NEW YORK CITY: THE WHITNEY MUSEUM AND LITTLE ISLAND

May 2023

New York City is possibly one of the best places in the United States if you are an art lover. There are at least 36 art museums in the city (see this list) and a bazillion galleries. On this trip we spent a bit of time in the Whitney Museum of American Art, which contains more than 23,000 works of art by more than 3,400 artists. 

We began with the retrospective for American artist our son is the studio manager for. 

It was especially fun to see this show, which took up two floors of the Whitney, because of our son's connection to it. Here are a few representative pieces:

Make-Believe

Contagious Unemployment 
(and the two below)

Wrapping Things Up

Creative Hands

I don't know the name of this piece, but it is a couch stuffed with shredded paper.

These were some of my favorites. I'll let you figure out what they mean.

Keep the Change
(Texas Roadhouse Waiter's Feet with Shoes)

20% Gratuity
(Applebee's Waitress's Arm with Checkbook)

15% Service (Applebee's Waitress's Head)

Video: Applebee's Waitress Interview

Another floor of the Whitney had works relating to the Native American experience by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, whose art is as interesting and powerful as her name. This one is entitled Indian Madonna Enthroned.

Close-ups of the "Madonna's" hands, her face, and her baby's face:

Trade Canoe for Don Quixote (referencing the weaponization of goods during the early
colonial period when bags of moldy flour, wormy beef, whiskey laced with lead,
and blankets smeared with smallpox were "shared" with native peoples).

McFlag (the commercialization of American nationalism - note
references to McDonald's and the Mickey Mouse ears)

Elsewhere in the museum, I also liked these very-different-from-each-other artworks.

L: New York/Liberty, 1918-19 by Florine Stettheimer

R: The Rose, 1958-1966 by Jay DeFeo

Well, time to move on. From the upper windows of the Whitney, we could see what looks like an island on stilts. That's where we were going next.

Little Island, located on Pier 55 on the Hudson River, is a 2.4-acre artificial island that serves as a unique city park. It is supported by 132 tulip-like structures that stand on 280 concrete pilings and is large enough to hold 1,000 visitors at once. It opened in the middle of the Covid pandemic in May 2021. The landscaping includes 35 tree species, 65 shrub species, and 270 species of perennials and grasses. There are three lawns, multiple plazas, performance spaces (including a 687-seat amphitheater), and even a "secret garden" planted all in white.

On our way to visit Little Island, we passed the remnants of Pier 55, which was already not in good shape when Hurricane Sandy blasted it in 2012.

It was so fun to watch the families, couples, and groups of friends enjoying the venue. Kids were rolling down the grassy hills, just like they would in a regular park, and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.

The Island has a unique, incredible view of the New York City skyline.

Miss Liberty is also visible in the distance.  

New York City knows how to do parks. Just sayin'.