New York City has an admirable history of investing in public art. Ordinances require a certain amount of money to be spent on art in all city-owned buildings. Parks Department also strives to bring art to everyone, not just fans of museums and galleries. The upshot is a ton of fascinating sculptures and murals to see throughout all five boroughs. And of course everyone-- every citizen, every artist, and every patron of the arts-- loves every piece that has been created.
Ha! This wouldn't be ABC Gotham without controversy! Listen to Kate and Kathleen describe works by Diego Rivera, Richard Serra, Keith Haring, and Jeanne-Claude and Christo. And we'll tell you all about the graffiti mecca 5 Pointz in Long Island City. We STRONGLY recommend checking out the pictures on the Facebook page-- verbal descriptions can only do so much!
In case you can't get enough 5 Pointz images, take a look at this great series of pics, here for some amazing before- and - after pics, and a great slideshow of the day after the building was whitewashed. Last, in case you're curious, here's the reason why you can't go to 5 Pointz today.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude have created amazing large- scale works all over the world.