Search the Blog

 
 

High Line Art: Demetrius Oliver's Jupiter
September 01, 2010 | Author: Kate Lindquist | Categories:

Enlarge
Enlarge
Enlarge












What do Albert Einstein, John Coltrane, Jupiter, and the Moon have in common?

They are all integral elements in an upcoming public art installation, entitled Jupiter, by artist Demetrius Oliver and presented by Friends of the High Line.

Earlier this morning, crews were busy installing the primary component of the piece – a 25-by-75-foot photographic banner on a billboard adjacent to the High Line at West 18th Street and 10th Avenue.

Jupiter will debut on September 7 and remain on view until October 6 to correspond with a complete lunar cycle, from the beginning of a new moon to the end of its final quarter. At various times throughout the month, live music performances by students from The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and stargazing from the High Line with the New York chapter of the Amateur Astronomers Association will accompany the piece – the first large-scale public art commission in New York City for Demetrius Oliver.

Read the press release.

pipe Join Friends of the High Line and artist Demetrius Oliver at the official opening of Jupiter on Tuesday, September 7.
 

Read More / Comments (0)

 

Section 2: Trees Arrive in the Chelsea Thicket
August 17, 2010 | Author: Kate Lindquist | Categories: , ,

pipe American holly trees (Ilex opaca) were lifted onto the High Line, where they are being planted in the Chelsea Thicket.
Chelsea Thicket South in memory of Janice H. Levin.
 

Earlier this morning, American holly trees (Ilex opaca) — the first trees to be planted in Section 2 — were lifted from the street onto the High Line near West 21st Street.

These pictures shots illustrate one of the challenges of building and maintaining a garden in the sky: lifting moving large, heavy plants from the street onto the High Line.

The trees range between 5 and 15 feet in height, and weigh between 500 and 1,000 lbs. Crews use a crane to lift the trees, one by one, off the back of a flatbed truck and onto the High Line. Then they use a dolly to transport the trees along the path to their final location in the park.

Next spring when Section 2 opens to the public, you will be able to see the trees throughout the Chelsea Thicket, where the path will wind through dense plantings before opening up to the Seating Steps and Lawn.

Enlarge
Enlarge
Enlarge
Enlarge
 

Read More / Comments (0)

 

Warming Up for a Fall Performance on the High Line
August 11, 2010 | Author: Danya Sherman | Categories: , ,

pipe Members of the Hudson Guild and Dances for a Variable Populations preparing for "Autumn Crossing," a dance performance coming up next month on the High Line. The group choreographs simple, spontaneous movements based on personal memories.
 

This summer, just a block away from the High Line, enthusiastic dancers of all skill levels have been getting to know each other through workshops at the Hudson Guild's Fulton Center.

Led by choreographer Naomi Golberg Haas, dancers are encouraged to reflect on personal memories (for example, the feeling of being in a mother's home) and express their recollection through simple, impromptu movements. The workshops build an understanding between participants through the realizing the joy of expressive movement.

"I loved the way that, from the very first class, we all felt like we already knew each other," said Harriet, one participant. "This is a time when people of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities are able to come together and appreciate each other."

We're looking forward to this September, when the workshop will join the professional dance group, Dances for a Variable Population, to present a final performance entitled "Autumn Crossing" on the High Line.

For updates on "Autumn Crossing," as well as a full calendar of free and low-cost public programs, check out our Events Calendar.

"Autumn Crossing" is made possible in part with public funds from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Read More / Comments (0)

 

TONIGHT: Asphalt Orchestra to Perform on the High Line
August 02, 2010 | Author: Kate Lindquist | Categories: , ,

pipe Asphalt Orchestra will perform tonight at 6:30 PM near the 10th Avenue Square on the High Line. Photo by Stephanie Berger
 

Break out your dancing shoes and close out your Monday with a bang!

Later tonight, Asphalt Orchestra, the guerilla marching band known for putting on spirited and dynamic performances in Lincoln Center Plaza and other famous public spaces around New York City, will perform on the High Line. According to the New York Times, the Asphalt Orchestra is “an iconoclastic 12-piece marching band… part parade spectacle, part halftime show and part cutting-edge contemporary music concert.”

The group will enter the High Line near 16th Street at 6:30 PM and perform near the 10th Avenue Square.

Asphalt Orchestra
Monday, August 2 — 6:30 PM
10th Avenue Square

The show is presented by Friends of the High Line & Lincoln Center Out of Doors.

Asphalt Orchestra, a project of Bang on a Can, is co-directed by Ken Thomson and Jessica Schmitz. Asphalt Orchestra is choreographed by Susan Marshall and Mark DeChiazza and dressed by Elizabeth Hope Clancy.

The creation of Asphalt Orchestra was made possible by a generous grant from the Rockefeller Foundation NYC Cultural Innovation Fund and support from Lincoln Center for Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Lincoln Center Out of Doors is sponsored by Bloomberg and PepsiCo.

Read More / Comments (0)

 

An Award in Honor of the Great Jane Jacobs
July 20, 2010 | Author: Kate Lindquist | Categories:

EnlargeJoshua David and Robert Hammond

We have good news to share. On July 20, 2010, the Rockefeller Foundation announced Joshua David, Robert Hammond, and Elizabeth Barlow Rogers are the recipients of the 2010 Jane Jacobs Medals.

The Foundation awards the Medals each year to recipients whose work "creates new ways of seeing and understanding New York City, challenges traditional assumptions, and creatively uses the urban environment to make New York City a place of hope and expectation."

The Medals are named for Jane Jacobs, whose seminal 1961 work, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," challenged the conventional wisdom of city planners of that era, celebrated the vibrancy of the urban streetscape, and advocated for citizen involvement in the development of neighborhoods.

Jane Jacobs changed the way we look at the future of our cities. For people who've dedicated their lives to New York City, to be given an award in Jane Jacobs's name is a deeply meaningful honor.

In previous years, the Foundation has awarded two medals: one for New Ideas and Activism and another for Lifetime Leadership. This year, the New Ideas and Activism award is being given to both Joshua and Robert, while Elizabeth is receiving the award for Lifetime Leadership.

It is a particular honor for Joshua and Robert to be recognized with Elizabeth, the founding President of the Central Park Conservancy and current President of the Foundation for Landscape Studies. Elizabeth’s vision for park stewardship created a model for public-private partnerships to restore and improve both large and small urban parks worldwide. Elizabeth has supported Friends of the High Line from the very beginning, and the High Line would not be here today without her dedication and support.

Thank you to the Rockefeller Foundation for recognizing Joshua, Robert, and Elizabeth with these Medals, and for the very generous support it has given to Friends of the High Line.

Read the press release.

Read More / Comments (0)

 

Celebrate Bastille Day with a 'Millabout' on the High Line
July 13, 2010 | Author: Auzelle Epeneter | Categories: ,

pipe The fabulous Milliner's Guide on the High Line for Bastille Day in 2009. Photo by Joan Garvin
 

There are plenty of opportunities for people-watching on the High Line, and this Wednesday evening will be no exception. In celebration of Bastille Day, members of the Milliner's Guild plan to repeat their year-old tradition of strolling the High Line while donning their finest hats.

We're not sure what the connection is between hats and Bastille Day, but does it matter? Their fabulous array of hand-crafted hats are beautiful and inspiring, and the hat parade is sure to include an intriguing exhibition of fine bonnets, bowlers, sombreros, and fedoras.

Following their 'millabout' on the High Line, the Guild will bestow their Chapeau Formidable Award to the owner of the evening's best hat. From what we saw last year, there will be quite a few contenders! We can't wait to see what marvelous creations will turn up.

Read More / Comments (0)

 

July Blooms
July 09, 2010 | Author: Auzelle Epeneter | Categories:

pipe Claire Grace bergamot (Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace') with wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) and prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) in the Chelsea Grasslands. Photo by Friends of the High Line
 

Summer's long, sunny days make it one of the most vibrant and diverse blooming seasons on the High Line. Each area of the park features a unique array of plants, making July a great time to take a walk and enjoy the landscape.

EnlargeCompass plant.

Of the plants in the bloom right now, one of our favorites is the compass plant (Silphium perfoliatum), pictured to the left. You can see the plant's tall stalks looming among the dancing prairie grasses throughout the park.

"Compass plant received its name from pioneers," Patrick Cullina, Friends of the High Line's Vice President of Horticulture & Park Operations, says, "who believed that its sail-like foliage always pointed north-south. It doesn't always work like that, but can indeed happen, so come out for a walk on the line and see for yourself."

EnlargeHandsome Harry.

We're also enjoying the handsome Harry (Rhexia virginica), pictured on the right, in bloom right now in the wetland planters near the Diller-von Furstenberg Sundeck. Handsome Harry is a native wetland species with yellow-centered fuchsia flowers that tend to stay in bloom for a long time.

You can also see prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya), which features tall purple spikes that bend and twist as they mature, and a number of other unique plants. Check out the complete list of July Blooms on our Web site.

Last Month: June Blooms: A Flourishing Landscape.

Read More / Comments (0)

 

A Special Thanks
July 06, 2010 | Author: Auzelle Epeneter | Categories:

pipe The High Line's Washington Grasslands. Photo by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers
 

Last month, The Foundation for Landscape Studies awarded Friends of the High Line Co-Founders Joshua David and Robert Hammond with their Place Maker Award. The Award goes to individuals who "used design, imagination, and horticultural skill to create a park of exceptional beauty." Previous recipients include New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Jack Lenor Larsen, Tom Armstrong, Roger Kennedy, Henriette Suhr, and Mac Griswold.

We're incredibly honored that Josh and Robert were recognized for this award — not just because of its distinction, but because of the support Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, The Foundation's President, has shown to Friends of the High Line from the very beginning.

Her leadership at the Central Park Conservancy has come to define what it means to build a support organization for public parks. She shared her experiences, and taught us the best way to go about advocating for the preservation and construction of the High Line. The time and energy she has dedicated to New York City parks and to the High Line is a true inspiration.

On behalf of all of us at Friends of the High Line: Thank you, Betsy, for your dedication, vision, and support.

Read more via Rogers' article in the spring issue of Site/Lines.

Read More / Comments (0)

 

Faces on the High Line
July 02, 2010 | Author: Auzelle Epeneter | Categories: ,

Enlarge
Enlarge
Enlarge
Enlarge















New York City attracts all types, and the High Line is no exception. People-watching is one of our favorite activities while reclining on the lounge chairs on Diller-von Furstenberg Sundeck, or eating lunch in the 10th Avenue Square. You hear all kinds of accents and languages, and see every kind of fashion, from the mundane to the bizarre.

Park visitors are an intriguing attraction at the park, and the most recent post on David Kimelman's Park Life proves it. Check out his blog for a full gallery of images.

Park Life showcases different aspects of the High Line in a fresh, new way. Kimelman captures everything from the delicate details of the horticultural design to the bold, afternoon sun across the park's peel-up benches. The project started in the spring and will continue for one year. We can't wait to see what the rest of summer has in store!

Read More / Comments (0)

 

Last Call for Submissions to ArtBridge 2010/2011 Exhibition
June 30, 2010 | Author: Kate Lindquist | Categories: , ,

pipe Update! Submission deadline for the ArtBridge 2010/2011 Exhibition extended to July 16.
 

Sometimes it seems like every street in New York City has one or two buildings with scaffolding bridging the sidewalk.

Sure, those boxy, plywood scaffolds and sidewalk sheds are there to protect pedestrians from overhead construction or dangerous facades, but they can be an eyesore.

Would that change if they were covered with art?

That's what ArtBridge, a non-profit organization based here in Chelsea, hopes to find out during its upcoming public art exhibition.

Tomorrow is the deadline Update: deadline extended! You now have until July 16 to submit entries for the ArtBridge 2010/2011 Exhibition, an upcoming public art project that will transforms overhead construction scaffolding at eight locations into temporary exhibition space for the work of emerging artists.

After a successful 480-foot inaugural installation on West Chelsea's historic London Terrace Gardens (which included paintings by Friends of the High Line Co-Founder Robert Hammond), ArtBridge intends to bring its first-of-its kind projects to all five boroughs, beautifying neighborhoods while giving emerging artists unprecedented exposure.

Each location will feature up to 25 artists, so there will be lots of opportunities to showcase your work. All chosen work will be enlarged to billboard size, printed on eco-friendly, fade resistant material, and hung prominently outdoors from three months to one year. Artists are encouraged to submit their entries by the end of the day tomorrow.

To learn more about the Artbridge Exhibition or read the submission guidelines, visit www.art-bridge.org.

Read More / Comments (0)

 
123456789…next ›last »