CultureNOW | A Celebration of Culture & Community

Jean Parker Phifer, New York based architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about the New York Times Capsule, designed by Santiago Calatrava. This capsule is made of welded stainless steel, and is described by the artist as resembling a flower. It contains diverse artifacts of the late 20th century and will be permanently on display atop a polished black granite base until the year 3000, at which time the capsule will be opened. Derived from a sculpture series that explores the formal properties of folded spherical frames, the form of the capsule has been sliced through horizontally, forming two halves. The four top segments are hinged to the bottom four. The cavities of the segments are hollow and together contain about 50 cubic feet of storage space, allowing four tall containers to be housed inside. The items were selected from suggestions by visitors to the Museum of Natural History and the New York Times web site. They were treated with preservative, surrounded with a layer of Nanopore insulation,  packed in special steel containers, and sealed.

Jean Parker Phifer, New York based architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about the statue of Gertrude Stein, designed by Jo Davidson and located in Bryant Park. 

Jean Parker Phifer, New York based architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on Times Square, at the crossroads of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Times Square is named after the Old New York Times Building, which was built in the square in 1904. 

Jean Parker Phifer, New York-based architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and liberty. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924. It became a World Heritage Site in 1984.  The island was extensively restored and reopened on July 4, 1986, shortly before the Statue's centennial in October 1986. The island is open to the public.

Jean Parker Phifer describes the Richard Morris Hunt Memorial. This striking, curved monument on the Park's eastern perimeter honors Richard Morris Hunt, the first American to study at Paris' ecole des Beaux-Arts. He returned to New York and went on to become the city's most prominent architect of his time. His work includes the columned facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, just 12 blocks north of his memorial. Unveiled in 1898, the piece was created by Daniel Chester French, the same sculptor behind the massive monument to Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. In Central Park, the Hunt monument is approached by three steps and features a central bust of the architect. A semicircular portico and curved bench support decorative columns and a cornice. At each end stands a female figure, allegorical statues of Architecture, and Painting, and Sculpture. Inscriptions on the structure name the organizations for which Hunt either founded or made significant contributions.

Jean Parker Phifer describes the Portals at St Bartholomew's Church, New York. This Byzantine-style church incorporates a 1903 French Romanesque portal from its previous Madison Ave. location. Designed by Stanford White and funded as a memorial for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the portal features Renaissance-inspired sculpture and ornate brass doors.  There are stained glass windows by Hildreth Meire and the city's largest pipe organ.  The community house was constructed later by Goodhue's firm after he had died.

Jean Parker Phifer describes the sculptures of Venus & Manhattan created by Wheeler Williams. The artist depicted two allegorical figures - Manhattan and Venus - on the side of the Parke-Bernet Galleries. Venus awakens Manhattan, who opens his eyes to the culture and arts around him.

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on Charging Bull, located to the north of Bowling Green

Fred Schwartz, head of Frederic Schwartz Architects, discusses his work on the Staten Island Ferry terminal, the largest ferry terminal in the United States.

Calvin Tsao, partner of TsAO & McKOWN Architects, discusses the firm's work on five public elementary school libraries in conjunction with the Robin Hood Foundation.