Union Square Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, August 18, 2000

MOO NEWS: NEW YORK’S BOVINE GUESTS GET THEIR OWN BOOK

Photograph by Malcolm (Cinema) Pinckney

Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern visited the Union Square Barnes & Noble to sign copes of CowParade New York, a new book with full-color photos of the more than 500 life-size bovine works of art that have grazed on New York City's streets this summer. A live cow was even brought into the bookstore for the event, although unlike most of its colorful kin scattered throughout the city, it was of the everyday, black-and-white variety.

The book, from Workman Press, celebrates this unique public art project. CowParade New York 2000 marks the first time that a public art event has been staged simultaneously in all five boroughs of New York City. The cow's designers range from well-known artists like Red Grooms and Peter Max to groups of schoolchildren. Of the 500 cows marching through the city this summer, over 200 grace the green spaces of the Parks Department, which, along with NYC 2000 and CowParade Holdings, has been hosting the project.

Parks has a history of bringing animal art-from camels, to mastodons, to dolphins-to the green spaces of New York City. The Commissioner's non-profit organization 7A, which stands for the American Association for the Advancement and Appreciation of Animals in Art and Architecture, encourages projects such as CowParade which children and adults alike can enjoy.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Friday, August 21, 1987)

MAYOR DESIGNATES 11 NEW QUIET ZONES (SOTTO VOCE)

If you were thinking of shouting with joy over Mayor Koch's announcement of 11 new Quiet Zones this week, you better stifle your cries. Quiet Zones forbid radio and tape recorder playing without the use of earphones. And of course, shouting is also verboten. A happy hush first fell over Parks during the summer of 1985, when the first five zones were established. They were so successful, that in 1986 10 more zones were added to the list. There are now a total of 26 specially-designated Quiet Zones in park or beach area in each of the five boroughs.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

Cows are my passion.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)