Art in the Parks

City Ecology gives shape and texture to the colorful stories, dynamic relationships, and complex patterns of connection that she observes within New York City and amongst its residents. Sui Park constructs the sculptures out of cable ties, an inexpensive and mass-produced industrial material, which she weaves together into seemingly organic, biomorphic bodies. Installed in clusters in Bella Abzug Park, these groupings are reflective of the countless communities and hubs of activity that define urban life and lend New York City in particular its resilience and beauty.

This exhibition is presented by the Hudson Yards Hells Kitchen Alliance.

Appearances operates with the goal of bringing awareness to the majesty and fragility of our environment. The concept first began as a public art installation in Provincetown, Massachusetts, open to any form of art that made a connection to nature. As demonstrated by the success of the Provincetown model of Appearances, this experience is an educational and visually stimulating opportunity for New York citizens and visitors. Appearances provides a platform for art that brings people physically into nature and/or in proximity to sites of historical significance.

Artists featured in this exhibition include Elizabeth Akamatsu, Katharina Chichester, M.J. Levy Dickson, Rosy Keyser, Dorothy Palanza, Billy Sherry, and Wolf.

This newly commissioned public art exhibition by Rose B. Simpson is on view simultaneously in Madison Square Park and Inwood Hill Park. In Madison Square Park, seven eighteen-foot-high sentinels convene in a circle supporting and nurturing a female form who emerges from the earth. In Inwood Hill Park, one sculpture faces the ancient wood in acknowledgment of Native histories deeply connected to the land; the other looks outward to the Hudson River, part of a trade route that brought settlers who worked to obliterate Native people and practices beginning in the 1600s. The figures in Seed are in the present while anticipating the future from bronze masks patinated in turquoise. The faces looking in are youth; those gazing outward are protectors. They all summon layers of narratives, personal and collective human experiences that have seeded Simpson’s life and art.

This exhibition is presented by the Madison Square Park Conservancy.

This newly commissioned public art exhibition by Rose B. Simpson is on view simultaneously in Madison Square Park and Inwood Hill Park. In Madison Square Park, seven eighteen-foot-high sentinels convene in a circle supporting and nurturing a female form who emerges from the earth. In Inwood Hill Park, one sculpture faces the ancient wood in acknowledgment of Native histories deeply connected to the land; the other looks outward to the Hudson River, part of a trade route that brought settlers who worked to obliterate Native people and practices beginning in the 1600s. The figures in Seed are in the present while anticipating the future from bronze masks patinated in turquoise. The faces looking in are youth; those gazing outward are protectors. They all summon layers of narratives, personal and collective human experiences that have seeded Simpson’s life and art.

This exhibition is presented by the Madison Square Park Conservancy.

Von Bonin brings her ongoing work WHAT IF THEY BARK? (2022) to the High Line, installing a group of anthropomorphic fish sculptures above the park’s iconic 10th Avenue Square. Assembled like a military band ensemble, the fish wear theatrical costumes, play musical instruments, and hold checkered missiles. This humorous composition recalls the statue arrangement of ancient Greek temples, but instead of gods and heroes here the artist places sea creatures on land interacting with one another and doing human activities such as playing music. The figures adorn the top of the railing of the Sunken Overlook as if playing a concert for visitors resting on the seating steps below, adding a playful element to the striking view up 10th Avenue.

This exhibition is presented by Friends of the High Line.

This court artwork is inspired by contrast, celebrating a space that brings people together through a shared passion.

This exhibition is presented by Les Deux, Kongstad Studio, and Project Backboard.

El Taller’s history includes emphasis on cross interdisciplinary ideas: in this case art and the song. The song can often be understood as lyrical poems that depict nature, relationships, memories, significant people and history. This exhibition highlights the work of artists Bernardo Palombo, Ric Pliego and Oscar Pardo and their interpretations of Spanish language songs. QR codes for each banner direct viewers to the El Taller Latino Americano website where visitors can hear the songs, read the lyrics and learn more about the artists and the songs.

This exhibition is presented by El Taller Latino Americano.

Joined an Avalanche, Never to be Alone Again examines how humans have accelerated a global environmental crisis, collapsing starkly different time scales projecting an imminent future while unearthing centuries of geological cycles. Harvesting materials from the city’s infrastructure, Irijalba manifests a sprawling geotechnical core sample sculpture and salvaged fencing from the FDR Drive. An additional artwork, a 1:1 scale low-tide wave made of 100% recycled asphalt, was also on view as part of this exhibition from October 4, 2023 to November 15, 2023.

This exhibition is presented by NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) as part of DCLA’s Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) Program.