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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2002
PR-049-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES OPENING OF
WHITNEY BIENNIAL IN CENTRAL PARK

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the opening of the Whitney Biennial in Central Park, a major exhibition of contemporary works of art by five New York artists and the outdoor component of the 2002 Whitney Biennial. The Public Art Fund is organizing and presenting the exhibition at the invitation of the Whitney Museum of American Art, and has received assistance from the Central Park Conservancy and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and Department of Cultural Affairs.

President of the Public Art Fund Susan Freedman, Director of the Public Art Fund Tom Eccles, Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art Maxwell Anderson, Chief Curator of the 2002 Biennial Exhibition Lawrence Rinder, President of the Central Park Conservancy Regina Peruggi, Central Park Administrator Douglas Blonsky, Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate Levin, and Deputy Mayor for Administration Patricia Harris joined Mayor Bloomberg at the announcement.

"The visible presence of the arts and a thriving cultural community throughout the five boroughs are vitally important to New York City," Mayor Bloomberg said. "The Public Art Fund shares the City's commitment to enrich its cultural life and display artistic expression in public parks. The Fund has exhibited contemporary sculpture in Central Park and other parks in the City for many years, all the while respecting the nature and landscape of the various settings. I encourage other organizations to follow the Public Art Fund's lead and promote the arts in our City's public spaces and invite all New Yorkers to experience the magnificence of the Whitney Biennial in Central Park."

The Whitney Biennial in Central Park consists of five pieces of contemporary art situated throughout Central Park and will be on exhibit from March 7 to May 26. The featured artists include Keith Edmier (Emil Dobbelstein and Henry Drope, 1944, comprised of two bronze figures in military uniforms), Roxy Paine (Bluff, a 50-foot stainless steel tree), Kiki Smith (Sirens and Harpies, a series of 20 bronze sculptures bearing the head of a woman and the body of a bird), Kim Sooja (Deductive Object, a set of colorfully patterned Korean bedcovers), and Brian Tolle (Waylay, a recreation of scattered splashes across a body of water).

The Public Art Fund, which commissioned the artists, is a non-profit arts organization supported by gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations, and funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has exhibited contemporary art, including other Public Art Fund installations, in Central Park and its other parks throughout the City for over 30 years.

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Ed Skyler / Jerry Russo
(212) 788-2958
Anne Wehr (Public Art Fund)
(212) 980-4575