‘Adorn Me’ by Tanda Francis.

Myrtle Avenue will continue to be an open-air art gallery with the announcement of a new public art piece coming to Fort Greene this summer. NYC Parks has announced the installation of “Adorn Me”, a new temporary piece at the entrance of Fort Greene Park, at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park.

A sculpture by Brooklyn-based artist Tanda Francis will be unveiled this June in a space that has become home to a number of temporary public art installations over the past decade. The piece is one of 10 temporary installations being installed in public parks throughout the city this year as part of the “Art in the Parks: UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant” program. This initiative, which began last year, “builds on NYC Parks’ equity initiatives by bringing public art exhibits to parks in need of cultural programming,” according to NYC Park’s website.

Local partners participated with NYC Parks and UNIQLO in selecting pieces for installation at specific sites. The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership was thrilled to be part of this process again, along with fellow local partner Fort Greene Park Conservancy, in advocating for “Adorn Me” to be placed on Myrtle Avenue.

About the Artwork

From NYC Park’s website:
“Tanda Francis’ work examines the African presence in public space as a powerful force of beauty and cultural relevance. Inspired by African sculptural tradition, including Ife portraiture, Francis also incorporates Victorian and colonial ornamentation into her work. Adorn Me will address the underrepresentation of this demographic in public artworks, and provide a healing message during a time of heated debate over monuments erected as symbols of oppression and control.”

To learn more about Tanda Francis, click here. For more information about the “Art in the Parks: UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant” program, click here.