Public art initiative for Northern Manhattan from 125th Street to the tip of the island in Inwood near and along the Hudson River and the East River esplanade from 14th Street to East Harlem.

2. East River
Hudson River
Our two rivers offer amazing views
but also great human and maritime
stories. Though the spaces along
these two rivers have modernized,
we cannot afford to neglect their
physical care nor limit programming
that will benefit its local residents.
Therefore, the West Harlem Art Fund
is proposing an arts conservancy
inspired by the 2005 and 2008 Take
Me to the River Study for West
Harlem, that would begin from 125th
Street to the tip of the island and
public art programming on the East
River in partnership with the Friends
of the East River Esplanade. Such a
bold initiative would improve safety,
increase public engagement and
volunteerism.

3. What will it take to realize this public art initiative?
Formal support from the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and the
NYC Department of Transportation’s temporary public art programs, special
events office for public design, installations and collaborative performances.
Assisting artists with comprehensive general liability insurance for public
works whether visual or performance
Assisting artists and groups with engineering services or infrastructure surveys
Marketing support and collaborative campaigns with NYC & Co.

4. We could be like Berlin right now!

5. We could have art like Brooklyn Bridge Park or Fund
for Park Avenue

6. Attracting local, national &
international talent

7. A proposed Hudson River Project
Sung Min Lee
더미 Sculpted Fabric Mounds
URBAN ART INTERVENTION
더미 is a site specific intervention in Riverside Park North that incorporates the neighboring land and its
population. The artist is a newcomer to West Harlem and a Buddhist. Her belief system seeks out balance and
connectivity – ying and yang – life and death – unlimited possibilities where there is no beginning or end. Eight
sculpted fabric mounds will be made out of traditional Korean cotton fabric along with the traditional fabrics
from Mexico, Africa, China and the Middle East – where many of her neighbors originated from. The materials
represent how the artist is blending her life and cultural experiences with others in her new home. Using the
rock formations located in Riverside Park North, on both sides of the walking/biking path from 145th Street to
148th Street, Lee will shape her circular mounds with braided fabric and Korean red thread. Rock art dates
back 50,000 years and have spanned the continents of Africa, Europe and Australasia. This art form can be
found across a wide geographical and various cultures to perhaps to mark territory, to record historical events
or stories or to help enact rituals.

8. Let’s start
History of Textile Fibers
Traditionally, natural fibers have been used in all cultures for making utilitarian products. Different parts of
the plant are used. Fibers can be extracted from the bark (banana, jute, hemp, ramie), stem (banana,
palm, bamboo), leaf (palm, screw pine, sisal, agave), husk (coir), seeds (cotton), and grass (sikki,
madhurkati, benakati, munj). Animal fibers are obtained from a variety of animal coats, and insect fibers
from cocoons. Even before the arrival of man-made fibers, manufacturers could create hundreds of
different kinds of fabrics, differing mainly by fiber content, weight, style of weave, or sheen.
About the Artist
Lee was born in Seoul, Korea in 1976, but now currently lives and works in New York City. She received a
BFA from the Chugye University for the Arts in 2001, a Post Baccalaureate from Maryland Institute College
of Art and Design in Maryland in 2007 and her MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010.
According to Lee, “when I was a child, I always drew and made images on all of the walls in my house. It
was an expression of what I felt at the moment; I was trying to fine myself through art. These memories and
experiences made me continue doing my artwork, making a bridge to put my artistic practice of seeing,
feeling, observing and thinking.” Lee has had a residency and a group show at NY Studio Gallery in Lower
Manhattan in 2009, served as a curator at Gallery R, shown her work in South Korea and currently has a
residency in Harlem.

9. A proposed East River Project
BALANCING ACT created by Scherezade Garcia would be placed on the grassy areas
along the East River Esplanade from 60th Street to approximately 70th Street. This is urban
intervention would be made out of molds using vintage school furniture, books and other
objects.
By spraying found school furniture and objects into piles with silver paint, alluding to the
concept of the "silver spoon", the artist intends to visually post a commentary about
education in our city. The intervention asks the question, is education a right or privilege,
and for whom? Parents and teachers are constantly juggling to make classroom
experience meaningful and innovative. The same can be said for most community
development efforts. How can a community bring balance to the social and economic
needs of its members.
About the Artist
SCHEREZADE GARCIA has been involved in the Arts for as long as she can remember. Her
drawings are her memories. These drawings are visual interpretations of her surroundings,
for example, sounds and movements of daily life. As a very young child, she showed
great promise as an artist, so her parents enrolled her in Art school. She was fortunate to
study under two very special and talented painters, Don Elias Delgado and Nidia Serra.
Scherezade, born in the Dominican Republic (Oct 1966) has lived in New York since
arrived to study in 1986. Her work frequently evokes memories of faraway home and the
hopes and dreams that accompany planting roots in a new land. Her solo exhibitions
include “Paradise redefined” at Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY; Island of many
Gods at the Salena Gallery, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY; Souvenir at The Jersey
City Museum, Jersey City, NJ; Stories of Fallen Angels, museo de Arte Moderno, Santo
Domingo, DR; Mary Anthony Gallery and Leonora Vega Gallery, NYC.

10. Imagine
Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions including “Our America: The Latino Presence
in American Art”, Smithsonian American Art Museum , “This Side of Paradise-No Longer Empty“, Bronx,
NY, This Skin I’m in; Contemporary Dominican Art from El Museo del Barrio’s permanent collection and
Merengue! Visual Rhythms also at El Museo del Barrio, NY, NY; The Caribbean Abroad; Contemporary
Arts and Latino Migration, Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ. Scherezade lives with her husband, NYC
photographer William Vazquez, and her two budding artist daughters, Gabrielle and Montserrat in
Brooklyn, NY, where she also has her studio.
About the Lead Organization
THE WEST HARLEM ART FUND is a sixteen year old public arts organization. WHAF has produced numerous
exhibitions and special events with artists and creative professionals wishing to share their talent with
residents around the city. Public art for the West Harlem Art Fund has included traditional exhibitions,
digital installations, storefront windows and live performances. WHAF encourages audiences to not only
think outside of the box – but to live outside the box. Our heritage symbol is the double crocodile from
West Africa -- Funtunmmireku-Denkyemmirreku which means unity in diversity.
About the Lead Curator
SAVONA BAILEY-MCCLAIN currently lives and works in New York City. She is an independent curator,
producer and preservation advocate. The range of McClain’s practice has included sculpture,
drawings, performance, sound, and mixed media. McClain is the Executive Director and Chief Curator
for The West Harlem Art Fund, Inc. a fifteen year old public art organization and curatorial collective
serving neighborhoods around the City. Her public art installations have been seen in the New York
Times, NY Daily News, Art Daily, Artnet Magazine, Los Angeles Times, DNAinfo, Huffington Post among
others. McClain strives for a soulful, meaningful connection with the public and the “arts”. It simply has to
be approachable as far as she is concerned. McClain has installed at Times Square, DUMBO, Soho,
NoLita, Williamsburg, Governors Island, Queens, Greater Harlem (East, Central and West), Chelsea, the
Bronx and East Harlem. McClain has a liberal arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

11. Current East Side/West Side

12. Past works

13. Past works

14. Press

15. Presented Artists
& Neighborhoods
Bronx
L.W. Antonius, Alta Berri, Linda
Byrne, Thomas Callahan, Marco
Castro, Robin Kang, Suprina
Kenney, Jongil Ma, Tomo Mori,
Anca Pedvisocar, Roberto
Sandoval, Chris Smith, Dianne
Smith, Nancy Steinson, Rex
Kalehoff
Chelsea
Illiana Emilia Garcia
DUMBO
Patrick Singh
Governor’s Island
Dianne Smith, Scherezade Garcia,
Wayne Liu, Allen Anthony Hansen,
Luke Schumacher, Colin Chase,
Kurt Goodrich, Iliana Emilia Garcia
Ina Archer and Peter Goldwater
Harlem (East, Central, West)
Richard Gonzalez, Juan Manuel
Mansilla, Jimena Leiva Roesch,
Kyu Seok Oh, Scherezade Garcia,
Marcie Revens, Barbara Siegel,
Luisa Caldwell, Robert Hickman
Florencio Gelabert, Dianne Smith,
Kirsten Campbell, Sandor Camille
Julio Valdez, Badder Israel, Iliana
Emilia Garcia, Pearl Perkins, Raul
Ayala, Tyson Hall
Jackson Heights
Kenjiro Kitade
Lower Manhattan/TriBeCa
Patrick Singh
Scherezade Garcia
NoLita
Nora Mae Carmichael
Times Square
Kyu Seok Oh
Washington Heights
Aimee Miller, Dianne Smith, Barry
Charles Johnson, Gail Shaw
Clemons, Karen Leon Aponte,
Kenneth LeRitchie, Aleathia
Brown, Stephen Beveridge, Mark
Kang-O’Higgins, Hosea Johnson,
Percy Cardona, Angel Chevrett,
Jose Columna, George Crespo,
Daniel Del Valle, Reuben King,
Luanda Lozada, Joseph Whippler,
Lady Bird Johnson, Vladimir
Ginzburg, Carlton Murrell,
Clymenza Hawkins, Soraya
Marcano, Doug Quackenbush,
Rudy Guiterrez, Laura James,
James Best
Williamsburg
Sai Morikawa
Artist statistics: 32% Latino descent; 30% African descent ; 30% Caucasian descent; 8% Asian. Half of the artists presented
lived in Northern Manhattan.