The League’s exclusive public sculpture program, presented in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
Works in Public is the League’s exclusive public sculpture program, presented in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. A professional development program that offers artists the opportunity to create site-specific, large-scale public sculptures, Works in Public was founded in 2010, and originally known as the Model the Monument program. Since its inception, 46 artists have completed this program and had their sculptures installed in year-long public exhibitions at Riverside Park South and Riverside Park at 145th Street. Beginning in 2022, the program has been lead by renowned sculptors and League instructors Haksul Lee and Natsuki Takauji, who are alumni of the program. After being on display in New York City, many pieces from the Works in Public program are relocated for permanent display in at the Florida Keys Sculpture Trail.
Artists who participate in the Works in Public conceive of, create, and install site-specific sculptures in partnership with League instructors, Works in Public advisors, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. In this program, artists gain experience working with the physical materials and processes that are used to create original works of public art. Works in Public participants receive a monthly stipend and a scholarship for a full-time class at the League for the duration of the program.
Each individual artist works independently to fulfill program requirements. Because of the program's rigorous nature, nominated students must be willing and able, should they be selected, to make a substantial time commitment.
To view and download the full program prospectus, click here.
Works in Public uses an open application process. Selected artists must commit to taking classes at The League during their participation in the program. A successful application is based on the strength of the proposed concept and portfolio. Artists working in all media are invited to apply.
The 2023-24 Works in Public program offers two tracts:
Two-Year Course: Starting in the Fall of 2023, the first year will be dedicated to seminars on the history and contemporary understanding of public sculpture, the study of sculptural concepts, proposal and presentation methods, site analysis, fabrication processes, engineering, and studio visits. This year culminates in the creation of a proposal for a full-scale public artwork. The second year will be dedicated to the fabrication process of selected proposals, culminating in the installation of the artwork in Riverside Park for a one-year public exhibition in the Summer of 2025. The course will offer weekly seminars, guest lecturers, and critics. It will include visits to public art sites and artists’ studios, discussions, recommended readings, assignments, and consultations.
One-Year Intensive Course: Starting in the Fall of 2023, the same curriculum as the two-year course is compacted into a year-long program, with an emphasis on developing and fabricating the proposed project, culminating in the installation of the artwork in Riverside Park for a one-year public exhibition in the Summer of 2024. The course will offer weekly seminars, guest lecturers, and critics. It will include visits to public art sites and artists’ studios, discussions, recommended readings, assignments, and consultations.
The jurors for the 2023 WiP selection will be artist Chakaia Booker and Brett Littman, Director of The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum.
For more information, contact Tom Tacik at tom@artstudentsleague.org.
Applications are currently closed.
Helen Draves, Hope, 2023.
Susan Markowitz Meredith, LIFE DANCE, 2023.
Tanda Francis, Everyone Breaks, 2016.
Aaron Bell, Stand Tall, Stand Loud, 2015.
Sheila Berger, Avis Gloriae et Laudis, 2016.
Shiho Sato, Fragments, 2016.
Markus Rudolph Holtby, Leaves of Grass, 2016.
Lee Apt, Jubilation, 2014.
Ken Shih, Can Love Pervade Space?, 2014.
Ken Shih, Can Love Pervade Space?, 2014.
Kathleen Jansyn Thaw, Fragmentof an Angel, 2014.
Phyllis Sanfiorenzo, Atabey'sLand Haven, 2013.
Natsuki Takauji, TheWindow, 2013.
Minako Yoshino, Lovers, 2013.
Lindsay McCosh, Harbor for Industry, 2013.
Laura Barmack, Just Passing Through, 2013.
Janet Fekete-Bolton, The Architecture of Nature, 2013.
Ana Sofia Marti Monroy, Everyday, 2013.
Anna Rabinowitz, Preservation High and Dry, 2012.
Yasumitsu Morito, Spirit, 2012.
Sherwin Banfield, Transitions, 2012.
Reina Kubota, Ringo, 2012.
John Erianne, A Frolicking Stray, 2012.
Benat Iglesias, The Bathers, 2012.
Sequoyah Aono, Watching Upon the Present, 2011.
Roberto Franzone, Red Arches, 2011.
Renata Pugh, Coalescence, 2011.
Olga Rudenko, Existence Within, 1 & 2, 2011.
Michael Cloud Hirschfeld, Hardcovers, 2011.
Haksul Lee, Proceeding+Being, 2011.
Damien Vera, Cope, 2011.
Selva Sanjines, Flight Past to Future, 2010.
Noa Shay, Wish, 2010.
Matte White, Seiren, 2010.
John Balsamo, The New Age, 2010.
Elizabeth Allison, River Gazers, 2010.
Allston Chapman, Looking Up, 2010.
Akihiro Ito, Tomorrow, 2010.
Frank Michielli, Moire 3, 2019.
Gaia Grossi, Gaea, 2019.
Jeff Sundheim, Coming Ashore: Wave, 2019.
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$20,000 per project for materials and fabrication, excluding transportation and installation.
Fabricators are selected based on the unique requirements of each proposal.
You don’t need to decide unless you prefer to participate in one or the other. The selection committee will make decisions and recommendations based on your application if you choose to apply for both.
Yes. You will be required to submit photographs of your maquette as part of the application portfolio. Graphic animation or representation of your proposal is optional. Your maquette should approximate as accurately as possible the actual materials or the appearance of your proposed sculpture. As a general guide for scale, the maquette may be up to 12 inches in its longest dimension and/or fit within a 12 inch square base.
No, you can further develop and modify the proposal over the course of the program. However, we don’t recommend drastic changes during the one-year program.
The selection panel will include representatives from the Parks Department, the League, and invited professionals established in the field of sculpture
Artists are chosen based on the following criteria:
We gratefully acknowledge leadership support for Works in Public from The Harry Feinberg Family Foundation and John Padgett. Works in Public is also made possible with the major support of Dr. Lawrence Spielberger & Dr. Greta Spanierman Family Foundation, Ludmila Schwartzenberg Bidwell, Susan Dryfoos and Kathleen H. Seidel. Additional support is also provided by the Brigitte and William Crovello Foundation Inc.
For more information, email wip@artstudentsleague.org. To support the program, please email Elizabeth Kingman at ekingman@artstudentsleague.org.
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