Public Art

Times Square Arts’ 2020 Valentine’s Day heart comes with a hidden surprise

Photos by Ian Douglas

January 31, 2020

Times Square Arts’ 2020 Valentine’s Day heart comes with a hidden surprise

Times Square Arts debuted the 2020 Times Square Valentine Heart yesterday, a tradition that started in 2009. This year's installation, Heart Squared, was selected by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and designed by MODU and Eric Forman Studio. The sculpture is composed of a 10-foot-tall cubic steel lattice structure that approximates the form of an anatomical heart and 125 mirrors that are suspended within and tilted at various angles to create a kaleidoscopic collage of the urban environment. The arrangement of the mirrors might seem random at first but they're precisely calibrated to form an anamorphic projection—meaning that the mirror array creates a surprise image when viewed from a specific vantage point, which is marked on the ground with white paint.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

Rendering courtesy of Murr Architekten

January 22, 2020

Finalists announced for this year’s City of Dreams pavilion on Roosevelt Island

By Michelle Cohen

Arts organization FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) have just announced the finalists in the 2020 City of Dreams Pavilion Design Competition. The competition is an annual program that invites designers to create a temporary architectural pavilion that is efficient and sustainable while considering the life cycle of the building materials used. This year's pavilion will be in Lighthouse Park on Roosevelt Island.
See more of the winning entries

All photos courtesy of Wagstaff New York/The Howard Hughes Corportation

January 15, 2020

Head to Pier 17 to ride a sonic wave of illuminated seesaws in a new public art installation

By Michelle Cohen

All photos courtesy of Wagstaff New York/The Howard Hughes Corportation As 6sqft shared last week, The Garment District Alliance unveiled its latest public art installation, a collection of 12 oversized, illuminated seesaws titled “Impulse,” that emit various sounds as New Yorkers play on them. If you're looking for even more giant interactive seesaws, you're in luck: Wave-Field is now lighting up the lower Manhattan night. Now through the end of March, you'll find the installation of illuminated musical seesaws at Seaport Square next to Pier 17.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture at 56 Leonard Street will finally get installed

Rendering of Anish Kapoor sculpture at 56 Leonard St. © Anish Kapoor, 2017

October 31, 2019

Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture at 56 Leonard Street will finally get installed

By Dana Schulz

Tribeca's "Jenga Building," officially known as 56 Leonard Street, welcomed residents over two years ago, but one piece of the tower is still missing--the mirrored, bean-shaped sculpture by Anish Kapoor planned for the sidewalk outside its entrance. The sculptor is best known in the U.S. for his 2005 Cloud Gate installation in Chicago's Millenium Park, and his Tribeca piece, his first permanent work in New York City, will be a similar, smaller version of this. Back in March, we spotted a spray-painted installation guide for the sculpture outside 56 Leonard, but it's taken until now for the official word that the install will begin in November.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

NYC spring art guide 2019: Don’t-miss exhibits, events, and installations

Alicja Kwade, ParaPivot. Image credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Hyla Skopitz.

April 26, 2019

NYC spring art guide 2019: Don’t-miss exhibits, events, and installations

By Michelle Cohen

New York City's art scene blossoms anew in springtime, with fresh ways to look at classic museum collections, international art fairs, cutting-edge installations and everything in between. And new public works pop up in the city's parks and gardens, making it possible to enjoy both the outdoors and the art. We've rounded up a list of must-see exhibits, fairs, and installations to get you started.
Check out our top spring picks

Events & Things To Do

56 Leonard sidewalk gets outlined in anticipation of Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture

Rendering by Anish Kapoor.

March 6, 2019

56 Leonard sidewalk gets outlined in anticipation of Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture

By Michelle Cohen

Herzog & de Meuron's striking "Jenga" condo tower at 56 Leonard Street in Tribeca is a conversation piece on its own, with its cantilevered rectangles of glass rising into the sky. The long-anticipated flourish that will anchor the skyscraper–artist Anish Kapoor's reflective bean-shaped sculpture–is finally on the way, as evidenced by an intricate set of circles and arrows that just arrived on the building's sidewalk. The spray-painted outline will inform installation of the sculpture, which resembles a similar public art icon in Chicago, where Kapoor's "Cloud Gate" sculpture apparently attracts millions of tourists every year and has become an Instagram staple.
What's taking so long, the anticipation is killing us

Events & Things To Do

Siah Armajani: “Bridge Over Tree” 1970/2019; wood, steel and evergreen tree. Photo: Timothy Schenck.

February 21, 2019

Siah Armajani’s ‘Bridge Over Tree’ now open in Brooklyn Bridge Park

By Michelle Cohen

Iranian-born, Minneapolis-based artist Siah Armajani’s installation "Bridge Over Tree" (1970) was unveiled Wednesday at Brooklyn Bridge Park on the Empire Fulton Ferry Lawn between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. The seminal work, which was first shown as a temporary sculpture at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in 1970, is comprised of a 91-foot-long walkway with open, trussed sides and a shingled roof. A set of stairs at the sculpture's midpoint climb up and down over a small evergreen tree. This is the first re-staging of the installation in almost 50 years
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

November 29, 2018

Design studio Snarkitecture brings Snark Park to Hudson Yards with treats and ‘childlike wonder’

By Michelle Cohen

If hanging out at 900 feet in the air isn't your thing, NYC's newest neighborhood, Hudson Yards, promises plenty of fun things to do with your feet on the ground. As the first phase of the megaproject prepares to open this spring, New York-based design studio Snarkitecture will be introducing Snark Park, its first permanent exhibition space in Hudson Yards. Known for their clever reinterpretations of the familiar, Snarkitecture’s Snark Park will be a site for immersive installations housing design environments for all ages to explore, discover and enjoy.
Find out more

City calls on artists to add flair to drab construction fences in two-year pilot program

“Breathing Wall” by Monika Bravo. Photograph courtesy of the artist via NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

September 19, 2018

City calls on artists to add flair to drab construction fences in two-year pilot program

By Michelle Cohen

On September 12, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs announced a search for applicants for a new pilot program called City Canvas, Archpaper reports. The program was designed to beautify New York City’s visual landscape by installing large-scale–and temporary–artwork on its endless construction fences and 270 miles of sidewalk sheds. The protective construction structures are an everyday eyesore for New Yorkers, but current building codes prohibit altering them. The City Canvas program circumvents that ban by allowing select artists and cultural institutions to add visual art to the visual affronts.
Find out more

Artist proposes installing a Hollywood-style ‘Brooklyn!’ sign to attract visitors

A rendering of the proposed Brooklyn sign in place of the “Watchtower” sign. Image courtesy of Susanna Briselli.

July 25, 2017

Artist proposes installing a Hollywood-style ‘Brooklyn!’ sign to attract visitors

By Michelle Cohen

"Brooklyn is a potent idea as well as a place,” according to Susanna Briselli, who explains in the Brooklyn Eagle that the borough's name "summons vivid images and associations.” Briselli, who is an artist and photographer, suggests this potent chemistry is a compelling enough reason to create an enormous free-standing illuminated sign that reads “Brooklyn!” The massive work would be used to draw in more visitors and increase value, placed where the soon-to-be removed "Watchtower" sign in Brooklyn Heights now stands, or at another highly visible site such as Pier 7.
A sign of the times

Events & Things To Do

Cuomo unveils winning design for NYC’s first public monument to LGBT people

By Michelle Cohen

To coincide with pride weekend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that artist Anthony Goicolea had been chosen to design the first official monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to be commissioned by the State of New York. According to the New York Times, the statue will be built near the waterfront piers in Hudson River Park. The monument's design features nine boulders bisected in places with glass, which can act as a prism, emitting a rainbow pattern. Governor Cuomo formed the LGBT Memorial Commission after the deadly attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. in 2016; A request for designs for a new memorial went out in October of this year. Hudson River Park's waterfront piers have figured prominently in the history of the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

March 21, 2017

Artist who created Wall Street’s ‘Charging Bull’ angered by ‘Fearless Girl’ statue

By Michelle Cohen

A post shared by Melanie Hunt (@melaniehunt1331) on Mar 7, 2017 at 4:50am PST The creator of the iconic Wall Street "Charging Bull” is snorting mad over the appearance of the bull's new companion, artist Kristen Visbal’s bronze "Fearless Girl” statue. 76-year-old Arturo di Modica, the artist who made the iconic sculpture that, like its young challenger, was installed in the wee hours, says the girl is “an advertising trick,” reports MarketWatch.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

March 8, 2017

Kristen Visbal’s ‘Fearless Girl’ statue defies Wall Street’s bull to promote women in business

By Michelle Cohen

A post shared by Melanie Hunt (@melaniehunt1331) on Mar 7, 2017 at 4:50am PST Early Tuesday morning a bronze statue of a young girl in high tops, face defiant, hands firmly on her hips, was placed in front of the iconic charging bull statue in lower Manhattan’s Bowling Green park. The statue, created by artist Kristen Visbal, was installed by international asset management company State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) to bring attention to the need for more women on corporate boards–and for more female business leaders in general.
What's behind the girl

Events & Things To Do

October 3, 2016

Artist brings 4,000 redwood trees to Downtown Brooklyn

By Michelle Cohen

A big green sign that greets drivers from Manhattan coming over the Williamsburg Bridge reads, "Name It...We Got It!" Among the many things to which the borough can now lay claim: A dense grove of 4,000 redwood trees in the middle of Downtown Brooklyn's Metrotech Commons. It's this unlikely juxtaposition that has brought the trees, with roots in prehistoric times and known to grow bigger than the Flatiron Building and longer than the Brooklyn Bridge, to this spot steps from Shake Shack. The mini-redwood forest is called "Lost Man Creek," an art installation by Brooklyn-based artist Spencer Finch that opened on October 1. It's a scaled-down (to one hundredth the size) replica of a 790-acre section of California's Redwood National Park, planted in partnership with the Save the Redwoods League.
See more of this magical mini-forest

Events & Things To Do

August 1, 2016

City Releases New Public Art Map With More Than 1,000 Sites

By Dana Schulz

"New York City’s parks are host to the country’s greatest outdoor public art museum," says the Parks Department as an introduction to their new interactive Public Art Map and Guide. First spotted by Brokelyn, the map features more than 1,000 public art sites and monuments across the boroughs. It also plots temporary exhibits and gives a brief description of them.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

July 28, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week- 7/28-8/3

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! The beautiful hills of Governors Island has a new sculpture by British artist Rachel Whiteread, and it is yours to discover through the entire season. Bring a tote or a T and get a custom screen print by Brian Leo, or head to GHOST art lounge to talk all things about artists JMR and CRASH. Head outdoors for a day time dance party at MoMA PS1, for a French film at Tompkins Square Park or to the gorgeous Morris-Jumel Mansion for live art and jazz. Celebrate sound at Pioneer Works, or if you're feeling adventurous; hop a train to Asbury Park for sun, surf and the Art Star Craft Bazaar.
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

April 22, 2016

Artist Hopes to Raise $25K to Build a Pedestrian Bridge from Red Hook to Governors Island

By Michelle Cohen

From her back window on Columbia Street in Brooklyn, artist Nancy Nowacek could see Governors Island and Buttermilk Channel (the strait connecting Brooklyn to the island), and it seemed incredibly close. In fact, it's the equivalent of only about four city blocks away. So since 2012, Nowacek has been working on her vision of building Citizen Bridge over New York Harbor, a floating modular pedestrian bridge over the 1,400-foot span from Red Hook to Governor's Island. In what is currently planned as a one-day-only event, she sees Citizen Bridge as a completely new way to experience New York City harbor, rather than seeing it from the shore, from a bridge above, or from a boat. As noted by Mental Floss, Nowacek has turned to Kickstarter to raise money for a pilot phase. The project's goal of $25,000 would fund a proof-of-concept, which is the final phase before launching for real. So far, they've prototyped seven bridge designs in full-scale sections.
Find out more about this plan to walk on water

Architecture And Design

April 14, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 4/14-4/20

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! This week, check out the giant swimming pool that is smack in the middle of Rockefeller Center, or frolic with the two-story bunnies in Battery Park City. Photographer Joe Russo shares pieces from his years of shooting celebs and artists, and the annual AIPAD photographer show takes over the gorgeous Park Avenue Armory. Music novelist Ben Vendetta talks about 90s Brit Pop at Otto's Shrunken Head, and old school graffiti artist BIO shares new work in the Bronx. And finally, save your pennies to party in style with Swizz Beatz at the Brooklyn Museum.
more on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

January 26, 2015

Talking to NY’s Last Seltzer Man; Supermarket Chaos Before the Blizzard

By Dana Schulz

With perfect timing, the new Snow Monsters art installation arrives at Flatiron Plaza. [Untapped] Seltzer deliverymen used to be commonplace in the city, but now there’s just one left. [The Awl] The popular photo-documentary series Humans of New York has raised close to $700,000 to help underprivileged students in Brownsville, Brooklyn visit Harvard. [Gothamist] A […]

Uncategorized

January 12, 2015

New Public Art Piece Will Have All of Times Square Yawning at Once

By Dana Schulz

And not out of boredom. Sebastian Errazuriz has created a new public art piece for Times Square that is the antithesis of the high-energy, fast-paced neighborhood. It's a close-up, black-and-white, three-minute video of the artist looking around and yawning that plays on 50 digital billboards throughout Times Square, which triggers a domino effect of sleepy, open mouthed gaping, since we all know yawns are contagious. Errazuriz's idea was to instill "a pause in the city that never goes to sleep," which informs the title of the work. The yawn-athon takes place every night through January 17th at 11:47pm from 42nd to 47th Streets between Broadway and 7th Avenue.
More (yawn) details ahead

Events & Things To Do

December 16, 2014

Times Square Is Getting a Heart-Beating Urban Drum for Valentine’s Day

By Dana Schulz

As New Yorkers, we don't really think of Times Square as a romantic location, but for Valentine's Day 2015 we might just stand corrected. Brooklyn-based architecture firm Stereotank was announced as the winner of the annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design contest, a public art competition held for the past seven years by the Times Square Alliance and the Architectural League of New York. Stereotank's HEARTBEAT installation is an interactive, heart-beating, glowing urban drum.
More on HEARTBEAT ahead

August 11, 2014

Daily Link Fix: Finding Peace and Quiet in NYC; In-Store 3D-Printed Earphones Customized for Your Ear

By Alyssa Alimurung

Finding A Quiet Respite In The Loud, Busy City: As part of Narratively and WNYC’s “My Secret New York Sanctuary,” one New Yorker shares her secret place to recharge and think when things in the city get a bit too hectic. Submit Your Birdhouse Design To NEST: Calling all architects and designers! NEST is looking for […]

Architecture And Design

Public Art

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Daily Doseof NYC Life!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Daily Dose
of NYC Life!