New York City’s The High Line
In the late nineties, while many NYC residents wanted to demolish the High Line, unbeknownst to these haters, wild flowers were flourishing. Supporters of keeping the High Line, Joshua David and Robert Hammond founded Friends of the High Line, a non-profit conservancy to help save it. This organization sustains the High Line NYC to this day. FYI, this is a message from the High Line website – From July 7 to late August, the 10th Avenue Square section of the High Line will be closed due to construction. This may change so visit the website.
The High Line NYC
Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council were in favor and it eventually was voted to become a public park and founded in 2009. Landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations; design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro; and planting designer Piet Oudolf were selected as the team to transform the High Line. Through 2012 – 2023, little by little parts of the High Line were opened to the public.
It is a simply gorgeous oasis for New Yorkers. I love it and have visited it often. Of course whenever I am in town I try to stop by to see the new art installations. Since they want to give many artists a chance to exhibit, some of the works featured in this article have already been taken down.
Iván Argote
This Colombian artist is currently based out of Paris. Iván Argote uses sculpture and film to question power as well as historical memory. Drawing from his activist upbringing in Bogotá, he challenges symbols of authority. For the High Line Plinth, he created Dinosaur, a 21-foot-tall aluminum pigeon. Now if that doesn’t say New York City what does?
The sculpture makes you laugh but for some it creates discomfort, and reflection. It also reminds viewers of pigeons’ wartime service and immigrant roots. Through irony, Argote reframes who deserves commemoration. Although deeply personal, his art speaks universally. Over time, Argote’s large-scale works have appeared globally, always inviting new ways to see public space.
Britta Marakatt-Labba
A Swedish Sámi artist, Britta Marakatt-Labba tells stories through embroidery rooted in Sámi culture and land. She stitches fine wool and silk onto white linen, blending myth, protest, and beauty.
With this artwork, Urmodern, the artist pays tribute to Sámi goddesses and nature spirits. A granite base supports a bronze head—symbolizing feminine power and ecological guardianship. Marakatt-Labba brings Sámi cosmology into the urban landscape, reminding us to protect the earth. Moreoverer she highlights women’s central role in Sámi belief. Throughout her long career, she has exhibited across Europe, raising global awareness through quiet, intricate resistance.
live Music on the High Line
On another one of my NYC trips, I spent most of the day visiting art galleries and the Whiney so I popped up to the High Line. Then I heard a haunting sound wafting through the air. It was the voice of Sarah King. She and her band were performing some classic jazz from the Great American Songbook.
The singer and her band were both fabulous. She was singing in the midst of striking artwork by Tishan Hsu, and Kapwani Kiwanga as well as landscaped gardens. So don’t miss visiting New York City’s High Line. You never know what you will find there. You can hop on right next to the Whitney Museum. Read my ETG NYC Whitney Museum article. Find out about another Westside attraction Hudson Yards. It features the Vessel, the Edge, The Shed. I wrote about it along with my shopping and dining experience – read my article An Afternoon at Hudson Yards.
See our ETG Arts & Entertainment Page as well.
