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Art in the Parks

June 19, 2009

It's no secret that New York City's 1,700 parks and recreational facilities come alive in the summer. What many tourists and natives are unaware of is the transformation of the city's green spaces into veritable art exhibits. For more than 40 years, the city Department of Parks and Recreation has hosted over 1,000 temporary displays in all five boroughs. This year will feature more than a dozen artists, whose styles are as diverse as their mediums.

Brooklyn

Julia Vogl's Leaves of Fort Greene at Fort Greene Park
Through July 10

Vogl's installation, which is situated in Brooklyn's oldest major park, explores how light affects our perspective and experience. The changing combinations of pattern, color and light, produced by the sun's reflection on painted plexi-glass panels, are reminiscent of a flattened kaleidoscope.


Manhattan

John Morton's Central Park Sound Tunnel at Central Park Zoo
Through Sept. 10

Every half hour, the ringing of Delacorte chimes acts as a harbinger for Morton's 20-minute, six-speaker sonic collage, resonating throughout the pedestrian tunnel between the Central Park Zoo and the Children's Zoo adjacent to 5th Avenue. The sounds were recorded throughout the past year, from baseball games to horses trotting, and are played randomly to produce a unique mishmash each time. The installation runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Queens

State Fair at Socrates Sculpture Park
Through August 9

This group exhibition is centered on American rural life, and examines topics such as small-scale farming and culinary arts through the platform of the state fair. The show, curated by Alyson Baker, Mark Dion, and Marichris Ty, will also feature work that references the traditional craft, amusements, rides and competitions that are components of the fairs.

Please visit the parks department site for a full list of exhibits and further

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