Walter Gladwin Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, January 30, 2002

TWO COLORFUL MURALS ADORN TREMONT PARK

Parkies, the Bronx Museum of Art, VIP Community Services, and community members celebrated the unveiling of two 8’x 16’ murals by artist Brett Cook-Dizney on Monday, January 28, 2002. The murals were installed in Tremont Park in the Bronx as a collaboration between Parks Temporary Public Art Program and the Bronx Museum of Art.

The graffiti-style portraits are two of five murals from the public artwork entitled "Information for Peace and Democracy." Cook-Disney worked with the Collaborative Arts Program (CAP)2002: Artists in Community Residencies, a museum-sponsored public art education program, to produce portraits in response to the tragic events of September 11^th. He took the opportunity on Monday to explain the democratic quality of his artistic process. Cook-Dizney selected five members of community organizations that he then interviewed using questions that the interviewees wrote themselves regarding peace and democracy. They were then invited to help sketch projections of photographs of themselves. After the artist added his own artistic touches, the two murals are now placed in public spaces, allowing the entire community to become engaged in the dialogue around peace and democracy.

Two women, Thelma and Lisa, are the subjects of the two murals installed at the northeast entrance to Tremont Park. The colorful and thought-provoking murals will bring vibrancy and life to the community during the winter months and are on display through June. The three other portraits are currently being installed throughout the South Bronx, including one adjacent to the Museum. William (Zorro) Castro, acting on behalf of Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern, welcomed honored guests and attendees on what was an unseasonably warm January day.

In attendance were Dorothy (Polka) Lewandowski, Bronx Chief of Operations; Adrian (Sassafras) Sas, Public Art Curator; Jenny (Wren) Dixon, Executive Director of The Bronx Museum of Art’s; Eathon Hall, Curator of Education and Public Programs of The Bronx Museum of Art’s; Donna Kessinger, CAP Facilitator; Sandra Ruiz Butter, Executive Director of VIP Community Services, and Elenore Penziner, Manager of External Affairs of VIP Community Services.

Read the original press release for this event.

By Shelagh Patterson

(Wednesday, February 8, 1989)

A license agreement between the City of New York and Snug Harbor Cultural Center (SHCC) Inc. was signed at a ceremony at City Hall on Monday. Under the agreement SHCC will operate a public/educational center and park at the 80-acre park site bon Staten Island, under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Cultural Affairs Departments.

The signing ceremony was attended by Mayor Koch, Staten Island Borough President Ralph J. Lamberti, Commissioner Stern, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Mary Schmidt Campbell, Gregory L. Gilmore, President and CEO of SHCC, Deputy Commissioner for Planning Diana Chapin, Counsel Sidney Nowell, Staten Island Parks Commissioner Joseph Curran, Parklands Director Jane Cleaver and Attorney Leone Bernstein.

"Two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety
and two because it permits criticism."

(1879-1970)