Public Art Flows Through Riverside Park

By Megan Finnegan

Last week, the Parks Department received the blessing of Community Board 7’s Parks and Environment Committee to install seven temporary sculptures in different spots around Riverside Park South in June, until April 2012. The public art pieces will be created by sculptors from the Art Students League of New York, who will also collaborate on a larger-scale monumental sculpture to be placed in Van Cordtlandt Park in the Bronx.

“They were inspired by Riverside Park, the actual infrastructure, the river view, the environment,” said Jennifer Lantzas, public art coordinator for the Parks Department.

This is the first time the park has invited an art installation of this type. The impetus from the Art Students League came from Greg Wyatt, an instructor and prominent sculptor whose public works are displayed throughout the world and who is the master sculptor at St. John the Divine.

Ira Goldberg, the executive director, said Wyatt inspired the ASL to introduce its students to the sometimes-complex arena of producing public art through their new Model to Monument program.

“What the students have really immersed themselves in is the step by step process,” said Goldberg. “It’s the intent of this exercise for students to figure out what is going to work best for the public, something that people can easily interact with, that relates to their surroundings, that improves the experience of being in the park.”

Many of the sculptures are connected in form or spirit to their natural surroundings. Selva Sanjines is in the process of building her sculpture “Flight: Past to Future,” an abstract stainless steel rendering of two birds. The larger one, which will stand 9 feet high, looks toward the river with wings spread, representing the city’s future, and the smaller, 7-and-a-half-foot bird nods to the past.

“My idea was to bring peace and joy to the people,” said Sanjines, describing her inspiration in developing her idea. She spent a lot of time observing the park’s wildlife and the spot where her sculpture will be installed.

Allston Chapman drew ideas from the pilings sticking out of the river as well as her own favorite subjects. “I love to sculpt children and dogs,” said the North Carolina native. She hopes that her piece, featuring a little girl with a little dog by her side, hopping around on wooden posts, will appeal to kids especially.

The parks committee raised questions about the safety of the sculptures, considering how apt young children are to climb on outdoor structures, and also wanted to make sure that they would not disrupt the flow of pedestrian traffic along pathways. Lantzas assured the committee that the sculptures were designed with consideration to their future homes, and will be placed in spots that won’t block paths. The students will also work with engineers when installing the sculptures to ensure that they’re sturdy and safe.

“The response from people at the League has been very positive,” said Goldberg. “We really feel that not only are we doing something important for our students with this new program, but that we’re contributing to the public interest.”