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| Deborah Brown |
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The Seasons: Wildlife and Vistas of Ft. Tyron and Inwood Hill Parks
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Completion Date:
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2001
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Medium:
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Mosaic Frieze, bronze, concrete
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Dimensions:
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2' x 100'
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Location:
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P.S. 178
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Address:
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1218 Elwood Avenue, Manhattan
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Architect:
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Kliment & Halband
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Sponsor Agency:
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Board of Education
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Design Agency:
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School Construction Authority
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Deborah Brown's public artwork in P.S. 178 was inspired by the unique resources of Inwood Hill Park and Fort Tyron Park located in the school's neighborhood. These parks represent 40% of the Inwood district land. Inwood Hill Park contains the last tract of original woodland in Manhattan and a vibrant, thriving community of avian creatures, mammals, and reptiles. Brown chose to represent creatures and surrounding scenes from these parks to stimulate an awareness and appreciation of Inwood's natural region in the students, teachers, and parents that compose the P.S. 178 community. Around the top of the cafeteria walls, Brown created a 2' frieze of mosaic artwork. Thirty-two rectangular images of animals and landscapes alternate with twenty-nine circular roundels. In the rectangular framework, vignettes of Inwood Hill Park, Fort Tyron Park, and the Hudson River are juxtaposed with illustrations of the native creatures. The animal and landscape images are organized around the theme of the seasons. The east wall is 'summer,' the west 'winter,' and the south is 'fall' and 'spring.' The circular roundels portray an image of The Cloisters, a neighborhood landmark.
About the Artist...
Deborah Brown graduated from Yale University with a BA in 1976 and then continued her education at Indiana University, Bloomington, where she received her MFA in painting. She has exhibited her paintings all over the United States. Brown has also completed a well-loved public mosaic in the Houston Street Subway Station, Manhattan commissioned by the MTA Arts for Transit. New Jersey Transit also commissioned Brown for a mosaic in the Garfield Avenue Station of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. In addition, Brown has completed two mosaics in Florida, one in Miami and one in Tallahassee.
Artist Quote...
"Through the artwork for P.S. 178, it is my goal to create an identification between the school and the animal and landscape elements that surround it. The presence of such natural resources is remarkable in a densely settled, urban environment and represents one of the most prominent and enduring features of the Inwood community." -- Brown, 2001
