On a clear windy day
in November, by the entrance to historic
Floyd Bennett Field at the far edge of
Brooklyn, a remarkable art and nature
installation called "Living Sculpture" by
the artist Bette Korman was inaugurated.
Korman's ambitious concept was the winner
in a competition sponsored by CITYarts,Inc.,
an organization supported by several
civic groups and dedicated to bringing
large-scale art projects into public
places.
The
project, combining imposing sculptural elements and
a wealth of plantings with felicitous placements of
benches and resting areas, acts as a decorative boundary
as well as entrance to a community garden encompassing
the largest group of individually tended gardens in
the country. The garden is part of the Gateway National
Recreation Area which abuts the flat, peaceful runways
of the de-commissioned airfield, windswept, smelling
of the nearby sea, and all within clear sight of the
Manhattan skyline on the flat horizon to the West.
Opening ceremonies featured talks by various officials
representing sponsoring and participating organizations.
The included Schuyler G.Chapin, Commissioner of
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and
representatives of the National Park Service and
CITYarts Inc.
The
installation extends for some 650 feet alongside
the gardens.
It features an impressive 14x10-foot
abstract sculpture inspired by the roots and limbs
of trees; four "cardinal points"; tall
sculptures on pylons, the last of which is a 20-foot-high
sundial; a "butterfly" wall of plants
known to attract butterflies of the region; a series
of 12 semi-circular flowerbeds, each designed to
bloom in a particular month of the year; and vine
benches and trellis work. All this is tied together
visually with a series of twelve cedar-post sculptures,
designed by the artist as a memorial to the Lenape
tribes who once occupied these regions.
Floyd
Bennett Field, now part of this Gateway Park,
was the historic
jumping-off point for such
famous flyers as Amelia Earheart, "Wrong Way" Corrigan,
and Floyd Bennett himself, who flew Admiral Byrd
to the North Pole. Now it is home to the hundreds
of small gardens, each individually tended for
food, for flowers, for recreation and enjoyment
in these wide open spaces in sight of Manhattan's
skyscrapers. Many of the gardeners- themselves
people from various parts of the city--worked together
with Korman as well as ground crews, craftsmen
and professional gardeners. On schedule, they completed
the project through hardships of rain, flooding,
and logistical shortages.
The opening ceremonies included a tour of the
various elements of the installation, conducted
by the artist and followed by refreshments at the
art-deco main building of the airport. The buildings
at the airport site are also home to various seasonal,
ethnic and crafts festivals, to trade and boat
shows, and a host of other civic activities. For
all of these, Korman's installation provides a
grand and memorable entrance.
In their entirety, the gardens, the installation,
and the Floyd Bennett Park itself are a notable
example of the importance of cooperation between
city and national official bodies based on mutual
commitment to a creative idea. In this instance,
an abandoned site is turned into a recreational
and useful place, enjoyed by large numbers of people
from all over the city.
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