Tag Archives: public art

Hidden in the East River: Tom Otterness’ Whimsical The Marriage of Money and Real Estate

marriage of money and real estate 2 photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

One of my favorite things about New York City is that it never runs out of surprises. Even after decades of exploring, I’ll stumble across something that I had no idea even existed. That was exactly the case with The Marriage of Money and Real Estate, artist Tom Otterness‘ delightfully quirky trio of bronze sculptures that quietly inhabit the East River just off the western shore of Roosevelt Island.

If you’re planning an inexpensive and easy day trip from Manhattan, Roosevelt Island is already worth the visit for its waterfront promenades, parks, and spectacular skyline views. But keep your eyes on the water as you stroll along the west side of the island, because these playful sculptures are waiting to reward curious visitors. Depending on the tide, they may be standing proudly above the water or peeking just beneath the surface, making the discovery feel even more magical. Continue reading Hidden in the East River: Tom Otterness’ Whimsical The Marriage of Money and Real Estate

Give Us Mom!!! Billboard By Nora Turato On The High Line

give us mom billboard photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

The latest installation on the High Line Billboard delivers a message that feels both humorous and surprisingly heartfelt. Created by Amsterdam-based artist Nora Turato, Give Us Mom!!! debuted just before Mother’s Day in the High Line-adjacent park at 18th Street and 10th Avenue, offering a bold plea for comfort and care amid the chaos of city life.

The billboard is impossible to miss: bright yellow Comic Sans-style lettering spelling out GIVE US MOM!!!” against a flat blue background. The simple phrase transforms the familiar figure of “mom” into a symbol of nurturing, protection, and emotional support in a world that often feels fast-paced, distracted, and overwhelming. Borrowing the visual language of advertising, Turato turns a public billboard into an unexpectedly tender call for connection.
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New High Line Billboard: Katherine Bernhardt’s Spring Cleaning

katherine bernhardt spring cleaning billboard photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

Katherine Bernhardt is known for paintings that merge commercial motifs and imagery from everyday life with loose, expressive mark-making. Her canvases stage dense scenes of pop culture, featuring cartoon characters, brand logos, and household objects — Garfield, the Pink Panther, E.T., Crocs, the Nike swoosh, and cigarettes. Rather than treating these images as symbols to decode, Bernhardt approaches iconography as material to play with, reframe, and exhaust.
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Charlotte Colbert’s Where Angels Live in the Meatpacking District

where angels live tree sculpture photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

In a city filled with towering buildings, it takes something truly unusual to make people stop and look up — and Multidisciplinary artist  Charlotte Colbert’s Where Angels Live does exactly that.

Installed in the Meatpacking District (at the pedestrian plaza along 14th Street and 9th Avenue) as part of her two-site Chasing Rainbows project, the monumental sculpture takes the form of a bare, silver tree stretching skyward, its branches adorned with oversized dangling charms — hearts, hands, and surreal symbolic objects that glimmer in the daylight and shift with the movement of the breeze.
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Chicano Park: A Colorful Cultural Landmark Beneath the Freeway

omeyocan mural photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Tucked beneath the sweeping concrete ramps of the San Diego–Coronado Bridge lies one of the most vibrant and meaningful outdoor art environments in the United States: Chicano Park. When I visited San Diego last summer, I made a stop at this remarkable site in the Varrio Logan neighborhood — and quickly realized that this wasn’t just a park. It’s a living canvas, a cultural landmark, and a powerful piece of community history all rolled into one.

While the park includes cultural centers and small museums, the true stars here are the murals — bold, colorful works of art that stretch across massive freeway pillars and underpasses. The scale alone is breathtaking. Towering concrete columns become storytelling surfaces filled with imagery celebrating heritage, identity, and resilience.

varrio logan mural photo by gail worley
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