New sculpture makes a splash at Vannie

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A gigantic drop of water, transmuted into metal, has descended from the heavens onto a tranquil patch of land in Van Cortlandt Park. Frozen in time at the moment before bursting on the ground, the shiny structure is a monument to the most vital fluid on Earth.

That, at least, is one possible way to look at the 16-foot-tall steel sculpture gracing a pebble path near the Van Cortlandt Mansion Museum as of the end of last month. “Water,” by seven members of the Art Students League of New York, provides both an aesthetic delight and a timely reminder of the importance of H20.

One of the contributors, Manhattan resident Lee Apt, said the work conveys both “the good and the bad of water.”

“We can be flooded. How many flash flood notices do we get? Drought is horrible, hurricanes,” she said. “The good of water is we desperately need it to live.”

There are plenty of such reminders in the sculpture’s immediate vicinity. Van Cortlandt Lake is a few paces to the east and a swampy patch called the Tibbett Wetlands are to the south.

A bit like one of Bernini’s Baroque wonders, “Water” invites visitors to view it by strolling all the way around the perimeter.

Standing with the Van Cortlandt Mansion to your right, “Water” in profile looks like a gigantic ladle. Heading a few paces clockwise, with the somewhat rectangular mesh of steel fully exposed, you might discern a plump penguin. From another side, the sculpture looks a little like a contorted treble clef.

In the event, Ms. Apt said she and her six fellow students at the prestigious art league envisioned an abstract mélange of fish, wave and droplet.

“I began with a fish, others began with critters, waves and drops of water,” she said. “It was a real step-by-step process from the reality to an abstract idea.”

“Water” is the fifth statue in as many years to land at Vannie thanks to a partnership between the Department of Parks and Recreation and the art league.

Margot Perron, the president of the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy, and a colleague gave the artists an educational tour of the grounds to inspire their imaginations.

“The reason I like working with artists is they make us think about the landscape differently,” Ms. Perron said.

“What I find in my 30 years of doing outdoor programming is when you have people thinking deeply about something... their appreciation for it grows,” she continued. “We hope people enjoy the water, learn about the water and protect the wetland.”

“Water” is on display until next May.

Van Cortlandt Park, sculpture, monument, water, Art Students League of New York, Lee Apt, Margot Perron, Shant Shahrigian

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