Among the most famous public art in Central Park was The Gates.
The city is putting on a free festival in Central Park on Saturday to celebrate 50 years of public art, holding performances and more in the East Pinetum field at 84th Street behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Inspired by the fleeting, free-flowing art “happenings” that popped up in parks across New York City in the 1960s, “It’s Happening!” will capture the same spontaneous spirit with 50 pieces of public artwork on display, approximately 50 performances and workshops. Parks will transform Central Park’s beautiful East Pinetum field into a museum, art studio and stage for a day of public art to celebrate this milestone.
The schedule and more info is below. It will run from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Stage Performances
11 a.m.: James Lovell, Bronx Music Heritage Center
Noon: Dances for a Variable Population, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
1 p.m.: Taiwanese American Arts Council
Sculpture Garden Performances/Activities
11:30 a.m.: Leenda Bonilla reading program
12:15 p.m.: The Moving Company
1 p.m.: Limón Dance Company, free modern dance class
Every Hour: DB Lampman, sculptural performance
Every Hour: Daniele Frazier, drawing lesson
I enjoyed the time The Gates was here as l had a nice time walking with a friend and her dog, Emperor, through Central Park, feeling safe and happy.
I hated the Gates and all the crowds it brought into the park, who gaped at those flapping orange pieces of material and totally did not see any of the beauty of nature around them.
How do you really know what people did or did not see?
I agree! The Gates made me want to wrap Christo up and Fedex him out of Manhattan
Re: “Among the most famous public art in Central Park was The Gates.”
Famous for desecrating our beloved park just to satisfy the ego of a self-described “artist” !
From Wikipedia:
“The Gates were greeted with mixed reactions. Some people loved them …; others hated them, accusing them of defacing the landscape.
It was seen as an obstruction to bicyclists, who felt that the gates could cause accidents, ….
The artists received a great deal of their nationwide fame as a frequent object of ridicule by David Letterman, as well as by Keith Olbermann, whose apartment was nearby.”
Maybe you would be happier some place like Nebraska or Kansas where you’re likely to avoid people taking chances with art.
It sounds like NYC might be to risky and unpredictable for you.
Re: “people taking chances with art.
It sounds like NYC might be to risky and unpredictable for you.”
Creatives “taking chances with art” sounds fine … in a GALLERY or MUSEUM (read “Whitney Biennial” and/or “New Museum” or any gallery in Chelsea or The L.E.S.) where people can CHOOSE to go or not go.
BUT NOT “SHOVED DOWN THEIR THROATS” by desecrating a PUBLIC SPACE” with some crackpot idea just to stroke a self-described artiste’s enormous ego!
Oh, and about your “NYC might be to risky”:
In this case it’s “too risky”, NOT “to risky”, as many a Language Arts teacher probably TRIED to teach you.
Kudos Ye!
I hope you both have successfully recovered from the trauma you experienced from The Gates.
It was clearly disturbing to you and your heightened emotions after 12 years after the trauma of it all is evident.
It must be hard to be such eternal victims.
You seem highly emotional. I hope your day gets better.
I loathed the idea , & the bright orange color of : The Gates. I’ve done some lovely art work. Need to check the spelling of 3 Wimmin artists to recommend….Central Park was probably quieter @ 1956.
My family enjoyed Saturday’s art festival in the Park. No gates anywhere.
emperor’s new clothes. nonsense for lemmings.
I agree with you UWSHebrew!
LOL @ ‘It was seen as an obstruction to bicyclists, who felt that the gates could cause accidents, ….’
Always with the bicyclists! 😉
this site is better without the comment section. what nasty neighbors i live amongst.
Seriously. Believe me, none of the people would have the guts to say any of these things in real life in the tone they portray here. Social media sucks that way.
I will tell anyone and everyone exactly what I state on here in person. These orange monstrosities are the second-worst thing to happen to Central Park (first is the recent crime wave).
validating james’ point.
The Gates was sheer idiocy. Just another opportunity to sell t-shirts. Real NYC is a slice of pizza.
Real New Yorkers draw pizza slices on t-shirts and sell them at “happenings”.
Happenings happened 50 years ago.
dying breed