Sculpture Catches the Eye in Harlem Parks

Step into St. Nicholas Park, past the children wriggling through colorful tubes and the basketball players shooting hoops, and you’ll discover the Harlem Sculpture Gardens exhibit. Nine sculptures invite visitors to slow down, look closer and see the space in a new way. “There’s a lot of unknown artists that should be known,” said City College student Santiago Garcia, a first year art major who walks through the park nearly every day.

“We want to encourage people to get reconnected to themselves and to nature.” said Savona Bailey-McClain, executive director and chief curator of the West Harlem Art Fund. They collaborate with the New York Artist Equity Association, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to place artwork in parks and public spaces. This year they placed 21 works by 16 artists in Morningside Park, Jackie Robinson Park, Broadway Malls Montefiore Square, and St. Nicholas Park.

For Savona Bailey-McClain, the project is about creating connections, giving artists opportunities to exhibit their work and making art accessible to everyone.

“The nature, the land, the sculptures, it all connects,” Bailey-McClain said. “Then that [connection] empowers and inspires people at a time when we need that.”

Two sculptures stand out. The first, Beacons on the Lawn, placed on the James Baldwin Lawn combines art and science. The artist Chris Sancomb adapted the design of large-scale wind turbines to create the sculpture. He set spinning flaps that move with the wind on top of tall colorful pipes. The piece contrasts with the greenery in the park and draws you to it. Sancomb appreciates the way people interact with the sculpture. “To see that they stopped and wanted to know something, that’s enough for me,” he said.

Sancomb, an industrial design lecturer at the University of Connecticut, wants to do more work that connects with people. “This initiative is bringing art to public spaces that maybe haven’t had public art before,” “It is increasing accessibility, which is amazing to see.”

Other artists explore more personal connections to the world around them. Artist Michael Levchenko, crafted a sculpture that he says reflects his experiences, identity and community. He calls his tall, twisted, abstract sculpture painted in vibrant red, purple and turquoise Metamorphosis of Memories.

Metamorphosis of Memories by Michael Levchenko. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Kapanadze

His story is as compelling as his sculpture. Originally from Ukraine, Levchenko moved to the United States to pursue his art and to seek medical treatment for a foot injury he sustained when he fled to a bomb shelter. He recently had surgery and couldn’t install the sculpture himself. So he asked members of the Ukrainian community for help.

Volunteers helped install Metamorphosis of Memories while Levchenko was hospitalized, and placed it at the central entrance of St. Nicholas Park near West 135th street.

The sculpture explores how memories can shift and change over time. Levchenko said he welcomes the different ways people interpret his work, allowing viewers to bring their own experiences to the piece.

“Sometimes reaction absolutely different than I expected. It’s great,” Levchenko said. “Connection to local artists is very important to me, it’s a completely different experience.”

Curator Bailey-McClain appreciates the impact the artists and sculptures have on the community. “It’s a call to action,” Bailey-McClain said. “Come together and connect as a community.”

The Harlem Sculpture Gardens exhibition closes Oct. 30. The project will return in 2027, with an open call inviting artists to submit work for the next exhibition.