Art of the City (Rehearsal)

Friends,

You are invited to participate in the “dress rehearsals” of my new walking tour in Midtown Manhattan, “Art of the City.” I’ve got a terrific storyline and route but before I launch the tour and charge money I’d like to invite some guests to hear the tour which will help me nail down the timing and transitions. Afterward, I will offer you a coffee or beverage of your choice and ask you to complete a feedback form.

The tour takes a museum approach to look at the art that is New York City. We will be exploring public infrastructure adorned with art or infrastructure that is, itself, a work of art.

We will start outside of Grand Central where we will hear the story of its design evolution and meet the several artists responsible for creating this extraordinary palace for the average commuter.

Next, we head to the subway where there is a plethora of artworks created by some of the most important American artists of our time.

Finally we will end in NYC’s greatest work of art, Central Park, which shaped the city in many ways and is a model for urban green spaces everywhere.

I would be honored if you could join me.

Here is the tour’s description:

The “Art of the City” tour takes an art appreciation approach to discover the genesis of Midtown Manhattan as we know it. The neighborhood is a gallery and the infrastructure that makes the whole thing work is adorned with art that tells the stories of the growth of NYC during the 19th and 20th Centuries, the characters that built this part of town and the people who have lived and worked here and continue to shape this neighborhood’s character. And most-importantly, we will discover how we fit in to the ongoing story of this vibrant economic and cultural American icon

We are going to see the city through a different lens. We’re so used to using the city’s infrastructure solely for the utilitarian purposes it serves. But we often miss one crucial service the city’s systems provide. The beauty and art we interact with and the joy, comfort, knowledge and peace of mind we get from that art, often without even noticing. Today our purpose is to notice that art, to understand it, and to appreciate everything that public art can provide.

The city itself is a work of art. Everything that was done during the centuries-long building of the city had an element of user-friendliness paired with pleasing aesthetics and as more public systems were built, more artists were there to make sure that the functionality was expressed through a form which was pleasing to the user and contributed to the city’s overall look and feel. Sometimes the architects were also the artists, sometimes the architects and builders collaborated with the artists and sometimes the artists added their works after the project was built.

Midtown was built around the movement of people and we’re going to explore the systems that move us above ground and below ground throughout the city, the region and the country.