Public art is an integral component of Hudson River Park. The Park’s design process has included the creation and installation of place-specific public sculpture in a number of locations. In addition, the Park also proudly hosts two public memorials that were carefully planned to be integrated into the Park landscape, as well as other permanent installations that enhance the Park environment.
Hudson River Park is honored to have been selected by Governor Cuomo’s LGBT Memorial Commission to host an important monument to the LGBTQ community. Designed by artist Anthony Goicolea, this tribute recognizes those lost in the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting that occurred in June 2016, as well as all victims of hate, intolerance and violence. Governor Cuomo opened the memorial on June 24, 2018.
Following the tragic shooting in Florida, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order establishing an LGBT Memorial Commission, with the mission to design and build a new memorial in honor of the LGBT community and the victims of the Orlando shooting. The Commission issued a request for proposals in October 2016, and all submissions were judged on their interpretation and clarity of the theme, creativity and originality of depicted theme, quality of artistic composition, site compatibility, and constructability, among other factors.
The site-specific design prepared by the artist works in harmony with the existing attributes of Hudson River Park and promotes thought and reflection while encouraging people to unite in a communal environment. It features nine modified boulders, some of which are bisected with a clear, laminated, borosilicate-glass with refractory components that act as a prism to create subtle rainbow patterns on the surrounding lawn and nearby objects.
Born in 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia, Anthony Goicolea is a first-generation Cuban American artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. His extended family immigrated to the United States in 1961, fleeing Cuba soon after Castro came to power — a fact that underpins many of his works. Employing a variety of media, Goicolea explores themes ranging from personal history and identity, to cultural tradition and heritage, to alienation and displacement.