Socrates Sculpture Park

Socrates Sculpture Park is one of the most acclaimed public art spaces in the country. The Park opened in 1986 and has been an outdoor studio to over 500 artists, a venue presenting more than 40 exhibitions of large-scale sculpture, and a vital park attracting a diverse audience to Long Island City's East River waterfront. This handsome book is published to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Socrates Sculpture Park, and it is the first major publication on this unique outdoor museum. Sculptor Mark di Suvero founded the Park with the assistance of fellow artists, community members, and city officials who transformed an abandoned lot into an award-winning urban renewal project. The history, spirit, and nature of this collaborative enterprise is presented through photographs and essays that reveal the beauty, energy, and import of this successful public art space.

Alyson Baker is Executive Director of Socrates Sculpture Park. Ivana Mestrovic is the Director of Spacetime CC. Mark di Suvero is an artist and the founder of Socrates. Thomas Hanrahan is an architect with hMa, hanrahan Meyers architects, New York City, and Dean of the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute. Jeffrey Kastner is an art critic and Senior Editor of Cabinet magazine. Irving Sandler is an art historian and founding board member of Socrates.