One hundred and eighty-seven different newspaper front pages have graced Faheem Majeed’s towering Freedom’s Stand over the course of the past year. From prominent people to notable events, these newspapers have given snapshots of US history through the lenses and words of Black America—spanning the last 200 years and from all across the 50 states. “The Black voice is not myopic—it’s expansive and also conflicting,” Majeed says of the materials he found during the making of Freedom’s Stand. “That’s what’s so exciting about this [project]… The expanse is really fascinating to think about, [espec ..read more

Baltimore-born, New York-based artist Derrick Adams has been celebrating the Black experience and interrogating portrayals of it throughout his 25-year-long artistic career. From his iconic, eye-catching cubist paintings to his playful interactive sculptures, Adams’ work has expanded the dialogue around contemporary Black life and culture, with a focus on showing Black joy, leisure, and play. Last month, the High Line worked with Adams to install two of his works on a double-sided billboard next to the High Line – Moynihan Connector: Sing It Like You Mean It and Sitting Pretty. Both artworks d ..read more

The High Line Teens Art & Culture Council (TACC) is a group of local youth who produce public programs at the High Line, combining arts, culture, and social justice. These teen staff members spend more than six months thinking critically about power and cultural production, attending events across the city for inspiration, and working in teams to develop their own programs and events—which bring together more than 1,500 teens from across the city. Each year, the Council focuses on select High Line Art projects to inform their programs and learn about the process of commissioning and exhibi ..read more

Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, and artist Jordan Casteel discuss how the subject of Casteel’s High Line mural is more relevant than ever before and the power of art in challenging times. This talk debuted live on Zoom for High Line members and donors on Thursday, May 28, 2020. Become a High Line member & receive access to future virtual events Transcript Robert Everyone on this call is one of our supporters. You’re what enabled us to keep the High Line open. I never had to say “reopen the High Line”; I never thought that’s something w ..read more

Our group exhibition this year, En Plein Air, examines and expands the tradition of outdoor painting. The title refers to the mid-19th century practice of en plein air painting (French for “in the open air”). The artists in the exhibition expand well beyond the historical plein air lineage. They not only bring painting outside but imagine nature as context, subject, and collaborator. We interviewed En Plein Air artist Sam Falls, whose contribution, Four Arches, has quickly become a visitor favorite. HIGH LINE Hi Sam! Thanks for agreeing to this interview. When I first saw the arches, I was str ..read more

In November 2018, the High Line Network, a group of industrial reuse projects, announced New Monuments for New Cities, a public art exhibition that will travel across the US and Canada throughout 2019. Five network projects—Buffalo, Bayou in Houston, TX, Waller Creek in Austin, TX, The 606 in Chicago, IL, The Bentway in Toronto, Ontario, and the High Line—invited each five of their local artists or artist groups to create proposals in the form of posters for “new monuments.” This exhibition is part of an effort to connect local public spaces to a larger and global conversation. It also happens ..read more

Ralph Chaplin’s stickerette for the IWWPhoto by Courtesy of Catherine Tedford, Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, St. Lawrence University Industrial Works of the World demonstrate in New York City, 1914This year on the High Line, visitors can stop to check the time at Ruth Ewan’s installation Silent Agitator. This work is monumental-scale clock on the park at 24th Street, also visible from street level. The clock is based on an illustration originally produced for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) labor union by the North American writer and labor activist Ralph Chaplin. It reads “What ti ..read more

The following is an interview with High Line Art’s associate curator, Melanie Kress. Melanie is in charge of curating our Channel program— an outdoor video art program located on the High Line at 14th Street—and our yearly art performances. HIGH LINE How are you? MELANIE Excellent! We just opened the newest section of the park—the Spur—a few months ago, with Simone Leigh’s Brick House at its center. This has been a thrilling, multi-year process (and much longer for so many supporters and staff) and I can’t wait to spend time watching people enjoying the space and Simone’s work. Simo ..read more

Ei Arakawa (b. 1977, Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan) is known for performances that often incorporate previous artwork or collaborations with other artists. For the High Line 2019 group exhibition En Plein Air, Arakawa installs two new singing LED paintings at 26th Street, translations of Gustave Courbet’s 1872 and 1873 paintings, both titled La truite (The Trout). Brought to life by an electric current, the trout emerges from the lush vegetation of the park as an illuminated canvas. The paintings perform a song that suggests connections between the art world of 19th century France—contemp ..read more