It was a sad day in 2006 when The Leather Guy came down. He was a roadside original, sculpted in 1971 as an exact replica of the groovy owner of a leather shop in Mayfield, New York.
A neighborhood news aggregating site recently noted that Tom Otterness’ gigantic sculpture and slide combo “Playground” had become a destination for the Gotham toddler set. The roundy-headed bronze behemoth has been reclining on a patch of artificial turf on West 42nd Street for over a year, in a public park adjacent to the twin 50-story […]
Handmade scarves began appearing around the necks of Rapid City, South Dakota’s downtown display of life-size bronze presidential statues. This cowl play was perpetrated by a mother/daughter duo of renegade knitters who elected to strike the “City of Presidents” with a form of cheerful transitory graffiti known as “yarn bombing.”
With the new year comes the promise of new wonders, yet unborn, that will dazzle our eyeballs into the distracted-driver danger zone. Here’s a brief look at some of the anticipated highlights for 2010 — and remember that every year also brings dozens of unexpected new attractions.
Recently a giant fork appeared on a traffic median in Pasadena, California. No one seemed to know who was responsible for the guerrilla installation of the 18-foot-tall rogue utensil…
The National Building Museum could use a jazzier name (Architecturama?) and their new exhibit, “House of Cars: Innovation and the Parking Garage” (October 17-July 11), takes on a generally less-than-scintillating subject. But the curators may have a point: this overlooked and much maligned practical urban necessity deserves a spot on the exhibition roster. For, as the press release states, “In a world without parking garages, parking lots would sprawl across our cities.” And that would be yucky.
