Two Brand New NYC Public Art Projects – Perfect For The Fall!

public-art-nyc-2014-lincoln-center-john-gerrard-solar-power

If the vitality of a city can be measured, even to a small degree, by the prevalence and energy of its public art, then New York is in fine shape indeed. From the ongoing exhibitions in City Hall Park to the regular installations along Broadway and Park Avenue to the consistently engaging shows up and down the High Line, over the past decade or so great works of public art have left the usual corporate-plaza spaces far behind, offering ample opportunities for surprise and delight as we go about our day. Two terrific new installations in Manhattan got me thinking about all of this again recently: three huge sculptures by Tony Cragg that have taken up residence in Madison Square Park through February; and the addictive, high-def Solar Reserve by John Gerrard, plopped down front and center on the Lincoln Center's main plaza. 

Tony Cragg's Walks of Life at Madison Square Park

Tony Cragg's Walks of Life at Madison Square Park

Ever since it's inception in 2004, the Mad. Sq. Arts program, which commissions installations from contemporary artists two or three times a year, has helped transform this historic public space into one of the city's most popular parks. And with his trio of sculptures–Caldera on the southern gravel plaza near Shake Shack, Points of View on the main lawn, Mixed Feelings in the park's northwest corner–British artist Tony Cragg joins a long line of acclaimed artists who have managed to command our attention with monumental, dynamic pieces even while completely integrating their work into the space. On their first day, they look right art home. And, crucially in this era of selfies and Instagram, all are welcoming and interactive in that photo-op way, especially Caldera, into which you can climb and pose in any number of ways. Tony Cragg's Walks of Life installation will be on view in Madison Square Park through February 8th. 

Tony Cragg's Walks of Life decorates the greens at Madison Square Park

Tony Cragg's Walks of Life in Madison Square Park

John Gerrard's Solar Reserve at Lincoln Center

The Lincoln Center campus is no stranger to hosting massive works of art–Henry Moore's Reclining Figure in the reflecting pool; Alexander Calder's Le Guichet by the Vivienne Beaumont Theater; JR's fantastic photographs of the New York City Ballet last winter–but I can't ever remember a piece like John Gerrard's Solar Reserve dominating the space in quite this way. Set down at the top of the main entrance to the plaza, and even blocking the iconic (though semi-newly renovated) fountain, Solar Reserve is basically an enormous LED wall/screen that shows Gerrard's computer-simulated, 365-day-long "movie" of a solar power plant in Tonopah, Nevada. The actual plant on which the work is based, known as a solar thermal power tower, is comprised of 10,000 mirrors that bounce sunlight into a pool of molten salts, creating a thermal battery that generates electricity. But you don't have to know any of that to be mesmerized by the piece, which is particularly striking at night. John Gerrard's Solar Reserve will be on display through December 1st.

John Gerrard's Solar Reserve at Lincoln Center

John Gerrard's Solar Reserve at Lincoln Center

Posted in NYC Events | Tagged