I finally got to walk around the Financial District and look at some amazing outdoor public art sculptures. I organized a walking tour through pictures and research I found on the internet, and even though I was by myself, it was fun. I didn't get lost, and all the art was still there (sometimes the art is temporary displayed). I have to admit, I am pretty proud of myself for navigating the Financial District (since I never go) and my DIY tour was accurate! I went on weekday morning, so I wouldn't get too many people in my photos, and took the 4 train to Fulton Street. Walking down Broadway, you see 2 red sculptures across from each other: Red Cube by Isamu Noguchi and Joie de Vivre by Mark di Suvero. Red Cube looks like it is almost floating above the ground. The red color contrasts against the black and brown buildings. Mark di Suvero has a lot of sculptures in Storm King. We go there once a year, since the art always changes. His work is mostly painted red steel. Right down the street from Red Cube and Joie de Vivre, is Group of 4 trees by Jean Dubuffet. This is located at the Chase Manhattan Plaza. It is a very big plaza, which was empty when I visited, since it was early morning on a Thursday. I wonder if this plaza gets utilized with more art or events. It was nice to have it all to myself and look at all the buildings surrounding the art. To me, Group of 4 trees, looks like an abstract elephant trying to escape the city. Louise Nevelson Park is around the corner from Group of 4 trees. It has 5 steel sculptures surrounding a dog free (there was a sign) park. Her art is also at Storm King. One of my favorite artists, I read she had an affair with Diego Rivera, causing a rift with another one of my favorite artist, Frida Kahlo! After looking at these 4 amazing pieces of work, I continued down Broadway and visited the Charging Bull by Arturo Di Modica. Of course there were a lot of tourists taking photos, and I had to wait for people to get out of the way. I also read some history regarding the bull and it was made in Greenpoint, where I live. From Wiki: "The bull was cast by the Bedi-Makky Art Foundry in Greenpoint Brooklyn. The sculpture was the artist's idea, not the city's. In an act of "guerrilla art," Bedi Makky Art Foundry, along with Di Modica, trucked it to Lower Manhattan and on December 15, 1989, installed it beneath a 60-foot Christmas tree in the middle of Broad Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange as a Christmas gift to the people of New York." You learn something new everyday! At last I ended up at Battery Park. First up was the Korean Memorial, with the Sphere in the background. The sphere is made up of debris from the September 11, 2001 attacks in NYC and is a memorial to the victims of 9-11. It also looks like a face to me, twisted and dark. The cool globes exhibit aims to raise awareness of climate change. Tony Cragg's Resonating Bodies are supposed to be a tuba (in the background) and a lute. The Immigrants sculpture is dedicated to all the people that entered America through Clinton Castle. Lastly, the East Coast Memorial. Beautiful art, lousy name. "This memorial commemorates those soldiers, sailors, marines, coast guardsmen, merchant marines and airmen who met their deaths in the service of their country in the western waters of the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. There are gray granite pylons upon which are inscribed the name, rank, organization and state of each of the 4,611 missing in the waters of the Atlantic." I know I missed a lot of public art, but these are the ones that were on my itinerary. I can't wait to see more around NYC. One needs to see beautiful public art in order to have some piece of mind, while living in the hectic jungles of NYC.
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My short blog topics include: photography, music, science, crafts, vacation photos, movies, events in NYC, and of course stop motion animation.
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