Art in the Parks

This mural was created by Summer Youth Employment Program participants with lead artists Joel Bergner and Angela F Zirbes. The design begins on the left with an image representing the feeling of being silenced and marginalized in society. Coming out of this image is a hand being greeted by a second hand, alluding to the importance of community and family support and having a network of support. Further to the right, diverse young people have headphones on, which are connected to each other in a visual representation of the importance of tolerance and inclusion. At the far right, two hands are giving a fist bump to illustrate friendship and comradery, a statement of positive connection, with the community of Washington Heights in the background.

This exhibition is presented by the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Choosing Healthy & Active Lifestyles for Kids (CHALK), Artolution, and Community League of the Heights (CLOTH).

The CITYarts Our Voices mural is infused with the rich musical tradition and diverse culture of West Harlem. The borders contain personalized details by youth participants — small squares that tell the world about their identities, wishes, and dreams. The first half of the mural was painted in August 2022 and was completed by a second group of students in August 2023.

This exhibition is presented by CITYarts.

​Setting the Stage for Climate Change is made almost entirely of repurposed materials including the interior structure and platform that are constructed from repurposed wood cut from pickle barrels. The visible surfaces feature plastic laundry bottles, single use plastics, and detritus that are melted and joined, suggesting mitigations to the climate crisis by preserving forests, reducing plastic consumption, and repurposing materials in unexpected ways. Setting the Stage for Climate Change on its own is a free-standing sculpture. By siting it on the elevated terrace surrounded by stone walls and staircases, it becomes a backdrop for an amphitheater encouraging others to perform and activate the space.

This exhibition is presented by Art Lives Here and Friends of Morningside Park, made possible in part with funding from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

The Kongo Cosmogram depicts the interaction between two worlds; the visible and the invisible, or the physical and the spiritual. Nari Ward is known for his sculptural installations composed of discarded material found and collected in his neighborhood. Ward re-contextualizes these found objects in thought provoking juxtapositions that create complex, metaphorical meanings to confront social and political issues surrounding race, poverty, and consumer culture. He intentionally leaves the meaning of his work open, allowing the viewer to provide his or her own interpretation.

This exhibition is presented by Project Backboard.

This series of eight stainless steel medallions honors Bloomingdale neighborhood residents who have shaped our world, including John Coltrane, musician; Elizabeth Acevedo, poet; Mario Bauza, musician; Constance Baker Motley, judge; Jose Feliciano, musician; Isamu Noguchi, artist; Abbey Lincoln, vocalist; Billy Strayhorn, composer. Over the course of a year, the exhibition will rotate between three neighborhood parks: Booker T. Washington Playground (July 15, 2023 to November 9, 2023), Happy Warrior Playground (November 10, 2023 to March 14, 2024), and Frederick Douglass Playground (March 15, 2024 to July 11, 2024).

This exhibition is presented by El Taller Latino Americano and the Columbus Amsterdam BID.

Designed by Project Backboard, this basketball court mural includes an abstract depiction of shooting stars.

This exhibition is presented by Project Backboard.

After collecting and reviewing 56 proposals from 49 international artists nominated by an international advisory committee, High Line Art has shortlisted 12 proposals for further consideration for the fifth and sixth High Line Plinth commissions. The selected proposals will be on view as sculptural maquettes on the High Line for visitors to view and send feedback on what they would like to see realized.

This exhibition is presented by The High Line.

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.