The Empire State Building looms behind Maya Lin's "Ghost Forest," a stand of 49 Atlantic white cedar trees in Madison Square Park.
They're all dead, of course, victims of climate change that brought salty seawater to their roots in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Three centuries ago, white Atlantic cedars covered 500,000 acres on the East Coast, providing critical habitat for indigenous flora and fauna. Americans have reduced that habitat by 90%. And don't get me started on the loss of chestnut trees. Just read The Overstory by Richard Powers, another artist desperate to save our planet.
Last chance to get humble, mankind. Mother Nature doesn't give a shit how high your buildings soar and she's getting angrier by the minute.
The latest example of donor recognition at the New York Public Library is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. Located just south of the lions on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, it used to be known as the Mid-Manhattan. It's still the system's largest circulating branch. I started my tour at the top, where there's a cafe and plenty of space for social distancing.
I doubt if you'll find a more pleasant indoor public space in midtown. Light and wood fill the building in addition to books and computers. But not too many people, at least on a Monday morning before noon. The city's voluminous temple of knowledge felt like a bright, calm and mostly silent oasis with plenty of restrooms.
Nice spot to read a magazine, no?
Once upon a time, I would have stood in this line to check out books, mostly novels, all of which are now available on line through NYPL's terrific Simply E app.
Did you know you can return an NYPL book to any branch? The architects even put the sorting machinery on display.
(Masked) Lego creations and stuffed animals add an FAO Schwartz feel to the colorful Children's Center. NYPL's embrace of diversity made me proud to have once worked there.
This giraffe needed a hug.
Teens have their own recording studio.
The building's thoughtful design emphasizes the branch's relationship with the Central Research Library across the street by decorating the entrance with a lion. Note bene: the fabulous Picture Collection, which Andy Warhol ransacked for inspiration in this location, moved there in 2017.
NYPL's circulating branches in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island--many built with money donated by Andrew Carnegie but named for their local neighborhoods--are marked on this map at the exit.
"The Forever Museum Archive_Circa 6000BCE" by Onyedika Chuke
NADA House, an unpretentious art fair, incentivized me to finally make the visit. It reminded me of Spring Break, one of my favorite contemporary art experiences ever. Artists exhibited their work in five brick houses once occupied by Coast Guard brass. They each took over an entire room, including kitchens and occasional closets.
