More Art Rising in Rye Town Park
Rye Town Park is fast becoming much more than a summer destination through art and the support of residents.
One year after the installation of a steel sculpture by Damien Vera, the Rye Town Park Commission has approved the temporary installation of another large-scale public sculpture. After several visits and consultation with resident sculptor Bob Clyatt, Natsuki Takauji, a New York-based Japanese sculptor, has finished her design. Her work, which features brightly painted steel panels surrounding a working swing, will be placed along the waterfront path on the north side of the park. According to Clyatt, the site-specific piece will create a “visual and conceptual bridge between Playland and Rye Town Park and will clearly feel and transmit fun.”
Like Damien Vera, the artist who created <Cope> and gifted it to the park last fall, Takauji completed her first large-scale public sculpture through the M2M (Model to Monument) program, a collaboration between the Art Students League of New York and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.
The Rye Arts Center has made a commitment to bring sculpture to the community, and the leadership at the Park Commission has been happy to host these installations. Other than <Cope,> all installations are intended to be temporary. <Windows 2> will be installed by August and remain on exhibit through Labor Day 2019. Donations to defray material costs and ensure the piece is properly installed can be made to The Rye Arts Center.
- Jamie Jensen
Final model of Natsuki Takauji’s <Windows 2> swing sculpture set in its anticipated location at Rye Town Park.
Damien Vera, the creator of <Cope>, was on site with Bob Clyatt earlier this month to sand, grind, and refinish the steel outsides of his installation.