...Colin Fisher Nature in the City: Urban Environmental History and Central Park E very year, thirty-five million growing population that was people visit Manhattan’s deeply divided along lines of Central Park, a vast island of class, ethnicity, and race. It is green situated in the midst of one within this historical context that of the world’s largest cities. For a group of merchants, politicians, many of these visitors, walking and middle-class reformers began through one of the park gates pushing for the creation of a large means leaving the artifice of the urban park (2). city behind and entering into an innocent green world, a vestige of A Cleansing Landscape the original Manhattan that existed For some, the new park would prior to the rise of the city. For increase adjacent property values urban environmental historians, and provide a leisure ground for though, there are two serious probrides in well-appointed carriages. lems with viewing the park in this way. Most of the city elite, though, First, Central Park is not nearly as offered less self-serving argunatural as it may appear. Far from ments, at least publicly. A large predating the rise of Manhattan, green space would not only cleanse the landscape is very much a product the air of dangerous smoke and of the mid nineteenth-century city. miasmas, it would convince the As such, Manhattan’s “front lawn” overworked sons and daughters of can be read as a primary source, a Puritans to leave their homes and unique window...
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...their own, using no public or corporate money, and therefore do not need to justify their expenses." (McIntire, 2005) The Gates was an idea conceived by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and construction on the project began in January 2005. 23 miles of New York's Central Park walkway's were covered in this art project. The couple are known for their large environmental art. Some of their pieces include, Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris, and the 24 mile long artwork called Running Fence in Sonoma and Marin counties in California. On January 3, 2005, work began on the installation of The Gates project. The installation required the use of forklifts, marker signs, and large steel plates for mounting the pillars. There was some controversy with the project. A lot of people enjoyed the art, but there were also a lot of people who did not like it. Christo and Jeanne-Claude did not have a vote, nor did they pass around a petition to the frequent visitors of the park to see if the work would be offensive or displeasing to some. Art is all about expression, but with the cost of the project maybe it should have been done on private land where it could have a more permanent home, not all over one of the busiest parks in the country where it was up for only two weeks. A tremendous price...
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...created massive and environmental works of art. • They married over objections from Jeanne Claude’s family(they became their supporters later), forming one of the most durable and creative partnerships in the history of art. • Christo studied art at the Sofia Academy from 1953 to 1956, and went to Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) until 1957, when he left for the West by bribing a railway official and stowing away with several other individuals on-board a train transporting medicine and medical supplies to Austria. • She was described as "extroverted" and with natural organizational abilities. Her hair was dyed red and she smoked cigarettes, and tried to quit many times until her weight would balloon. She did not enjoy cooking.[5] She took responsibility for overseeing work crews and for raising funds.[2] She said she became an artist out of love for Christo (if he'd been a dentist, she said she'd have become a dentist • Their works were credited to just "Christo" until 1994 when the outdoor works and large indoor installations were retroactively credited to "Christo and Jeanne-Claude • They flew in separate planes: in case one crashed, the other could continue their work. Concerns/About Work • A trademark of the work is its visually impressive and often controversial as a result of its scale, the artists have repeatedly denied that their projects contain any deeper meaning than their immediate aesthetic impact. • Each of every work has been an attempt to create...
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...New York City's Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States. In the early 1850s, wealthy New Yorkers envisioned a project to construct a park that had spanned for over a decade and cost the city millions of dollars. Following a long period of debate concerning the site and cost of the project, the state legislature authorized the acquisition of 700 acres of land through eminent domain. Advocates of the park hoped to refute the European notion that Americans were devoted to a life of materialism without taking consideration of the common good. Furthermore, in awe of the public grounds in London and Paris, wealthy New Yorkers wanted to uplift the international reputation of the city—or better yet, the United States—by constructing a similar feature. The high society of New York City imagined an idyllic and rustic landscape, where they could travel in carriages, socialize with the rest of the upper class, and allow the poor to live in a safer and cleaner environment as well. Using the "Greensward Plan" designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux as winners of a design contest, the park underwent construction in 1853. Upon the park's completion in 1873, the idyllic landscape that encompassed large meadows, several lakes and hills, and a reservoir finally came to life. During a time period when industrialism in New York City was growing at a rapid and extraordinary pace, the green space intended to lure workers into spending time towards a life...
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...Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon are the married couple who make up the artistic duo known world-wide as Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Both born on June 13, 1935, he in Bulgaria and she in France, the couple met in Paris in 1958 when Jeanne-Claude's mother hired Christo to paint a portrait. Although Jeanne-Claude was engaged to another man, whom she eventually married, Jeanne-Claude still fell in love with Christo. She left her husband after 3 weeks of marriage to be with Christo. In 1960, the couple had a son, Cyril Christo. From then on, the couple were virtually inseparable. The only time they left one another's side was when flying so that, should there be a crash, at least one of them would survive to continue their work. Christo and Jeanne-Claude were permanently separated on November 18, 2009, after 51 years, when Jeanne-Claude passed away after suffering a brain aneurysm. She is survived not only by her husband and son, but by their works, one of which has yet to be completed. The couple first came up with the idea of the "Over The River" project in 1992. Over a period of years, the couple scrutinized 15,000 miles of river through five different states. The pair was looking for a location that would meet certain requirements. They wanted the river to have steep walls with no trees to obscure the view. They also required a railroad track to run alongside one of the river shores. It was important that the location have homes...
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...being in the wild nature with a small society. These differences between the species of lifestyles can be sizeable but you cannot say which one is the best. Every lifestyle has its own pros and cons. In “My Little Bit of Country”, 2012 by Susan Cheever, Cheever prefers to live in New York – Central Park is her favorite place to be. In Central Park she feels safe. Cheever is the narrator but also the main character in the essay. We have a first person narrator, but it is a subjective essay, since it is a summary of Cheever’s life and we only hear about what she longs for. The essay is chronological, because Cheever starts telling about her first memories of life – she is in Central Park with her father in the summer mornings and sometimes they visit the Central Park Zoo. Then she keeps on going telling about why she loves the city but that she is the only one, because her family rather to have a place in the countryside. She grows up in Westchester but as often as possible, she visits the Central Park. At the time when she gets her own children she “vowed to let them grew up in the city and never, ever transplant them to the country.” Her desire is to live in New York near the Central Park and she wants to let her children get the possibilities she was denied back then. Cheever makes contrasts between the city and the country throughout the text. The two places she mentions the most is New York and Westchester – the two places where her family has been living while she grows...
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....8 High Bridge Park High Bridge Park was assembled piecemeal between 1867 and the 1960s, it was named after the High Bridge. Located in the Washington Heights in the “real Upper East Side” of Manhattan, the High Bridge was a place to visit for the rich and poor alike, to walk, to promenade, and to watch races. Currently it is being restored and expected to reopen in winter 2014. The whole park is subject to a Master Plan renovation and is supposed to be labeled as an adventure park in the future. Its size and features, a steep topography, rock outcropping and steep slopes, are ideal sources to do so. The area, that stretches between Dykman Street in the North down to 155th Street in the South along Fort George, Amsterdam, and Edgecombe Avenues,...
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...new and innovative ways. An artist can also use their artwork to create a visual record of their specific time and place. Another role of an artist is to make functional objects and structures more pleasurable by imbuing them with beauty and meaning. Finally the fourth role of an artist is to give form to the immaterial ideas and feelings. The first piece of artwork I chose is a piece created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude called “The Gates”. This artwork is beautiful and amazingly done. It is a great example of how an artist can use their artwork to help us see the world in new and innovative ways. Christo and Jeanne-Claude used their artwork to bring two different cultures together in one place for all to see. The artwork made Central Park even more beautiful and for those who were lucky enough to see this artwork, it is something they will never forget. I like the idea of using real objects to create art. Most people think art is simply drawn or painted and they don't realize that art can be so much more than just something on paper or on a wall. Using objects to create art is so interesting and creative. The second piece of artwork I chose is Claude Monet's “Gare Saint Lazare. Monet takes the role of an artist who is creating a visual record of their time and place. The particular place in this artwork is Paris. In this painting, Monet shows a more modern Paris with both the good and bad that modern changes can cause. Monet adds more railroads to show...
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...Central Park Central Park, located in New York City is a public park designed for people to enjoy sightseeing, tours, exercising, or just plain relaxing. It is an attraction sight for many tourists as well as New Yorkers. According to the book “Central Park, An American Masterpiece” by Sara Cedar Miller, the eight hundred and forty three acres of land began construction in 1857 and won the title of being a National Historic Landmark since 1962. The park which is located in the center of Manhattan, starts from 59th street and extends all the way to 110th street. Based on Miller’s assertions, Central Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, after he won a park design contest. Olmsted also received help from Calvert Vaux, who was an architect. When the first landscaped public park in the United States was initially created, it was an attraction for wealthy people; however, after the park’s decline, and post adding more attraction sites, the park became less elite. As a result, it became a place for everyone from tourists to residents all over New York. Frederick Law Olmsted is best known for creating Manhattan's Central Park with the help of architecture Calvert Vaux, according to Scott Kirkwood, author of “The Lay of the Land.” Kirkwood claims that Central Park gave Olmsted and Vaux an opportunity to use landscape design for a social purpose. He states, “The two believed that there is no beauty without utility and based their work on the "noble motive," which drove their...
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...Central Park Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States. Creating the park was intended for wealthy merchants and landowners. Just like the public grounds of London and Paris, it urged that New York needed a comparable facility to establish its international reputation. “In 1853 the state legislature authorized the City of New York to use the power of eminent domain to acquire more than 700 acres of land in the center of Manhattan.”1 During the nineteenth century the construction of Central Park was one of the most massive public works with over 20,000 workers on site. Through the years it has gone over countless facelifts and popularity the remarkable landmark has some breathtaking monuments and historic places in New York City. In Central Park there are plenty to see and do. “You'll come across historical buildings, statues, monuments, beautiful bridges, and of course plenty of nature.”2 Central Park Zoo,has exhibits divided into several regions such as a tropic zone and polar circle. Some of its popular attractions there include polar bears, snow leopards, red pandas and penguins. Just north of the Central Park Zoo is the Tisch Children's Zoo, where small children can see and touch domestic animals. Dairy, Victorian style cottage created in 1870. The picturesque building houses a Visitor Center where you can get maps, guides, gifts, and information on events that are planned in Central Park. There are a few...
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...Natalia Rojas Prof. Rachel Schutte Polsci 110 02 May 2015 Central Park Central Park is an urban park right in the heart of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Central Park is the most visited park in all of the Untied States and it is recognized as a National History Landmark by the United States government for its outstanding degree of historical significance (Blackmar, Rosenzweig). However, the outcome of what the park is today is a product of years of the park’s planning, construction, and several renovations. These renovations though, have seen many obstacles, often reflecting the socioeconomic status of the City at the time. Central Park is a historical site in New York City with political relevance dating back to the 1800’s. The beginnings of the park date back to the early 1820’s when New York population was increasing dramatically (MacDonald, 118). The people of New York City were sifting through the area, trying to find calm, open spaces to get away from the “hustle and bustle” of the city for a moment. The city’s need for a great public park soon became prevalent to New York state legislatures. Thus, in 1853 the New York state legislature settled upon a seven hundred acre area that spread from 59th street all the way until 106th street that would be dedicated to cultivating this vast public park (MacDonald, 119). Progress of the park, once it began in the 1850’s, has lasted through the 19th, 20th, and now even the 21st century. Of course, the project...
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...Jennifer Flake Mrs. Kathy Marks English 10 9 February 2010 Narrow is the Gate “If I could only make it through middle school…” I thought to myself as I tossed my book bag onto the couch. The overload of school, boys, and drama made me wonder how I made it from day to day. My sixth grade year had been a catastrophe so far. At lease once a day, I thought about where my parents were. My grandmother showed love for me in place of them. Although there were many people in my life who loved me, the thought of my parents still nagged at the back of my mind. “What could I have done wrong to be left by the people who brought me into this world? Was it my looks or my personality?” These thoughts were always sitting in the back of my conscience. Sometimes, I would lie in bed at night, unable to sleep, and I would feel this overwhelming sense of rejection. On most days, I felt as if the gates of my life were closing rapidly in my face. Growing up, my grandmother was always my role model, but I never imagined I would be living with her. My parents decided to live in sin rather than work towards the gates of Heaven. They were driven by rebellion and deceit every day, and the responsibility of taking care of their only child just wasn’t a priority to either one of them. As I tossed and turned in bed, I wondered what the talk of the lunch table would be the next day. I always seemed to be the center of attention in a negative way. I was often referred to as the “new girl” or the “loner...
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...“A Relatable Life From ‘The Boxer’.” Tara Butler English 125 Instructor: Miranda Saake August 4, 2014 “The Boxer” written by Paul Simon (1968) is a wonderful narrative poem about a man far from home. It describes his loneliness and how homesick he is. It reminds us all to think about what we really do in life and how far we travel away from the things that really matter. As someone grows older and gains more life experience, they realize how much they may have given up and how much they would like to go back to that life. In this poem, you read about a young boy who becomes a man. Through his life of hardships, he realizes he wants to go home. He is done “fighting” so to speak. In that moment, the reader then gets to see his transformation into a man ready to cut his losses and go home. One of the most engaging parts of this narrative is the imagery used. Simon writes, “When I left my home and my family I was no more than a boy, In the company of strangers, In the quiet of the railway station, running scared…” (Simon, 1968). The amount of detail you can visualize from lines like these really make the entire poem fit together. The reason this poem is great is also the amount of ways someone can relate to it. Everyone can remember being young and frustrated with their life; wanting to just get away from everything they know. Then when the time comes and they figure out how good things probably were, they want to go back to it. It shows the influence we all have over ourselves...
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...Caufield is refusing to grow up. There are many symbols of his youth throughout the book, such as his curiosity about ducks. "I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go. I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away. (pg. 13)" Holden Caufield is a 17 year old boy who deals with the issue of growing up. Holden is at his time in age where he is forced to grow up, even though he doesn't want to. Holden has been trying to protect his innocence for quite some time, as he does not like the idea of growing up. Holden’s misunderstanding of the ducks is one example of his innocence. Knowing where ducks go during the winter is a simple fact that young children learn as they grow up. We do not know for sure how much Holden knows about the ducks, but we can conclude that this little fact, which is common knowledge, shows how Holden is protecting his innocence. Holden is trying to prevent himself from growing up by protecting himself from simple childhood facts. ""Hey, listen," I said. "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?" I...
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...The novel takes place over three days in December 1949. Holden begins his story at Pencey Preparatory, an exclusive private school (fictional, though based on Salinger's own experience at Valley Forge Military Academy) in Agerstown, Pennsylvania, on the Saturday afternoon of the traditionalfootball game with rival school Saxon Hall. Holden ends up missing the game. He is the manager of the fencing team and loses their equipment on a New York City subway train that morning, resulting in the cancellation of a match. He goes to the home of his history teacher named Mr. Spencer. Holden has been expelled and isn't to return home until after Christmas break, which begins the following Wednesday. Spencer is a well-meaning but long-winded middle-aged man. To Holden's annoyance, Spencer reads aloud Holden's history paper, in which Holden wrote a note to Spencer so his teacher wouldn't feel bad about failing him in the subject. Holden returns to his dorm, which is quiet because most of the students are still at the football game. Wearing the new red hunting cap he bought in New York City, he begins re-reading a book (Out of Africa), but his distraction is temporary. First, his dorm neighbor Ackley disturbs him, although Holden is patient about it. Then later, Holden argues with his roommate Stradlater, who fails to appreciate a composition that Holden wrote for him about the baseball glove of Holden's late brother Allie. A womanizer, Stradlater has just returned from a date with Holden's...
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