression and peace.

This exhibition is presented by Taglialatella Galleries and Randall’s Island Park Alliance.

Begun in 2010, Good Neighbors became a way to celebrate and preserve the history of a place by photographing its residents and business owners. This year, in the midst of a pandemic, a project that began in admiration of a neighborhood and its inhabitants has new significance. With support from the Columbus-Amsterdam BID, El Taller Latino Americano, and City Artists Corps, this project has expanded to bring a larger sense of optimism to our minds as we face this moment, unclear of when it will end and what our return will look like.