SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK INC

EXHIBITIONSSOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK IS COMMITTED TO SERVING ARTISTS - FROM EARLY-CAREER TO INTERNATIONAL RENOWN - BY PROVIDING AN OPEN PLATFORM FOR PUBLIC ART AND ENCOURAGING UNFETTERED AMBITION IN SCALE AND SUBJECT MATTER. MOST ARTWORKS EXHIBITED AT SOCRATES ARE BUILT ON-SITE IN THE OUTDOOR ARTIST STUDIO SPACE. THIS GIVES PARK VISITORS THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS THE OFTEN LABOR-INTENSIVE ART-MAKING PROCESS. THE PARK ALSO REMAINS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DURING EXHIBITION INSTALLATION AND DE-INSTALLATION. THE SOCRATES ANNUAL 2024OUR PROGRAMMING EXPANDED WITH A LARGER AND MORE AMBITIOUS VERSION OF OUR LONGSTANDING ARTIST FELLOWSHIP AND EXHIBITION PROGRAM, THE SOCRATES ANNUAL, WHICH GUIDED TWO COHORTS OF EARLY CAREER ARTISTS (ONE IN THE SPRING AND ONE IN THE SUMMER/FALL) TO COMPLETE INSTALLATIONS FIRST WITH A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON HORTICULTURAL INTERVENTION, AND LATER WITH A COHORT CREATING LARGESCALE SCULPTURAL WORKS. WITH THIS NEW APPROACH, EACH COHORT RECEIVED MORE INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION FROM OUR CURATOR AND ARTISTS WERE ABLE TO WORK WITHIN A SEASON THAT MOST MATCHED THEIR PROJECTS (HORTICULTURE PROJECTS IN THE SPRING DURING PLANTING SEASON, AND SCULPTURE IN THE SUMMER AND FALL). VISITORS TO THE PARK WERE ALSO ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE FELLOWS' WORKS YEAR-ROUND, AMPLIFYING THEIR ACCESS TO PUBLIC ART AND INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT.EACH ARTIST FELLOW WAS AWARDED A $8,000 PRODUCTION GRANT, $2,000 HONORARIUM, AND THREE MONTHS OF SEVEN-DAYS-A-WEEK ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES AND FABRICATION FACILITIES OF THE PARK'S OUTDOOR ARTIST STUDIO TO REALIZE THEIR PROPOSED PROJECT. THE 2024 ARTIST FELLOWS WERE SELECTED FROM OVER 250 APPLICANTS BY A SELECTION COMMITTEE THAT INCLUDED ERIC BOOKER, ASSOCIATE CURATOR AT STORM KING ART CENTER; CARLOS JIMNEZ CAHUA, SOCRATES FELLOW, 2018; PATRICK COSTELLO, SOCRATES FELLOW, 2020; AND BRENDAN PARKER, SENIOR FARM MANAGER AT RED HOOK FARMS, ALONG WITH SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK STAFF MEMBERS KAITLIN GARCIA-MAESTAS, CURATOR & DIRECTOR OF EXHIBITIONS; EWART LOUIE JORDAN, GROUNDS MANAGER; ERIC MATHEWS, FORMER DIRECTOR OF GROUNDS & HORTICULTURE; TERRENCE MCCUTCHEN, GROUNDS MANAGER; MARISA PREFER, FORMER SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PARK OPERATIONS. IN TOTAL, NINE ARTIST FELLOWS PARTICIPATED IN THE SOCRATES ANNUAL 2024. IN JUNE, SOCRATES UNVEILED FOUR PROJECTS BY KIMBERLY CHOU TSUN AN, LANDON NEWTON, MAMOUN NUKUMANU, AND VICK QUEZADA. THIS NEW ECOLOGY-FOCUSED COHORT OF ARTISTS HARNESSED THE PEAK SPRING AND SUMMER GROWING SEASONS TO CREATE "LIVING" INSTALLATIONS THAT ENGAGED WITH THE PARK'S PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE INHABITANTS WITHIN ITS FORMER INDUSTRIAL WETLAND LANDSCAPE. INCORPORATING AND COLLABORATING WITH DOZENS OF NATIVE AND INTRODUCED PLANT SPECIES, THESE ECOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS HAVE FLOURISHED THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND HAVE CONTINUED TO EVOLVE WITH THE CHANGING SEASONS. THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, ARTISTS JILL COHEN-NUEZ, UTSA HAZARIKA, JUAN MANUEL-PINZON, PETRA SZILAGYI, AND NALA C. TURNER FABRICATED SITE-SPECIFIC SCULPTURES IN THE PARK'S OPEN-AIR STUDIO. UTILIZING A WIDE RANGE OF MATERIALS-MUD, CLAMSHELLS, METAL, CLAY, STONE, AND FOUND WOOD-THESE FIVE PROJECTS DELVED INTO NOTIONS OF DIASPORA, DISPLACEMENT, CONTAINMENT AND ASSIMILATION, LINKING HUMAN ADAPTABILITY WITH THAT OF OTHER LIVING SPECIES. ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2024, THE WORKS OF BOTH COHORTS WERE OFFICIALLY OPENED TO THE PUBLIC WITH AN OPENING CELEBRATION THAT INCLUDED ACTIVATIONS AND PERFORMANCES INITIATED BY ARTIST FELLOWS.SUCHITRA MATTAI: WE ARE NOMADS, WE ARE DREAMERSTHIS SOLO EXHIBITION OF NEWLY COMMISSIONED WORKS BY SUCHITRA MATTAI OPENED TO THE PUBLIC AT THE PARK ON MAY 11, 2024 AND WAS ON VIEW THROUGH AUGUST 25, 2024. THESE WORKS CELEBRATED THE MIGRATORY OCEANIC JOURNEYS OF DIASPORIC COMMUNITIES AND WERE INSPIRED BY THE PARK'S POSITION ALONG THE EAST RIVER, WHICH FLOWS INTO THE VAST EXPANSE OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. AT THE CENTER OF THE PARK, SIX FUTURISTIC PODS, REMINISCENT OF CONTINENTAL FORMS, EMERGED FROM THE LANDSCAPE, REFLECTING THE DYNAMIC INTERPLAY OF THE SHIFTING SKY AND ECOLOGY. DRAPED IN VIBRANTLY COLORED SARIS, METICULOUSLY HAND-WOVEN TOGETHER, THESE MONUMENTAL FORMS TRANSCENDED STATIC EXISTENCE, SUBTLY EVOLVING AND ADAPTING WITHIN THEIR WATERFRONT ECOSYSTEM. NEARBY, A SERIES OF SEVEN HANGING SCULPTURES ADORNED THE GROVE OF TREES, REFLECTING ON NOTIONS OF FEMININITY AND FERTILITY. ADDITIONALLY, AT THE SOUTH ENTRANCE OF THE PARK, THE BROADWAY BILLBOARD FEATURED A THIRTY-FOOT COLLAGE BY MATTAI. IN COLLABORATION WITH BARKHA DANCE COMPANY, DANCE PERFORMANCES ACTIVATED THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION ON JUNE 12, JULY 18, AND AUGUST 25, 2024.PUBLIC AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMINGAS AN ARTIST-DRIVEN ORGANIZATION, WE SUPPORT ARTISTS IN THE CREATION OF AMBITIOUS CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC ART PROJECTS WHILE ALSO STRIVING TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY. CENTRAL TO OUR APPROACH IS AN EXTENSIVE ROSTER OF INCLUSIVE PUBLIC AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING THAT IN 2024 SERVED OVER 8,000 INDIVIDUALS. EVENTS AND LIVE PERFORMANCES, KAYAKING, YOGA CLASSES AND MEDITATION SESSIONS, OUR PUBLIC PROGRAMS CREATE A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL. EDUCATION PROGRAMS INVITE INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES, ESPECIALLY FROM OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, TO ENGAGE WITH ART AND THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE. PLEASE SEE MORE DETAIL ON SOME OF OUR 2024 OFFERINGS BELOW:ARTS EDUCATIONIN 2024, THE PARK CONTINUED TO OFFER ITS CORE FOUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS: 1) FIELD GUIDE: ART, ECOLOGY & MINDFULNESS WORKSHOPS - ALL-LEVEL WORKSHOPS OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC SATURDAYS FROM MAY-OCTOBER AND TO LOCAL SUMMER CAMPS IN JULY AND AUGUST; 2) SCULPTURE STUDIO - A THREE-SESSION IN- SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS; 3) SOCRATEENS - A BY-APPLICATION TEEN MENTORING PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS; AND 4) SOCRATEENS RESILIENCE LAB (FORMERLY AH-YES) - A PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR GROUNDS DEPARTMENT ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN NYCHA PROPERTIES IN WESTERN QUEENS TO LEARN ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP.IN 2024, SOCRATES' EDUCATION PROGRAMMING CONTINUED TO GROW IN BOTH PARTICIPATION AND SCOPE, WITH A RECENT RESTRUCTURING ENABLING THE SCULPTURE STUDIO, SOCRATEENS, AND SOCRATEENS RESILIENCE LAB (FORMERLY AH-YES) PROGRAMS TO SERVE AS A SEQUENCED ROUTE THROUGH THE PARK'S EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. THE FIELD GUIDE PROGRAM WELCOMED A RECORD NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AND PARTNERED WITH THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM, AURORA COMMONS/WE-LAB, AND ANNA POASTER OF HELLGATE FARMS. IN ADDITION, SOCRATES ALSO CREATED A NEW FARMSTAND TO FILL THE GAP OF HELLGATE FARMS' DECISION TO DISCONTINUE THEIR POPULAR WEEKEND FARMERS MARKET AT THE PARK. OVERALL, INTEGRATING PUBLIC AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING PARTICIPANTS, SOCRATES SERVED OVER 200,000 VISITORS TOTAL THROUGHOUT 2024, WHICH REMAINS FREE OF CHARGE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.PUBLIC PROGRAMMINGADDITIONALLY, OUR 2024 ANNUAL SEASON OF PUBLIC ARTS PROGRAMS FEATURED PARTNERSHIPS WITH MANY CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT REFLECT AND ENGAGE WITH QUEENS' DIVERSITY, AND OFFER ARTS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. OUR 2024 PARTNER COLLABORATIONS INCLUDED BALLET FOLKLRICO DE NUEVA YORK, THE METROPOLITAN OPERA, THE FORTUNE SOCIETY, LIC BOATHOUSE, COASTAL CLASSROOM AND MINDFUL ASTORIA, AMONG MANY OTHERS.