Art a GoGo

Curtain Call for The Gates

As a bookend to our blog reports about The Gates, we thought we would toss out some stats, random observations, and other minutiae about The Gates.

• Over 1 million people visited The Gates.  The largest crowds seemed to congregate near Central Park South.  We encountered very few people when we ventured to other areas of the park like the Upper West Side.
• Museum attendance doubled at all major NY museums during the gates.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art reported that there were 60,000 visitors the first weekend of The Gates, double the normal attendance figures.  It was wall to wall people (picture from MoMA), but all of the major museums that we visited seemed to handle the crowds with ease.
• There were few incidences of vandalism and graffiti.  In the "not the sharpest knife in the drawer department", three NJ men were cited for being in the park past 1:00 am on Saturday.  Later, police found that someone had scrawled their names on one of the gates.  It didn't take CSI NY to figure this one out...the cops quickly matched the names to the citations that were previously issued.  The men have been summoned to appear in court.
• An army of people will begin dismantling The Gates on Monday.  All materials from The Gates will be recycled.
• No doubt that this was a boost to NY's economy...wonder what the expense will be for the massive police presence required to protect The Gates??
• Christo and Jeanne-Claude funded the entire $21M project out of their own pockets.  They would never think about accepting or soliciting corporate sponsorship.  Based on the color scheme of The Gates, Home Depot would have been a natural sponsor.  Maybe Home Depot will want to use our picture in a future ad campaign!

The Gates from Space

Just when you thought it was safe to visit this blog without having to read more about The Gates...An image of The Gates from space.

So Long NYC

We had a fantastic time in NYC.  Way too much to see and not enough time.  We woke up to a great view of Central Park and The Gates blanketed in snow.  The snow was still falling this morning, so we decided to get to the airport early before more snow/rain hit.  I'm writing this post from JFK airport waiting for our flight.

Doug

The Gates: Snow Arrives in NYC

We posted some new pics from our hotel room taken this morning and late Sunday when the snow started falling in Central Park.  We'll post some other pictures of The Gates that we took on Sunday afternoon sometime late Monday.  The photo albums aren't listed in the order that they were posted...some sort of technical difficulty or loose connection between the operator and the software.

Doug

The Gates: A Worldwide Art Happening

De Poorten, Les Portes, Die Gatter, I Cancelli, Las Puertas, Стробы.

In a word...THE GATES!!!

Art has no language barriers.  You like or don't, you're moved by it or you're not.  Walking around Central Park today was like being at the United Nations with no translator, but a translator wasn't necessary.  Smiles, people exchanging cameras to take each other's photos, and sunshine (albeit 26 degrees F with a wind chill of 18 degrees F) made for a memorable experience.

Over one million people have visited "The Gates" in Central Park as of 2/18/05.

Here's a link to the photos that we took today.

Doug and Kathleen

The Gates, Central Park at Night (camera phone picture)

We arrived in to New York Thursday evening.  After a quick bite and an "adult beverage", we ran across the street to Central Park to take this picture with our camera phone (damn, the LG phone that we bought 3 months ago doesn't have a flash!).

More (quality) pictures to follow.

Doug and Kathleen

All Gates, All the Time!

Just do a Google or Yahoo search of "The Gates and Central Park" or the "The Gates and New York" under the news tab and your computer screen will turn SAFFRON!

Maybe it's because the Iraqi election is over or Bush II can't get any traction with his social security overhaul, but the media (yes including us) can't write enough about Christo and Jeanne-Claude's latest work of art.

The fascinating thing to me, is that many of the news stories present a really intriguing angle on The Gates, Central Park.  The interest from the media almost turns the focus of this event around.  Is The Gates project really about the art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, or is this some some sort of weird test to see how the media reacts to this art event?

In the end, who cares about what the media writes.  This is all about your gut reaction.  Is this art?  Do you like it? Why? Do you hate it? Why? Is it a waste of $20M?

Art, it's up to you!

What do you think?

Doug

The Gates Central Park Unfurl!

The Gates Central Park debuted on Saturday.  As you would guess, the reaction by the public spans the gamut between "awsome!" to "huh?"

There are some great Reuters and AP photos on Yahoo. One photo taken by Shannon Stapleton of Reuters captures The Gates in the wind against the skyline...it looks like a painting!

The Gates Central Park Blogspot offers visitors a chance to post pics and audio of their visit to The Gates.  This web site is worth a visit.  And yes, now everyone can be an instant critic!

Police to Protect The Gates Against Vandals

Sad but true...As if NY's finest don't have enough to worry about already. Hundereds of NYPD will be on patrol protecting The Gates Project in Central Park against graffiti vandals.

Maybe NYC should set-up some giant canvases near Central Park and let the graffiti vandals show off their "talent."  Nah, that wouldn't be any fun because it wouldn't involve defacing someone else's personal property.

Eternal optimism in our fellow homo sapiens give us hope that we won't be back here commenting about an attack against the project that Christo and Jeann-Claude have poured their heart and soul into!

Steve Martin Donates $1M to Huntington Libarary

"Wild and Crazy guy" put his money where his heart is!  It was announced today that Steve Martin donated $1M dollars to the The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.

USA Today Article - "Steve Martin Donates $1M to Art Collection

It's great to see someone of Steve Martin's notoriety step up to support the arts.  Who will be the next in line...let's see, I'm sure Mel Gibson has a few million dollars to throw at the arts!