Central Park

STARK VIEW OF THE NATURAL WORLD ON DISPLAY IN MIXED MEDIA EXHIBIT “NATURE IN BLACK AND WHITE”

On Display at NYC Parks’ Arsenal Gallery from March 14 – May 31, 2019

NYC Parks is pleased to debut the group exhibition “Nature in Black and White,” on view in the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park through May 31, 2019. Featuring works by Tatiana Arocha, Marna Chester, Tom Monsees, Sarah Myers, Amy Ross, and Alexandria Tarver, the show offers a range of mixed media including pencil drawings, oil paint, cut paper and cast plaster.

Artworks depicting themes of nature are often full of color, striving to stay true to and capture the natural world’s kaleidoscope of vibrant hues: lush greenery, clear blue skies, and verdant flowers. In “Nature in Black and White,” six artists take natural subject matter and depict it using reserved tones of black, white, and grey, revealing intricate forms and details through the absence of color. This exhibit was curated by Parks’ Public Art Coordinator Elizabeth Masella.

Situated within wooden frames that create visual vignettes, Marna Chester’s trio of three-dimensional bald eagles examine avian wildlife as they exist in a variety of environments: natural, built, and migratory. Drawing from the tropical landscapes and endangered rainforests of her native Colombia, Tatiana Arocha uses a monochromatic palette as a metaphor for the endangered natural world in two small assemblages and a monumentally sized canvas depicting a rainforest scene. Tom Monsees’ sculptures of found natural objects are cast in somber white and black, reminiscent of momento mori. He populates these castings with to-scale metal castings of found insects. Sarah Myers’ large-scale black and white tree paintings give hints at the artist’s process through handwritten notes, visible underdrawings, and occasionally ungessoed surfaces. Conveying the artist’s fascination with folklore and the natural world, Amy Ross takes common woodland creatures and imbues them with mystical, elusive qualities in her stark animal portraits. Alexandria Tarver works on an intimate scale, creating finely detailed pencil studies of domestic plants in her home and small canvases of painterly bouquets that capture the fleeting and subtly shifting beauty of her subjects.

On Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 6:00 p.m., in conjunction with the exhibition, Parks will host a meet-and-greet with the artists at the Arsenal Gallery, where attendees can learn more about their works through a talk and tour of the exhibition. Program admission is free but space is limited. To RSVP, please email artandantiquities@parks.nyc.gov.

Parks’ Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks and park history. It is located on the third floor of Parks’ headquarters in Central Park on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and admission is free. For more information on the Arsenal Gallery, please call (212)360-8163.

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Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center