Socrates Sculpture Park

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Socrates Sculpture Park
Socrates Sculpture Park logo.png
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Entrance to Socrates Sculpture Park
USA New York City location map.svg
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Location within New York City
Established1986
Location32-01 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, Queens, NY 11106
Coordinates 40°46′06″N73°56′12″W / 40.768347°N 73.936545°W / 40.768347; -73.936545
Visitors89,000 (annual)
Public transit access New York City Subway:
Broadway NYCS-bull-trans-N-Std.svg NYCS-bull-trans-W-Std.svg
MTA Bus :
Q104
Website www.socratessculpturepark.org

Socrates Sculpture Park is an outdoor museum and public park where artists can create and exhibit sculptures and multi-media installations. It is located one block from the Noguchi Museum at the intersection of Broadway and Vernon Boulevard in the neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, New York City. In addition to exhibition space, the park offers an arts education program, artist residency program, and job training.

Contents

History and description

Socrates Sculpture Park is located atop the mouth of the buried Sunswick Creek. [1] :97 In 1986, American sculptor Mark di Suvero created Socrates Sculpture Park on an abandoned landfill and illegal dumpsite in Long Island City. The four-acre (1.6 ha) site is the largest outdoor space in New York City dedicated to exhibiting sculpture. The former landfill was renovated into the current park by a team of contemporary artists and local youths. [2] The park operated for 14 years with only a temporary city park status. In 1998, the park was given official status by then New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a permanent city park after a developer attempted to erect luxury apartments and a marina on the site after the park's lease had expired. [3]

In 2005, the park was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. [4] [5]

Socrates Sculpture Park Broadway Billboard 2012 Socrates Sculpture Park Entrance.JPG
Socrates Sculpture Park Broadway Billboard 2012

At the Socrates Sculpture Park's main entrance hangs a 10-by-28-foot (3.0 by 8.5 m) billboard structure that has been an ongoing installation since 1999. The original billboard was a mirror image of the street created by artist Mathieu Borysevicz built by ongoing volunteer Ross H. Radtke, a mechanical engineer and neighbour.

New billboards are installed once or twice per year. Artists work with printmaking and photography to create an image that greets visitors as they enter the park and sets the tone for the current show. The billboards are in conjunction with each spring exhibition. [6] The park has numerous workshops and public programming. Many artists lead tour programs of current exhibitions, there are summer art projects, and various free public events, such as yoga and capoeira on Saturdays and outdoor movie screenings on Wednesdays that begin in mid-July and end in mid-August. [7] GrowNYC runs an Astoria Farmer's Market in the park every Saturday during the summer months. [8]

In January 2019, the Park announced its plan to construct and install permanent staff offices made out of shipping containers. This would be the park's first permanent on-site structure. [9]

Artists who have exhibited at Socrates Sculpture Park

Socrates Sculpture Park offers emerging and established artists an opportunity to make a temporary or permanent public sculpture in a New York City park. [10] In 2018, Virginia Overton became the first female artist to have a solo exhibition at the Socrates Sculpture Park. [11] Other artists who have shown work at Socrates Sculpture Park include:

Governance

The current executive director of the park is John Hatfield, former deputy director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. [15] Some former executive directors of the park include Alyson Baker (2000–2011), [16] Kathleen Gilrain (1995–2000), [17] and Eve Sussman (1993- ). [18]

Board of directors [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Doreen Garner is an American sculptor and performance artist. Her art practice explores where history, power, and violence meet on the body via beauty or medicine. Garner has exhibited at a number of venues, including New Museum, Abrons Arts Center, Pioneer Works, Socrates Sculpture Park, The National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C., Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art in Brooklyn, and Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. Garner holds a monthly podcast called #trashDAY with artist Kenya (Robinson). Garner lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

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Virginia Overton is an American artist. She is known for her site-specific and sculpture works that often incorporate found or readymade objects. In 2018 she was the first female artist to have a solo exhibition at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens, New York.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunswick Creek</span> Buried stream in Queens, New York

Sunswick Creek is a buried stream located in Astoria and Long Island City, in the northwestern portion of Queens in New York City. It originated to the north of Queensboro Bridge and Queens Plaza in Long Island City, flowing north to the present-day site of the Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, and emptying into the East River. The creek was named for a term in the Algonquin language that likely means "Woman Chief" or "Sachem’s Wife."

References

  1. Kadinsky, Sergey (2016). Hidden Waters of New York City: A History and Guide to 101 Forgotten Lakes, Ponds, Creeks, and Streams in the Five Boroughs. New York, NY: Countryman Press. pp. 96–98. ISBN   978-1-58157-566-8.
  2. McGill, Douglas C. (August 27, 1986). "A Sculpture Park Grows in Queens". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  3. Martin, Douglas (December 6, 1998). "Queens Sculpture Garden Is Made a Permanent Park". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  4. Roberts, Sam (July 6, 2005). "City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  5. "Carnegie Corporation of New York Announces Twenty Million Dollars in New York City Grants" (Press release). Carnegie Corporation of New York. July 5, 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008.
  6. " "Broadway Billboard". Socrates Sculpture Park. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  7. "Lonely Planet Socrates Sculpture Park". Lonely Planet. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  8. "Green Market at Socrates Sculpture Park". Boro Magazine. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  9. Sackman, Meghan (January 16, 2019). "Plans for Staff Offices at Socrates Sculpture Park, Made of Shipping Containers, Move Forward". astoriapost.com. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  10. "Exhibitions". socratessculpturepark.org. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  11. Franklin, Sydney (July 11, 2018). "Virginia Overton's site-specific work at Socrates Sculpture Park rethinks raw construction materials". archpaper.com. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  12. "Maren Hassinger". socratessculpturepark.org. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  13. "Planeta Abuelx". socratessculpturepark.org. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  14. "Ebb of a Spring Tide". socratessculpturepark.org. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  15. "Socrates Sculpture Park appoints New Museum's John Hatfield as new Director". artdaily.org. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  16. "Alyson Baker named ninth Director". e-flux. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  17. "Smack Mellon Staff". Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  18. Kimmelman, Michael (August 6, 1993). "Outdoor Sculpture in Review". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  19. "Board" . Retrieved July 11, 2019.