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Flowers are blooming on the Upper West Side this weekend. No, it’s not a sign of a very late spring. In fact, the new blooms are the latest installation by the Broadway Mall Association.
“Broadway Blooms,” a new sculptural public art exhibition by the sculptor Jon Isherwood, is officially set to open on August 2. However, the large-scale works can already be seen on Broadway between 64th and 157th Streets.
The exhibition was pushed back more than a year from its initial opening date due to the Covid-19 pandemic delaying the transport of materials from Isherwood’s studio in Italy. It features works spread out across eight locations on the Upper West Side and in Harlem. It’s the 13th show put on by the Broadway Mall Association since 2005.
"I chose blooms for Broadway in part because the imagery is accessible to the many people that navigate these intersections in their daily lives," said Isherwood in a statement. "They are imbued with a universal symbolism and can create wonder and joy in their discovery. Placing them in a series of locations across neighborhoods, I hope to promote a sense of interconnectedness in a space that can otherwise feel impersonal, anonymous, and alienating.”
In addition to the Broadway Mall Association, the pieces were mounted with the help of NYC Parks’ Art, the Morrison Gallery and the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District. The pieces can be at 64th, 72nd, 79th, 96th, 103rd, 117th, 148th and 157th Streets and will be on view through Spring 2022.
You can get more details on the exhibition, and see photos of the striking flowers, here.