Mary Mattingly, Ebb of a Spring Tide at Socrates Sculpture Park, Concept image courtesy of the artist
Socrates Sculpture Park presents New York-based artist Mary Mattingly: Ebb of a Spring Tideon view May 20 through September 9, 2023. Mattingly’s first solo exhibition at Socrates unveils new sculptural works exploring our relationship to coastal ecosystems and the shifting nature of rivers and water lines. An Opening Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 20 from 12 – 5 pm.
Renderings of The Cubes at Socrates Sculpture Park, courtesy LOT-EK
Socrates Sculpture Park is excited to break ground for “The Cubes,” a new 2,640 square-foot, two-story building that will become a permanent home for Socrates Sculpture Park, designed by the innovative architecture studio LOT-EK. Multi-functional by design, the space will provide new facilities for the park’s administrative offices, arts education and community work, creating opportunities for year-round public programming. Constructed from up cycled shipping containers, the building’s origin, materials, and design invokes Socrates Sculpture Park’s founding principles of creative reclamation, adaptable re-use, and honoring the neighborhood’s industrial roots.
NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue will join Socrates Sculpture Park Executive Director Tamsin Dillon, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, Socrates Sculpture Park Board Member Stuart Match Suna, City Council Member Julie Won, Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, Community Board 1 Chair Marie Torniali, and members of the community to officially break ground on “The Cubes.”
For the past three decades, Los Angeles-based artist Liz Larner has explored the material and social possibilities of sculpture in innovative and surprising ways, and is now one of the most influential artists of her generation engaged with the medium. Her use of materials ranges from the traditional—such as bronze, porcelain, glass, or stainless steel—to the unexpected: volcanic ash, surgical gauze, leather, or eyelashes, each medium selected for its physical or chemical properties as well as for social and historical associations. Taking direction from these materials, her works can be delicate or aggressive; meticulously crafted or unruly and formless.
During the past year and a half, places of sanctuary have been more important than ever. A new exhibition opening at Socrates Sculpture Park addresses several interpretations of sanctuary – as spaces of rest and protection; as sacred sites; and as supportive environments. Thirteen artists selected through an open call have created eleven new projects on this theme. Projects were created onsite at the Park’s outdoor studios with financial support and technical assistance as part of the Socrates Annual Fellowship.
NYC Parks today announced that a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) has been issued for the renovation, operation and maintenance of a cafe in Hunter’s Point South Park, a popular waterfront destination in Long Island City, Queens.
“Hunter’s Point South is a treasured waterfront gem that offers some of the best views of New York City,” said Queens Parks Commissioner Michael Dockett. “This is an amazing opportunity for qualified and experienced professionals to establish a fresh take on the in-park dining experience, and create a destination that will attract parkgoers and visitors for years to come.”
Ribbon Cutting at Green Field House, Queensbridge Park. Photo credit: Daniel Avila/NYC Parks
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, joined Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer yesterday to celebrate the completion of a new LEED certified field house and comfort station in Queensbridge Park. The project constructed a new, energy-efficient building to provide facilities for community members and Parks staff.
“After 30 years of being vacant, the brand new Queensbridge Field House will provide new public restrooms for park visitors,” said Commissioner Silver. “This new facility will also serve an important role as base of operations for our maintenance staff in Queensbridge Park. We are grateful for the funding support we received from Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and Mayor Bill de Blasio to enhance the Queensbridge Park experience.”
Gaston Lachase, ‘Floating Woman’. Image via National Gallery of Australis (NGA)
An acclaimed sculpture created in the 1920s will find a new home in Long Island City this week. ‘Floating Woman’ by Gaston Lachaise will be installed inside Hunters Point South Park on Thursday, September 24th, with a brief unveiling ceremony at 3 p.m Livestream on Instagram. The sculpture will be in the park for one year.
Miya Ando ~ Ginga (Silver River), 2019. Steel and silk gauze. 15 x 3.5 x 91 feet. Images courtesy the artist and Socrates Sculpture Park. The title is the Japanese word for galaxy and draws on Japanese understanding of time as informed by and experienced through the natural world. The installation is suspended along the Park’s East River shoreline.
Chronos Cosmos: Deep Time, Open Space transforms Socrates Sculpture Park into a gateway to the universe, presenting artworks that consider space, time, and matter in relationship to celestial entities and earth-bound processes. In the open-air environment of the Long Island City waterfront park, the exhibition uses scale to put the universe in context, creating connection points to space and time.
Artist Anyone Konst. “Free Peddler”. Image via socratessculpturepark.org
The Socrates Annual is on view at Socrates Sculpture Park. For the 2018 exhibition, projects range from a decolonial greenhouse to audio-sculptural portraits of Queens hip-hop legends. Approaches vary among community-centered pedagogy and production, material experimentation, and redeployment of historical forms of construction, among others. This year contemporary and historical land-use is examined by several artists in projects including a labyrinth of fences and gates, and a steel and textile installation that traces the East River ecology of waste flows through land, water, and biological life. Additionally, several artists employ representations of the human figure, perhaps suggesting a time for reflection upon the Humanist philosophies that seem precarious with looming climate change and ongoing political conflict.
Located in four public parks along the East River waterfront in Queens, INSITU 2018 will take place on August 4-5. Here are the maps and schedule of events.