Open House 2017 by Liz Glynn (photo by James Ewing, reprinted with permission from the Public Art Fund)
If you are visiting the Big Apple, don’t miss Open House, a thought-provoking public art exhibit.
As part of the Hampton by Hilton #Seekender team, Jerry and I love to make the most of our weekends, broadening our world—at home and when traveling—by enjoying the arts!
It often pops up in unexpected places, art accessible to all. There are no tickets, membership requirements, queues or admission fees. And wherever you are fortunate enough to encounter it, public art is likely to make you pause and think.
Tourists visiting New York City have an especially good shot at happing upon public art. That’s because the Public Art Fund, with a history spanning more than four decades, has set up more than 400 changing public art exhibits here over the years. The mission of the group is to showcase the work of talented artists by bringing their works to the city streets (across all five boroughs) in an urban setting where it can be enjoyed by all.
If you are visiting NYC between now and September 24th, you’ll want to take a peek at one of the latest Public Art Fund exhibitions: Open House by Liz Glynn.
Open House by Liz Glynn in New York’s Central Park, accessible to all (Photo credit: A. Levine)
Open House by Liz Glynn in New York’s Central Park, accessible to all (Photo credit: A. Levine)
Open House by Liz Glynn in New York’s Central Park, accessible to all (Photo credit: A. Levine)
Where:
Open House is installed at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 60th Street, across the street from Grand Army Plaza (called the Gateway to Central Park). Two iconic hotels, The Pierre and The Plaza Hotel are within view. And even in a crowded city like New York, the intersection at the southeast corner of Central Park is particularly well trafficked by pedestrians. Close by are hotdog vendors, souvenir stands and horse-drawn carriages.
This scenic corner is named Doris C. Freedman Plaza (in honor of the founder of the Public Art Fund) and is often the site of numerous rotating public art exhibits.
Open House arch with the Plaza Hotel in the background
What:
Boston-born artist Liz Glynn has created a virtual living room in the Park. The area is set up with sculpted sofas, chairs and footstools, all cast in concrete, monumental in size. (They are complemented by oversized arched doorways drawing you into the scene.)
The Louis XIV-style décor, reminiscent of the interiors of Fifth Avenue apartments during the Gilded Age, is now placed in a location that can be visited and enjoyed by people of all social and economic classes.
Look familiar? Photo of the William C. Whitney Residence on Fifth Avenue c. 1901, Stanford White, architect (reprinted with permission from the Public Art Fund)
Some visitors stop and take a seat for a moment’s rest, pose for a selfie with their kids, or seem to quizzically ponder the meaning of what they are seeing.
In an era when income disparity has arisen to the forefront, the installation makes a timely social statement.
Learn more about Open House from Liz Glynn
IF YOU GO
A pristine day in Central Park (Credit: A. Levine)
Previously on More Time To Travel:
Also on the Web:
11 Comments
Laura
April 14, 2017 at 12:10 pmThanks for the public art tip–I didn’t know about this.
Mary Charlebois
April 14, 2017 at 12:11 pmI enjoyed this story so much. The pristine day in Central Park photo is stellar. Great work! –MaryGo
Jackie Smith
April 17, 2017 at 12:35 amI love coming upon outdoor art! And to have a whole gallery of it right at the edge of Central Park would be perfect. (I am a bit late on congratulating you on your new emagazine venture. Yay! It sounds great.)
Carole Terwilliger Meyers
April 17, 2017 at 3:41 pmI LOVE NYC! There is so much to discover there. Thanks for this alert re. the Open House show in Central Park. I’ll add it to my try-to-do list for June in NYC.
Irene S. Levine
April 17, 2017 at 3:51 pmYes, there is always something new to discover!
Sue Reddel
April 20, 2017 at 5:54 pmI hadn’t heard of Open House before what a neat concept. New York is always so creative – we’ll have to plan a visit to take this in.
Irene S. Levine
April 20, 2017 at 9:05 pmYou would love it, Sue!
alison abbott
April 21, 2017 at 5:35 pmNothing like outdoor art open to the public to get people involved and talking. What better place for a living room then in a park for all to enjoy. We’ve had an exhibit of outdoor painted pianos in Boston and I would love to people watch and observe the interaction of the public with the pianos. What music some would play!
Irene S. Levine
April 22, 2017 at 8:58 amYes, the people-watching can be as spectacular as the art! Art can be so engaging!
Anita @ No Particular Place To Go
April 22, 2017 at 3:14 amLoved the comparison photo of the William C. Whitney residence and the oversize furniture in the Open House installation. Art that makes you view something in a totally new way can be thought provoking or downright fun! I remember coming upon Roy Lichtenstein’s House Illusion sculpture at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington DC and spending quite a while walking back and forth and then people watching to see other people’s reactions. Whenever we visit DC we stop by to say “hello” to an old favorite!
Irene S. Levine
April 22, 2017 at 8:46 amThere’s something to be said for both the novel and the familiar, whether it’s art or anything else!