We invite you to enjoy the Spring weather and "get your steps in" as we explore lower Manhattan's incredible "Outdoor Museum" of Public Art works.
Join us on June 8th, 2025 at 11 AM for a new OUTDOOR art walk: Spring Sculpture Stroll
We will walk to learn about 15 public art works which started changing the landscape of lower Manhattan in the 1960s and 1970s. You will learn about the factors that made those two decades critical for NYC public art, including the arrival of new artistic styles . You will learn about each work and how it fits into each artist's practice. You will also learn fascinating stories about the works. A stunning Jean Dubuffet sculpture Group of Four Trees (1972) stands where a Giacometti was meant to be! We will discuss how Mark di Suvero's Joie de Vivre (1998) was often the backdrop for the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011. We will see The Sphere (1972), the sculpture which stood afoot the twin towers and survived 9/11. We will discuss Tilted Arc, a Richard Serra sculpture which was removed after city workers found it obtrusive and fought for its removal. We will see stunning works by Isamu Noguchi, Mark di Suvero, Louise Nevelson, Frank Stella, and many more. We may also include a number of remarkable public paintings inside lobbies at the World Trade Center. We will walk by incredible landmarks, from the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall, Trinity Church, the NY Stock Exchange and the Canyon of Heroes.
Please note that this stroll involves significantly longer walking distances than those of our usual gallery walks (2-2.5 miles). Attached is a map of the walk. You will need to be ready to walk at a brisk pace and keep up with the group so that we can get to and cover the works planned. Comfortable outdoor or workout clothes and sneakers are most welcome and encouraged. For planning purposes, we will start at One Police Plaza (1PP) which is right next to the 4 5 6 Brooklyn Bridge-Chambers Street subway station. It is also just 10 minutes away from the Chambers Street stations of the 1 2 3 or A and C trains. We will finish by One World Center and Santiago Calatrava's Oculus.
Good news: this walk is in an area of Manhattan that is reachable by many of the city's subway lines, PATH trains and even ferries.
This walk is open to 20 attendees and the price is $45 per person.
About Your Guide, Efren Olivares. After a successful 20-year career in pharmaceutical marketing at Pfizer, Baxter and Lilly, and having been a Wharton undergrad (’88), Efren returned to school, reconnecting with the passion he had felt during his Penn Art History classes. He obtained a Master of Art in
Modern and Contemporary Art from Christie's Education. After working briefly at the auction house and a Chelsea gallery, Efren formed Look@NYArt and regularly takes groups on NYC gallery and museum tours. Efren is a Museum Guide at the Museum of the City of New York and a member of the Guide Association of New York City. You are sure to learn a great deal while having fun looking at art with other Penn alums!
