Friends of the High Line

Coming to the High Line on September 3rd. 🌟 On the High Line's newly reconstructed 18th St. Billboard, we are pleased to present Glenn Ligon's "Untitled (America/Me)," an altered image of his iconic 2008 neon, “Untitled.” 💡For "Untitled (America/Me)," the artist manipulated a photograph of the original 2008 installation, drawing thick black X’s over the majority of the letters—leaving the word “ME.” By returning to an earlier reflection on the current state and potential future of America, which was made at a critical juncture as Barack Obama became the first African American US president, Ligon effectively checks in with a timely update just ahead of yet another election. "I'm interested in playing with that word [“America”] as material. So to cross it out, to invert it, to put it upside down or to make it blink off and on obnoxiously is all a way of playing with this word that we think we all know what it means," says Ligon. In doing so, "Untitled (America/Me)" interrogates the complex relationship between the individual and society in the United States, pointing to an increasingly self-focused population and their apparent disregard for community and others. At this inflection point, "Untitled (America/Me)" invites viewers to consider what it means to meaningfully participate in our communities and our democracy. Image credit: Glenn Ligon, Untitled (America/Me), 2022/2024 (rendering). A High Line Billboard. On view September–November 2024. Rendering courtesy of the artist and the High Line. 💻 : https://lnkd.in/gXEUNTwm

📽️: "NYC WISDOM" by Alicia Mersy 📍: On the High Line at 14th Street 📆: Tuesday, September 10th Join us for the global premiere of "NYC WISDOM", a new film by Alicia Mersy. The screening will be followed by a conversation between the artist and Ali Rosa-Salas, Vice President of Visual and Performing Arts for Henry Street Settlement. For the High Line’s third High Line Originals commission, Alicia Mersy presents "NYC Wisdom" (2024). Borne out of her video practice, in which the camera becomes a catalyst for interpersonal connection, Mersy began spontaneously filming “wisdom” she encountered around the city—building relationships with and interviewing construction workers, subway performers, halal food truck owners, knitters in the park, and characters on the street. Alicia Mersy’s practice includes photography, video, installation, and spiritual exploration. She uses the camera as a conduit for understanding others—strangers, friends, and loved ones—while creating space for conversation, collaboration, and education. Mersy examines repressive social and political structures, self-representation, and technology as a means to forge new pathways of understanding between unlikely parties. In this vein, her work becomes a locus for healing and personal and collective peace, where free spirits, radicals, revolutionaries, artists, and the audience come together to build solidarity and understanding. "NYC Wisdom" ties together years of wisdom and footage, as the subjects share what brings them happiness, positivity, and energy. Mersy offers a poignant reflection on healing, self-actualization, and what it means to survive and thrive in New York City. We hope you join us for the world premiere on Tuesday, September 10: https://lnkd.in/efnKXT8N 🎶: bate1_prod

There are over 283,000 square feet of gardens on the High Line. While they appear effortlessly naturalistic and wild, every plant and tree growing on the park is expertly cared for. And, like everything else on the High Line, our work to bring these gardens to life is only possible through the support of our members. Become a member at the Spike level ($55) or higher today and we’ll send you a High Line 15th birthday bandana as thanks for your generosity. ✨https://bit.ly/4dyirpg

Emerson Collective's #ClimateScienceFair is back in NYC, Sept. 21 – 23! We're excited to host this year's fair on the High Line for a weekend of curiosity and experimentation as we dive into what possibilities exist in our collective climate future. The fair is free and open to the public, and we'd love for you to join us, our partners, and our neighbors as we #EmbraceWonder! Head to https://lnkd.in/eKr7szmd for more information.

New York—you really showed up and showed out last week!🕺🏻 With energizing music from Los Hacheros and DJ Mickey Pérez and expert dance moves from our friends at Nieves Latin Dance Studio the whole crowd was grooving at our final ¡Arriba! 🎶 💃 ¡Arriba!, which came directly out of community input, is our longest-running public program, and magical nights like this would not be possible without the work and support of the staff, volunteers, and our fellow New Yorkers. And a special thanks to our friends at Guardian Life who have been instrumental in creating wellness opportunities for us to get our endorphins flowing at the park. 💥 We’ll see you back on the dance floor in the sky next summer! ☀️

Giulia Cenci—the artist behind "secondary forest," on the High Line at 24th St.—recently offered artnet and its readers a deeper dive into her artwork, how the structure and history of the High Line inspired its creation, and an inside look at her studio in Tuscany. Of her inspiration and the way her artwork has integrated into the park, Cenci said, "The High Line is a beautiful work itself; I immediately loved the way nature has been growing and devouring a manmade infrastructure. Placed on several levels, the structures let the actual nature of the High Line grow and mix with an aluminum entity presenting vegetal, animal, and human prototypes melting and growing underneath, creating a new weird entity or landscape." Read the full piece in Artnet and plan your next trip to the High Line to see "secondary forest." Gifts from people like you — whose donations fund almost 100% of the programming and maintenance of the park — help bring extraordinary artworks like "secondary forest" to the High Line. You can visit https://lnkd.in/eQqhDxpq to make a donation or join as a member today. 

Along the High Line's wildest expanse, the Western Rail Yards, we are proud to present Oliver Lee Jackson's "A Journey"—a series of five massive new steel sculptures. As we celebrate the High Line's 15th year, this stretch of the park, which runs between 30th and 34th Streets and west of 11th Avenue, offers visitors a glimpse of what the High Line was like before it was transformed into the public treasure it is today: a self-seeded landscape with sprawling views of the Hudson River and iconic views into the city's center. Installed in June, Oliver Lee Jackson's expressive works—with their abstract forms and vivid colors—complement and contrast with the untamed landscape and simple path of this section of the park, creating a new way to experience this space. Stop by to see the exhibition and you'll see why we're fighting to #ProtectTheHighLine and the unique magic of the Western Rail Yards. Learn more about the artwork and ways to get involved in our Protect the High Line campaign: protect.thehighline.org/ 📸: Timothy Schenck

¡Arriba! is back on August 15! Join us on the High Line for a fiesta in the sky! 💃 With expert dance instruction by Nieves Latin Dance Studio, live music by Los Hacheros, and DJ Mickey Pérez’s international cross-section of dance music—there’s no better way to enjoy summer in the city. 🎉 📆: Thursday, August 15, 6 – 9pm 📍: On the High Line at 14th Street 🎟️: FREE | Learn more & RSVP at https://lnkd.in/gt6xnEyh

Incoming! A 16-foot pigeon (yup, you read that right) will be "landing" on the Spur this October. We are proud to announce that Iván Argote's sculpture "Dinosaur" has been selected as the fourth #HighLinePlinth commission. “Dinosaur,” like the pigeons that inspired it, invites our neighbors and visitors to bear witness to our city’s evolution and challenge New Yorkers' ever-changing relationship with the natural world. “Most of the time, we place humans on top of this pedestal. Then, my response was not to play the human card but to play the nonhuman one… I saw the pigeon would be something that people would react to in different ways. It’s a very iconic animal or entity, or icon of New York, and also still a marginal creature.” Read the full conversation between Iván Argote and High Line Art's chief curator Cecilia Alemani about our upcoming Plinth commission in New York Magazine to learn more about the landing of "Dinosaur. 📰: https://lnkd.in/g3d9dRRx

Announcing the fourth #HighLinePlinth commission: "Dinosaur" by Iván Argote, nesting on the Spur this October. When Argote proposed this work in 2020, it was clear that this colossal, hyper-realistic sculpture of a pigeon would both ruffle feathers and resonate with New Yorkers, perched atop the High Line Plinth at 30th Street. "Dinosaur," like the pigeons that inspired it, bears witness to our city’s evolution and confronts us with our ever-changing relationship with the natural world and its inhabitants. Learn more about Argote—the first Plinth artist from the global south, and the youngest yet—and this monumental work: https://lnkd.in/gdti9Sc3 📸: Rendering courtesy of the artist, photo by Timothy Schenck.