Art in the parks (part 1)

This summer, you will find some really incredible sculpture installations in NYC parks. Here are some of the ones I've visited so far...

Madison Square Park

Teresita Fernandez's Fata Morgana, on display until "winter 2015-16", doesn't look like much from a distance...

but once you're walking under it, it's magical. 

City Hall Park

If you're in town for a visit and headed to Ground Zero and the 9/11 Museum, wander a few blocks east to City Hall Park. Public Art has an installation called Image Objects on display through November 20th, 2015. From their website:

"With new works produced specifically for this exhibition, each artist has drawn from source images and used digital means to create new sculptural forms. Alice Channer’s R O C K F A L L (2015) and Jon Rafman’s New Age Demanded (2015) employ advanced digital fabrication tools to transform images into three-dimensional objects. Other artists – like Amanda Ross-Ho and Artie Vierkant – have created works that directly address the photographic life of a sculpture when it is documented and shared online. As images are rendered into objects and objects are circulated as images, the boundaries between the physical and the virtual are blurred, challenging us to rethink how we see the world around us."

I thought it was appropriate for this photo to be a selfie (I'm terrible at them...), since the artist is referencing the "online afterlife of art in the public realm".

Brooklyn Bridge Park

On Friday, I visited BBP to help with their Park Count Marathon. It's a wonderful park with a carousel, sand volleyball and basketball courts, places to kayak and wade, a pop up swimming pool, and lots and lots of summer programming. SyFy movie nights, Shakespeare at Sunset, concerts, fitness classes...there's something for everyone. Oh, and don't forget Smorgasburg on Sundays at Pier 5!! (Visit brooklynbridgepark.org for a full calendar.) 

While I was there, I wandered around in search of Jeppe Hein's installation Please Touch the Art. It's a great addition to the park - neon orange benches where you can read or eat Ample Hills ice cream, a mirror labyrinth to explore, and a jetting fountain, perfect on a hot summer day.

While you're at the park, be on the lookout for Tom Fruin's gorgeous stained glass water tank on the roof of the BBP offices at Furman and Joralemon Streets. (The second photo is from when one was in a local gallery, not onsite.) 

P.S. Mr. Fruin is holding an artist talk at the park on Sept. 10th at 7pm.

Many other local parks (Riverside Park, Central Park...) also have art on display. But those are for another post.