NYC School Construction Authority’s Public Art for Public Schools to Unveil 21 New Permanent Artworks

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For Immediate Release: September 4, 2024
DCLA: publicaffairs@culture.nyc.gov

SCA: Kevin Ortiz, 718-472-8559, kortiz2@nycsca.org
NYC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY’S PUBLIC ART FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO UNVEIL 21 NEW PERMANENT ARTWORKS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY BY CELEBRATED ARTISTS

Tijay Mohammed, Respect for All, 2024, ceramic pigment on porcelain tile, The Aurelia Greene Educational Campus, Bronx. Photo by Etienne Frossard.

Images of each art installation are available here.

NEW YORK, NY— New York City School Construction Authority’s Public Art for Public Schools, in partnership with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, is delighted to announce its 2024 installation program featuring 21 new commissions by internationally acclaimed artists working across a range of mediums. Each artwork is a unique, permanent, architecturally integrated installation, sited in a newly constructed public school building in New York City. Each commission creates a welcoming, stimulating, and immersive experience for students, families, and community members. The artworks are commissioned in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art program and New York City Public Schools and their design is the result of close collaboration with project architects, community members, and local arts and culture professionals. These commissions will join the more than 2000 artworks in the official New York City Public Schools art collection that dates back to the late 1800s and features such esteemed artists as Romare Bearden, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Faith Ringgold, Hans Hoffmann, Donna Dennis and Jeffrey Gibson.

“We are proud to create an opportunity for New York City students, faculty, and school communities to experience the joy, inspiration, and beauty of art in their everyday lives,” School Construction Authority President and CEO Nina Kubota said. “The SCA sees these art commissions as part of the very fabric of the school building. They send a message to the communities who use them that they deserve a state-of-the-art facility for learning.”

“We are thrilled to unveil these twenty-one, beautiful new artworks for students to enjoy and learn from during their school career,” Public Art for Public Schools Director Tania Duvergne said. “Each artwork is specifically designed to respond to its architectural context and to speak to diverse school communities, ensuring every child feels like the artwork is part of them and they are part it, today and for years to come.”

“Through our Percent for Art program, the Department of Cultural Affairs is proud to work alongside the School Construction Authority to invest in public art that transforms spaces used by students and educators into dynamic environments for learning and exploration,” said NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “The Adams administration is committed to creating a more vibrant and livable New York City, and incorporating art into our schools is a key part of that vision. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the incredible artists whose work will inspire future generations in our public schools.”

Afruz Amighi created Sky Carpet for the lobby of the new Khalil Gibran International Academy High School, Brooklyn. Inspired by the mythological flying carpet of the Arabian Nights stories, the undulating hanging sculpture is composed of three glass panels set within a sleek iron frame. Made of hand-painted and beveled glass, the sculpture refracts light, casting viewers in a kaleidoscopic shower of splintered light and color.

Julia Whitney Barnes created Brighton Botanical for the lobby of the new P.S. 253 Addition, Brooklyn. The immersive glass installation depicts an array of colorful flowers blossoming across the vestibule windows. Whitney Barnes researched plant species from around the world, selecting only those that thrive in Brooklyn. Fifty-three different varieties are included, serving as a metaphor for the diverse student community at PS 253.

Joell Baxter created Color Collider for the connecting corridor to the new P.S. 41 Addition, Queens. The installation consists of nine ceiling-mounted sculptures each made with three transparent acrylic panels, hand-painted in bright complimentary colors that reference the principles of the color wheel. Inspired by the organized play in the gym and the unstructured play in the playground, Baxter's work balances order and energy.

Chris Bogia created The Sun Over the Bronx for the lobby of the new Leaders of Excellence, Advocacy, and Discovery in the Bronx. Brightly painted aluminum shapes are layered into a mesmerizing, sun-like mandala and a colorful cityscape. Incorporating architectural details and landmarks from the neighborhood, Bogia’s geometric design evokes block play, demonstrating the power of imagination to transform simple forms and patterns into tools for evocative visual storytelling.

Joe Bochynski created Lost and Found for the lobby of the new Detective Wenjian Liu School of Civics and Entrepreneurship, Brooklyn. The artwork depicts an imaginary archaeological dig, featuring found objects that appear like unearthed artifacts playfully composed around the roots of a magical tree whose branches are filled with bountiful fruits and a few playful creatures. The artwork conveys the excitement of learning from history and encourages a creative and critical view of our material world.

Deborah Czeresko created Everybody’s Got to Eat for the lobby of the new Academy for Personal Leadership and Excellence Elementary, Bronx. The vibrant hanging sculpture is comprised of 24 oversized hand-blown glass fruits and vegetables that reference local grocers, as well as global and regional cultures and cuisines. The artwork acts as an invitation to enjoy, share and connect through food and nourishment.

Dennis Redmoon Darkeem created Friends and Family for the gymnatorium lobby in the new P.S. 87 Addition, Bronx. Six panels depict silhouetted vignettes of students engaged in everyday activities, derived from portraits in the school’s archive. Vibrant ceramic tile and stone are arranged into a patchwork of color that draws stylistically from the crafting traditions of Darkeem’s indigenous and African-American heritage. The larger-than-life portraits celebrate learning as a heroic undertaking.

Delano Dunn created The Scene is Set for Dreaming for the gymnatorium lobby of the P.S. 108 Addition, Bronx. Drawing inspiration from the existing school’s photo archive and art deco architecture, Dunn’s glass, tile, and faux wood mural depicts an exuberant scene of children playing amongst flowers, rainbows, and art deco shapes to convey the joy of learning, making friends, and building diverse communities.

Artist duo Ghost of a Dream created REMEMBER WHEN TOMORROW CAME for the entry corridor of the new Pacific Park Campus, Brooklyn. This immersive glass mural features overlapping bands of text in contrasting colors, which repeat the titular phrase in over 170 languages that are spoken throughout New York City. By highlighting the city's linguistic diversity, the artists convey a global perspective and a sense of infinite possibilities.

Johannah Herr created Let Compassion Be The Thread That Binds Us for the lobby corridor of the new P.S. 169 Addition, Queens. The lenticular mural fuses dozens of global textile traditions into a collective tapestry, a metaphor for the way individuals collaborate to build the fabric of society. Among the patterns, poetic messages flicker in and out of view: "OUR FUTURES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER" and "LET COMPASSION BE THE THREAD THAT BINDS US."

Taraneh Hemami created Common Language for the entry stairwell at the new Arthur A. Schomburg Educational Campus, Bronx. A visual representation of a language family tree, the hanging sculpture features sixty colorful spheres suspended from ceiling-mounted mirrors. Each sphere is composed of acrylic letters or characters representing the alphabet of a given language and demonstrating the dazzling abundance of languages which enable us to communicate and collaborate across cultures.

Wendy Letven created Everything at Once for the lobby of the new Elizabeth Jennings School for Bold Explorers, Brooklyn. The ceiling-mounted sculpture features brightly painted aluminum shapes that are curved and layered to create an exuberant burst of color. Inspired by patterns found in our natural and built environments including local architectural motifs like Barclays Center, the artwork demonstrates the joy of discovery and learning across educational disciplines.

Diana Sofia Lozano created Chemical Inflorescence for the lobby of the new Joanne Seminara School of Law and Medicine, Brooklyn. The hanging sculpture depicts a fantastical hydrangea bush with brightly colored, hand-shaped resin flowerheads in pinks, purples, and blues blooming along a vine that stretches up from the wall across the ceiling. Celebrating the natural environment of Bay Ridge and the hydrangea’s status as the official neighborhood flower, it draws a metaphor to the students who will thrive and blossom over their school career.

Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann created Green Cantos for the lobby and entry vestibules of the new P.S. 32 Addition, Queens. Across six glass panels inset in window niches, the design depicts two trees whose vibrant foliage is collaged from the artist’s line drawings and paintings and interspersed with handwritten messages from P.S. 32 students. Mann's “windows” give the impression of looking onto a fantastical garden that has come alive with words.

Tijay Mohammed created Respect for All for the lobby of the new Aurelia Greene Educational Campus, Bronx. Collaged from magazine clippings, local maps, and the artist’s paintings, the printed tile mural features figures in a library who are reading together and sewing a colorful quilt adorned with affirmations like “I am respected,” “I am smart,” and “I am understood,” highlighting the power of literacy as a path to creativity and connectedness.

John O’Connor created two tile murals for the new School of Technology, Arts, and Research, Brooklyn: sixth, seven, eight, (go) forth, and Twenty-Five: A Game. Each mural features curious, thought-provoking drawings the artist created by hand with graphite, colored pencil and collage. Resembling logic puzzles, like crosswords and connect-the-dots games, the compositions invite viewers to make connections and search for clues and reflect students’ growth and maturation throughout their school years.

Jason Rohlf created Capable for the lobby of the new P.S. 174 Addition, Queens. The sparkling vitreous glass mosaic features an effervescent geometric abstraction of greens, reds, and blues. Centered on a prominent horizontal axis, bands of vertical lines and rectangles are arranged in unique interaction with contrasting curvilinear forms. These are placed at varying heights, inviting students to engage with the artwork in new ways as they grow each year.

Sarah Sharp created From Equinox to Solstice for the lobby of the new P.S. 85 Annex, Queens. This tile mural features neighborhood landmarks, including the Robert F. Kennedy and Hell Gate bridges, collaged from vintage postcards and magazines, photographs and prints. This cityscape is set withing a natural landscape, representing seasons of the school year and acting as a symbol for the passage of time and the cycle of life.

Pranav Sood created I AM MORE THAN WHO I AM for the entry facade of the new Oscar de la Renta Educational Campus, Manhattan. A frieze of seven porcelain enamel panels, depicts a sequence of vibrant scenes, as in a comic strip, and drawing on the iconography of Indian miniatures that depict a hero’s journey overcoming obstacles. Deliberately open to interpretations, the scenes invite viewers to develop their own stories.

Kirsten Kay Thoen created Undulating Wave Wall for the multipurpose room in the new Francis Lewis High School Annex, Queens. The installation features nine photographs set in faceted steel modules, featuring scenes of nature taken at Rockway Beach and the Queens Botanical Garden. The artist’s use of color reversal film creates an otherworldly effect, suggesting the ways imagination can enhance our understanding of the natural world and the importance of interdisciplinary learning.

Marela Zacarias created Maheegan for the lobby of the new P.S. 138 Addition, Bronx. Eight sculptures form a swooping arrangement across the lobby wall. They appear as undulating fabrics, colorfully hand-painted with geometric motifs inspired by global cultures across history. The title, Maheegan, Algonquian for “wolf,” reflects the way wolves in a pack rely on each other for strength and survival, much like the school’s diverse yet interconnected student body.

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About Public Art for Public Schools

Public Art for Public Schools, a unit within the New York City School Construction Authority, is the only public art program dedicated to schools in the country. Established in 1989, the program commissions site-specific projects for new school buildings and oversees the maintenance and preservation of nearly 2,000 existing artworks in the New York City Department of Education’s collection throughout the five boroughs. Our goal is to provide schools with artworks that visually enhance the learning environment, serve as unique and exciting resources for teaching, and most of all, inspire students. www.nycsca.org/publicartforpublicschools

About NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City’s vibrant cultural life. DCLA works to promote and advocate for quality arts programming and to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the City’s vitality. The Department represents and serves nonprofit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary, and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens, and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists at all skill levels who live and work within the City’s five boroughs. DCLA also provides donated materials for arts programs offered by the public schools and cultural and social service groups, and commissions permanent works of public art at City-funded construction projects throughout the five boroughs. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/culture.

About NYC School Construction Authority

The School Construction Authority's (SCA) mission is to design and construct safe, attractive and environmentally sound public schools for children throughout the many communities of New York City. We are dedicated to building and modernizing schools in a responsible, cost-effective manner while achieving the highest standards of excellence in safety, quality and integrity. Established by the New York State Legislature in December 1988, the SCA has provided over 333,000 new school seats to New York City students, and protected, repaired, and upgraded over 1,800 schools in over 1,400 school buildings with over 12,500 capital improvement projects. For more information, please visit www.nycsca.org.