Re:Growth: A Celebration of Art, Riverside Park and the New York Spirit
A Public Art Exhibition Produced by the Riverside Park Conservancy Curated by Karin Bravin June 5- September 13, 2021
Re: Growth is a site-specific public art exhibition that will include work by over twenty artists. With diverse installations ranging across several miles, this outdoor exhibit will give people a safe, entertaining celebration to enjoy as we slowly emerge from the pandemic.
The exhibit will focus on all aspects of Regrowth and its many connotations: literal, metaphorical, poetic, philosophical. The projects will infuse the park from 68th Street to 145th Street with color and unexpected materials expanding visitors’ ideas of how to encounter art. We all are finding the need to escape the confines of our interior spaces. Trees and grass allow us to escape our urban environment for a moment; Re:Growth will enrich that experience, allowing us to appreciate the creativity and diversity that exist in New York City.
The exhibition includes 16 site-specific installations and an additional ten flag and banner projects. Artists Include: Blanka Amezkua, Vanessa Albury, Lee Boroson, Dahlia Elsayed,Mark Joshua Epstein,Rico Gatson, DeWitt Godfrey, Joshua Goode, Valerie Hegarty, Wennie Huang, Beth Krebs, Sadie Laska, Niki Lederer, Wendy Letven, LoVid, Mary Mattingly, Joiri Minaya, Sui Park, Shuli Sadé, David Shaw, Jean Shin, Glen Wilson, Letha Wilson, Woolpunk
Riverside Park Conservancy is the non-profit support organization for the Park. Their mission is to preserve, maintain, and improve this distinctive waterfront green space which stretches along the Hudson river from 59th to 158th Street. The Park serves a uniquely diverse and devoted population; millions of visitors a year find both relaxation and recreation in its 330 acres. “This is a gift to all New Yorkers as we come out of this pandemic. The Conservancy is happy to celebrate its 35th year of service to the Park by delivering this free, and socially-distanced, activity for people to enjoy all summer long.” - Dan Garodnick, President and CEO of the Conservancy
Karin Bravin is a curator with a strong interest in site-specific, public and installation art projects. In 2006, in a prior iteration, Bravin curated eleven installations in Riverside Park. In 2009 she became consultant for the Downtown Alliance, where she selected and oversaw ten art projects on construction barriers in lower Manhattan; She is the currently consultant for the Lewes, Delaware Public Art Commission and sits on the arts advisory board of The Stirner Arts Trail in Easton, PA.
Public art engages visitors when they least expect it. I am inspired by this element of surprise, where art meets viewers in their own world. Projects like this, that remove gallery walls, make both art and nature accessible to all. It is a thrill to be working with Dan Garodnick and the Riverside Park Conservancy to make this happen.” -Karin Bravin, curator
Press:
The New York Times, Hilarie Sheets, The Art Blooms Alongside Nature in Riverside Park
West Side Spirit, Art Of Resiliency, Abigail Gruskin, Straus News
Untapped New York, Irene Madrigal
Haber Arts, Review of Re:Growth
Domus, Pandemic Summer in New York City, Alessandro Scarano
The West Side Rag, Lisa Kava, Riverside Park Offers Miles of Art This Summer That Surprises and Belongs
Gothamist, Ben Yakas, Riverside Park Unveiling Re:Growth
Time Out, Anna Rahmanan
Thanks to all those who have helped to make this project a reality. List in formation:
Riverside Park Conservancy: Dan Garodnick, Whitney Dearden, Donna Capossela, Anastasia Galkowski, Maris Finn, Nicole Brostoff, Lynda Tower
New York City Parks Department: Elizabeth Masella, John Herrold
Advice and Assistance: Kerry Gaertner Gerbracht, Kierstin Johnsen, Kate Buchanan, Marina Stark, Duggal, Ellen Jacobs, Gary Fredriksen, Hugh Freund, Jessica Healy, Quinn Lammie and Jeffrey Murphy of MBB Architects
From the website of the Riverside Park Conservancy