It’s the first day of school in New York City, and this year many students across the five boroughs will be greeted by recently installed murals, sculptural pieces, and other artworks. The New York City School Construction Authority unveiled 21 art commissions this week at New York City schools as part of its Public Art for Public Schools program with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. The program installed works from internationally acclaimed artists—among these Afruz Amighi, Deborah Czeresko, and Dennis RedMoon Darkeem—in the hallways, entryways, and exteriors of schools across the city.
The installations are primarily located in school entrances, attracting both its students and the larger community to a more vibrant exploration of art and creativity within education. While each artwork takes on a different form—whether it be a sculptural piece that hangs from the ceiling, or a large mural—they address similar thematic questions and relate to the city’s urban fabric. In the making of each artwork, each of the commissioned artists brought their vision to life alongside community members and local art professionals. Many pieces consider the relationship between language, culture, food, and art within the makings of a community and the fostering of education.
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 of it, today and for years to come.”
Dennis RedMoon Darkeem’s Friends and Family installed at PS 87 Addition in Bronx is an amalgamation of ceramic tile, marble, granite, travertine and stone. Through Friends and Family, Darkeem bridged together the past and the present, transforming stills from the school’s archives into six vibrant panels that celebrate the accomplishments of individuals who once walked through those very halls, and inspire future generations of students who attend the school.
Another mural using ceramic tile, marble and granite, was mounted at PS 169 Addition in Queens. The piece, Let Compassion Be The Thread That Binds Us, by Johanna Herr measures about 27 feet wide and 6 feet high. It alternates two messages in and out of view: “OUR FUTURES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER” and “LET COMPASSION BE THE THREAD THAT BINDS US.” The artwork brings together a culmination of textile traditions from across the world that Herr integrated to introduce an exploration of the physical and metaphorical fabrics of society.
Hanging from the ceiling at the entrance of The Elizabeth Jennings School for Bold Explorers in Brooklyn is Wendy Letven’s piece Everything at Once. The painted and powder-coated aluminum work spans over 12 feet. It incorporates artistic and cultural references that play on patterns found in both natural and built environments. Letven’s piece compels students and visitors to stop and look up, enabling creative expression and thinking through its puzzle-like form.
At the Aurelia Greene Educational Campus in the Bronx, Tijay Mohammed’s inviting Respect for All, covers the lobby’s main wall and extends into the corridor. Respect for All, is made of ceramic pigment on porcelain tile and depicts a library setting with four community members sewing affirmations such as “I am important,” “I’m loved,” and “I am understood,” into a quilt. These affirmations are in line with values the school and community seek to instill in the young learners.
Images and descriptions for all 21 art pieces can be found here.
