Art in New York

NewYorkology is pleased today to offer an extended excerpt chapter from the new book “Public Art New York” by architect Jean Parker Phifer and photographer Francis Dzikowski. The book tackles all the best permanent public art in all five boroughs of New York City, but today’s preview focuses on Queens, including the WPA murals and an Alexander Calder mobile at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports, respectively. Published just this week, “Public Art New York” is organized by neighborhood and includes maps helpful for travelers on foot or armchair. Phifer, a past president of the Art Commission of the City of New York, is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and teaches Environmental Design at New York University. Dzikowski is an architectural photographer based in New York City. Their book tour includes several NYC events at locations including the Skyscraper Museum and Urban Center Books. Queens Flight James Brooks, Artist, 1938-40 Collection of the City of New York Marine Air Terminal Delano & Aldrich, Architects, 1937-40; Restoration by Beyer Blinder Belle, Architects, 1995-6 West end of LaGuardia Airport, Flushing Built just before World War II at the urging of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the Marine Air Terminal originally served passengers for the legendary seaplanes known as Yankee Clippers. Over time, as air travel changed from seaways to runways, the terminal became divorced from the waterfront and was poorly renovated, masking its Art Deco style. The murals were inexplicably painted over in the 1950s but were restored in the late 1970s. Declared a New York City landmark, the terminal and its interior finally regained their former glory in the 1990s. The colorful murals ringing the upper level of the interior of the original main hall are a striking reminder of the excitement and sophistication of the early days of air travel. Completed under the Works Progress Administration, the murals combine historical representation with artistic exuberance. Subjects include early biplanes, pilots undertaking navigational computations, and various representations of humanity benefiting from the advances of flight. The model of an old plane that now hangs from the middle of the dome is a perfect touch in this highly evocative public space. New York Hall of Science 47-01 111th Street, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park The unusual concrete and glass core of this building was constructed to the designs of Harrison and Abramovitz for the 1964 World’s Fair. A new entrance and galleries by Beyer Blinder Belle were opened in 1996, and several fantastic outdoor science playgrounds by BKSK architects have been built since. The newest wing to the north, designed by the Polshek Partnership, opened in 2004. The upper Hall of Light in this wing is clad in a luminous membrane of translucent panels that brings filtered daylight into the interior exhibits. The terrific public art throughout the museum has been inspired by scientific inquiry and interprets natural phenomena in innovative ways to an audience of all ages. A few of these pieces are described on the following pages. Sun Sculpture Maty Grunberg, 1999 Collection of the City of New York This gigantic astrolabe, 10 feet in diameter, sits in front of the entrance to the Hall of Science. Part artwork and part scientific instrument, it is a direct demonstration of how our daily and seasonal cycles are calibrated from the rotation of the earth around the sun. Whereas this sculpture celebrates the sun’s hegemony over human time, the collection of historic rockets displayed nearby documents man’s attempts to break free of earthly gravity to explore the solar system. Inclined Light Wall James Carpenter, 2004 Collection of the City of New York, Sponsored by the Percent for Art Program of the Department of Cultural Affairs Installed on the inside of the north end of Polshek’s 2004 addition to the Hall of Science, James Carpenter’s slanted glass sculpture takes full advantage of the light streaming through the glass skylight above to project changing patterns and color on the wall. Because the sun and clouds are constantly moving across the sky, the intensity of the yellow color and the definition of the dot screens on both the inclined glass plane and the wall beyond continue to overlay in complex and evolving relationships. Located at the end of the wing, the piece acts as a magnet for visitors throughout the building and can be seen as well from the exterior. Says Carpenter, “It is a play on large-scale moire patterns that shift with the viewers’ movement through the space.” Soul in Flight: A Memorial to Arthur Ashe Eric Fischl, Sculptor; Mark Sullivan, Landscape Architect, 2000 Collection of the City of New York National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park From what we get, we make a living; What we give, however, makes a life. - Arthur Ashe The sculptor Eric Fischl, selected to design this memorial by a committee that included Ashe’s widow, opted to represent Ashe’s athletic prowess and humanitarian spirit with a nude figure. The novelty of depicting a tennis champion in the midst of the serving motion totally in the buff has perplexed some of the star’s fans. But the muscled figure can be read as reaching heavenward in a universal gesture of striving and hope. The torqued counterpoint of the figure, recalling forms of classical sculpture, depicts the moment of recoil before the energy release of his mammoth tennis serve, evoking the graceful confidence of Arthur Ashe the champion. Unisphere Gilmore D. Clarke, 1964 Granite Pavement Matt Mullican, Artist; Miceli Kulik Williams, Landscape Architects, 1995 Collection of the City of New York, Sponsored by the Percent for Art Program of the Department of Cultural Affairs Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, East of the Grand Central Parkway Although the huge Unisphere, built for the 1964 World’s Fair in shiny stainless steel, is regarded by some as an incongruous relic of World’s Fair bombast, it has earned the fond regard of many as an example of mid-twentieth-century design and has been designated a New York City landmark. The gigantic globe, 120 feet in diameter, hovers over a large fountain with spray jets that add palpably to its appeal in the hot summer months. The extensive area of pavement around the fountain has been reinvigorated with highly detailed pictorial depictions of historical events in the vicinity of the park, etched with matte finish into the polished black granite. The scale of the whole ensemble, therefore, is an odd mix of the gargantuan and the minute, isolated in the huge expanse of the sprawling park. Search: Literature Sheila Levrant De Bretteville, Artist, 1998 Collection of the City of New York, Sponsored by the Percent for Art Program of the Department of Cultural Affairs Flushing Regional Branch Library Polshek Partnership, Architects, 1998 41-17 Main Street Queens is home to the most heterogeneous immigrant community in New York, and the Flushing library is the most heavily used branch in New York City. Subtly incised on the risers of the granite steps leading up to the main entrance of the library, the titles of classic stories in many languages evoke subjects of travel, relocation, and yearning for the manifold immigrants of Queens. World of Flowers Yong Soon Min, Artist, 1998 Collection of the City of New York, Sponsored by the Percent for Art Program of the Department of Cultural Affairs Flushing Regional Branch Library Polshek Partnership, Architects, 1998 41-17 Main Street Striking from both inside and outside the library, this series of twenty-four panels of sandblasted glass has a charming pictorial immediacy that juxtaposes maps of Queens and the world with cascading images of flowers from many countries. Recalling the graphic decorative patterns of wallpaper, the windows give the children’s reading room a delightful sense of serendipity. Roof Sculpture for the 107th Police Precinct Station House Alice Aycock, Artist, 1988 Collection of the City of New York, Sponsored by the Percent for Art Program of the Department of Cultural Affairs 107th Precinct Stationhouse Perkins Eastman, Architects, 1992 71-01 Parsons Boulevard This striking composition sits on the roof at the most prominent corner of the three-story stationhouse. Composed of a large circular fiberglass dome reminiscent of a satellite dish or abstracted astrolabe, surrounded by miscellaneous geometric steel shapes, the piece at first elicited concern about bureaucratic eavesdropping among some neighborhood residents. However, is should be read as a more benign expression of the need for open communications between public officials and the citizens they aim to protect. The outsize scale of the sculptural forms should be enough to convince anyone that transparency, not secrecy, is the intended message. Tree Gate Noerah Alvi, Vollmer Associates, and Alex Kveton, Milgo Industrial, Inc., 2002 Collection of the City of New York Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main Street, Flushing This stylized yet delightfully botanical gate telegraphs to the street the remarkable transformation of the Queens Botanical Garden since 2000. The garden, situated on the 39 acre site of a horticultural exhibit for the 1939 World’s Fair, has boldly transformed itself into a beacon of sustainable design and an active park for the vibrant local immigrant community. A handsome administrative building designed by BKSK Architects, the first city building to achieve LEED Platinum rating (the highest level of sustainability) by using on-site water collection and cleansing systems, opened in 2007. This gate, fabricated from weathering steel, presents the silhouette of the American hornbeam tree. Framed by two real and formidable Blue Atlas cedars that survive from the World’s Fair display, the tree gate signifies to passersby that a green oasis awaits inside. The Wheel of Justice Ed McGowin and Claudia DeMonte, 1998 Collection of the City of New York, Sponsored by the Percent for Art Program of the Department of Cultural Affairs Queens Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard at 89th Avenue, Jamaica Cast in the form of an ancient totem animated by primitive figures and vegatative forms, the oxidized bronze Wheel of Justice appears at first glance to have been unearthed from a Mayan archeological site. On closer inspection, it is clearly of our time, being decorated with aphorisms such as “Danger Invites Rescue” and “The Cry of Distress Is the Summons to Relief.” The figures include policemen and families, everyday objects such as a telephone, and symbolic flowers from the Queens County flag. The wheel is mounted in the center of the pleasant courtyard in front of the colonnaded Supreme Court building; the sculptural ensemble also includes granite benches inscribed with the names of towns in Queens. Katul, Katul Ursula Von Rydingsvard, 2003 Collection of the City of New York, Sponsored by the Percent for Art Program of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Office of Court Administration and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York Queens Family Court PEI Cobb Freed & Partners, Architects, and Gruzen Samton, Associated Architects, 2003 151-20 Jamaica Avenue This intriguing piece was conceived by well-known artist Ursula von Rydingsvard in consultation with architects Pei Cobb Freed. Von Rydingsvard is best known for her earthy, bowl-like pieces carved from dark masses of solid cedar. That this piece had to be suspended from the lofty ceiling of the public space presented an unprecedented challenge. Her solution was to use cedar as the formwork for the co-polyethylene resin material of the piece, and to suspend the plastic from the ceiling on aluminum armatures. One can glimpse the residual contour of the cedar formwork in the shape and finish of the resin skin. Although some have struggled to understand the conceptual format of the piece, it demonstrated the verve of an accomplished artist confronting new parameters. Confirmation Melvin Edwards, 1989 Collection of the United States Government Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building, 155-10 Jamaica Avenue at Parsons Boulevard Because this was the first federal building completed in New York City after the removal of Richard Serra’s controversial Tilted Arc from Jacob Javits Plaza in downtown Manhattan, the public art selection committee made a serious effort to involve the surrounding community of South Jamaica. They commissioned several African American artists to design site-specific works of art for the exterior and lobby of the building. The most visible of these, Confirmation, is an elegant addition to the urban landscape of the civic center. As in much of Edwards’s work, the burnished stainless steel planes present a composition that is both restrained and dynamic. The large, circular plane echoes the round columns supporting the center of the building, and the arched plane forms a curved gateway aligned with the building’s entrance. The muted red brick color of the building’s masonry facades sets off well the low-luster sheen of the stainless steel. Together, the elements of the composition manifest balance and exuberance. The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum 9-01 33rd Road, Long Island City Established in a former factory building in 1985, the Noguchi Museum was the first established by a living American artist to feature his own work. Noguchi himself closely directed the renovations to the building, creating a striking outdoor-indoor entrance space, an open, landscaped courtyard, and interior galleries flooded with light. Substantially renovated in 2004, the Museum is open on a pay-as-you-wish basis on the first Friday of every month. Entrance Court A diagonal opening high in the far corner of the entrance court allows natural light to suffuse a portion of the space, creating a stark but dramatic setting for a selection of Noguchi’s sculptures, in the left foreground Break Through Capistrano, 1982, and in the right foreground Gift of Stone, 1983. Miharu Isamu Noguchi, 1968 (L) Behind Inner Seeking Shiva Dancing Isamu Noguchi, 1976-82 ® The open courtyard is a serene Japanese-inspired garden with concrete pathways curving among stone or metal sculptures set on plinths in defined areas of earth, gravel, or evergreen groundcover. The landscape is further defined by specimen evergreen and deciduous trees, climbing vines on the walls, and the large, industrial windows that light the galleries inside. This elegant but restrained landscape and the earthy tones of the garden finishes provide the perfect setting for the display of Noguchi’s signature work in granite, wood, and metal. To Darkness Isamu Noguchi, 1965-66 Originally shown at the Whitney Museum in 1968, this dark granite piece has been mounted on a new base that mirrors its form for this courtyard installation. Core (Cored Sculpture) Isamu Noguchi, 1978 The round hole in the middle of this upright[...]