Tom Otterness
For years Tom Otterness’s creations have been getting into all kinds of trouble. In New York he’s best known for his little bronze figures that roam throughout the 14th Street subway station. They’re...
View ArticleThe Gates
This weekend, the residents of Manhattan will wake up to find their beloved Central Park taken over by orange fabric. The project, known as "The Gates," has been 26 years in the making from the artists...
View ArticleCityside Waterfalls
Danish art star Olafur Eliasson wanted to reconnect New Yorkers with their waterfront. At a cost of $15 million, Eliasson has designed four massive waterfalls, ten stories high, in New York Harbor. He...
View ArticleFederal Property
Back in the 1930s, as part of the Federal Art Project, the government paid artists to make thousands of paintings, from famous murals to little landscapes. It wasn't possible to keep track of it all,...
View ArticleFollow the Stimulus Money
This spring the federal economic stimulus package started doling out $787 billion. And $3.8 million (that's 1/200,000th of it) went to Rochester, NY for the expansion of ARTWalk, the town’s funky urban...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Don't Jump
There's a public art exhibition opening next week in New York City that has me a bit concerned.It's called Event Horizon, and it consists of 31 life-size human figures made of iron and fiberglass. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Public Art vs. the Public in Indianapolis
A work of public art is causing a stir in Indianapolis — and it hasn’t even gone up yet. The dispute involves a monument of a freed slave that was supposed to be placed in downtown Indianapolis. The...
View ArticleRichard Serra's Tilted Arc
Original Air Date February 21st, 1985 —Richard Serra was not a happy man in 1985. His public sculpture, Tilted Arc, was the focus of an on-going controversy in New York City and in this interview with...
View ArticleSurveillance Art
In Madison Square Park, four large screen monitors ring the tables where Shake Shack customers stop to eat their burgers and fries.The screens are looping high-definition images of people in the park...
View ArticleStreet Pianos Lend Keys to the City
Sixty upright pianos will be distributed in parks, streets and plazas across New York City as part of the community-based art project Play Me I'm Yours. Artist Luke Jerram joins us to talk about...
View Article30 Dances in 30 Days
On the patio of a soulless corporate plaza, amid the mirrored towers of the financial district, the lunchtime entertainment has arrived. Everyday at noon for 30 days, Canadian dancer and choreographer...
View ArticleA Moveable Gallery: Amir Baradaran Uses Taxi TV Screens for Video Art
If you think all you get on TV in yellow cabs is the chatter of advertisements and news, think again. Through September 15, 6,300 of New York City's 13,237 taxi cabs will feature short videos from...
View ArticleManhattan Artist Turns Park Ave. Into Fanciful Garden
A strip of Park Avenue will soon look like a surreal, larger-than-life garden. Manhattan artist Will Ryman and his team will begin installing 38 giant rose blossoms up and down Park Avenue from 57th...
View ArticleHaving a Heart in Times Square
Times Square has found a heart just in time for Valentine's Day."Lighthearted," an oversized levitating heart, is the winning design from the annual Times Square Valentine's Day public art...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Public Sculpture Comes to Times Square
This week, fine art meets flash as five sculptures by high-profile artists land in Times Square, a public art exhibition connected to the arts trade show Armory Arts Week.On Tuesday morning after the...
View ArticleThe Art of Moving Boxes
For a little over two hours Thursday in Union Square, multicolored boxes joined the tourists, skateboarders and local business people milling about in the sunshine. Brooklyn-based artist Arielle Falk...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Old City, New Ideas: The Festival of Ideas Kicks off on the Lower East Side
Beginning on Wednesday, new ideas are coming to New York City. The Festival of Ideas for the New City, which runs from Wednesday May 4 to Sunday May 8, offers workshops and lectures about everything...
View ArticleAn 'Unreal' Statue Arrives in Madison Square Park
Peeking through the blooming dogwoods in Madison Square Park is 44-foot-high white statue of a head. The sculpture, created by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, is made of fiberglass resin and is modeled...
View ArticleOutdoor Sol LeWitt Exhibit Unveiled at City Hall Park
On Tuesday afternoon, a new exhibit from the Public Art Fund will be unveiled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in City Hall Park. The exhibit features 27 works from the American minimalist sculptor Sol...
View ArticleMark di Suvero Sculptures Loom Large on Governors Island
Massive steel sculptures will soon break up the Governors Island skyline. Starting Friday, 11 monumental works by the New York Abstract Expressionist sculptor Mark di Suvero will be up on the former...
View ArticleAluminum Goat Sculptures Land in Fort Greene Park
The entrance plaza of Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn has three new faces to welcome visitors. “Ancient,” “Goatie Boy” and “Goat as Wolf” are sculptures by Ruth McKerrell made of reclaimed Styrofoam cast...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Despite Heat, Conservators Wash and Wax Staten Island Monuments
An intrepid team of conservators and graduate school interns cleaned three Staten Island public monuments during Wednesday's scorching heat. On the docket for treatment were the 1893 bronze "Neptune...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Figment Festival Brings Whimsy and Art to Governor's Island
Finally there's a reason to dust off those fairy wings and take your stilts out of storage. At this weekend's Figment arts festival, participatory art will reign each day, allowing visitors to play,...
View ArticlePianos Pop Up around City Street Corners and Parks
Any desire for a quick round of "Heart and Soul" on your lunchbreak? Can do. Sixty decorated uprights and 28 grand pianos will be set up on street corners and parks across the city's five boroughs on...
View ArticleGiant Bronze Elephant Stands Upside Down in Union Square
Commuters passing through Union Square have a new, bombastic piece of public art to look at. "Gran Elefandret" is a five-ton, 26-foot tall bronze elephant sculpture by the Spanish artist Miquel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Vintage Carousel Spins in Brooklyn
A newly restored vintage carousel featuring hand-carved horses and chariots is set to make its debut in its new Brooklyn home overlooking the East River on Friday.Jane Walentas, who bought the carousel...
View ArticleLook | Seasonal Statues Arrive in Madison Square Park
Fall has arrived in Madison Square Park -- but so have spring, winter and summer.On Thursday, a new series of bronze cast statues by the Los Angeles-based artist Alison Saar was unveiled among the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Art Festival Brings Light to Greenpoint
The Brooklyn Waterfront will get a little taste of Times Square on Saturday.The "Bring to Light" festival is a free contemporary art festival that started in Paris 10 years ago under the name "Nuit...
View ArticlePublic Art Pitches
The director and chief curator of the Public Art Fund, Nicholas Baume, talks about what makes for great public art and the fund's current projects as listeners share their ideas, realistic and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Subway Mosaic, Best Public Art in America?
"Brooklyn Seeds" by Jason Middlebrook Depicts Floral Themed MosaicDeep into Brooklyn, NY just before Neck Road, an artistic treasure sits hidden from the New Yorkers zipping past on the Q train to...
View ArticleModel Boats Set to Launch From Polluted Newtown Creek
A fleet of artist-made, remote-controlled model boats will launch from Newtown Creek this weekend as part of an effort to draw attention to the waterway between Queens and Brooklyn that is considered...
View ArticleDon't Look Now, But Flatiron Is Upside Down
The flatiron building, in black and white, upside down. That's what visitors to Madison Square Park can see as they enter a new art installation.The camera obscura is a 10-foot by 10-foot cylindrical...
View ArticleOne NY Artist: Alexandre Arrechea
There are thousands of artists is New York City, some scratching out a living while perfecting their craft in studios, basements and on stage. WNYC is bringing a few of them to the spotlight, in their...
View ArticleDemocratic Debate Recap; Illegal Dog Breeds; MLK 50 Years Later;...
David Chen of the New York Times provides analysis of last night's Democratic mayoral debate, and takes your calls on whether or not the candidates said anything that changed how you plan to vote....
View ArticleOpen Phones: Public Art in Your Neighborhood
What work of public art--sculpture, mural, poster, performance, or any other medium--have you been appreciating in your neighborhood lately? Comment below or call 212-433-9692.[View the story "Your...
View ArticleCapitalism Works for Me: True or False? New Yorkers Say False
Capitalism works for me... true or false? New Yorkers votes on Friday: 109 false, 93 true.A 20 feet x 9 feet sign with a voting podium was in Times Square. The piece was was created by New York artist...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kara Walker's Black Sphinx Is Made of White Sugar
Ten years after it stopped refining sugar, the Domino sugar factory in Williamsburg is now home to a large sphinx made of sugar, thanks to New York artist Kara Walker.The sphinx is modeled after a...
View ArticleGo Inside a Brain in Times Square
The "Brain City" project compares the workings of the city to the mechanics of your brain. For three minutes every night in November, screens in Times Square will go inside the brain (check it out from...
View Article#BoycottIndiana; StoryCorps in Your Smartphone and Public Shaming
A new law in Indiana is inspiring boycotts and criticism from people who say it’ll allow business owners in the state to discriminate against LGBT customers. Emily Bazelon, New YorkTimes Magazine...
View ArticleShould the Public Pick the Public Art?
A recent work slated for Long Island City is proving controversial, so Jimmy Van Bramer, city councilman from the 26th District (Western Queens), majority leader and chair of the Council's Cultural...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Social Issues You Can Sit On
A group of New York City students used paint to explore some of today's most pressing social issues, and put it all on the table, so to speak.Ten NYC public schools partnered with the youth art program...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Young Public School Artists Light up Times Square
The Times Square Advertising Coalition unveiled on Wednesday a five-day public art presentation featuring artworks by public school students from the five boroughs. The works were selected from the...
View Article‘Alaskana pop art’ mixes cultural heritage with modern style
Produced by Hanna Craig.Artist Christopher Sutliff grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, looking at what he called “kitsch Americana” art, which seemed primarily marketed to tourists.He wanted to create...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Artist boosts town’s declining population with cut-out villagers
Watch Video | Listen to the AudioJUDY WOODRUFF: In a rural Nebraska village of less than 200 people, a local artist is attempting to get drivers passing through to stop and spend a little money...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Jersey City Mural Gets Painted Over After a Variety of Complaints
A mural in the center of a bustling pedestrian plaza in Jersey City recently got painted over. This city has reportedly said the art was only supposed to be temporary. But others saw its removal as an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In the Heart of Times Square, A Love Note for Immigrants
A temporary public art piece in Times Square is sending a message to New York City's many immigrants: "We Were Strangers Once Too." That's the title of the installation, on view until March 5,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In a changing corner of Brooklyn, public art teaches kids ABCs
Pierre Francillon stands in front of the first mural in the PLG ABC project, which aims to paint the letters of the alphabet around Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, on May 4, 2017. Graffiti artist...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Garden Is Bobbing off the Banks of Brooklyn
There's something oddly soothing about watching Lower Manhattan bob in the background, beyond the newly-planted apple trees.It's a perspective unique to those who climb aboard Swale, a floating garden...
View Article
