Fun and free were the buzz words of the River 2 River Festival’s Big Draw event at the Bosque in Battery Park. Under the guidance of artist Eva Mosher, participants learned about changes in Manhattan’s coastline while creating a temporary public art project.
My New York Cares team took over the pedigogal duties as I set out to find the huddled mass of tourists who were returing from ferry rides to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The official name of Mosher’s environmentally based project was “Paths of Desire” but it seemed a little too salacious for Bible belt visitors and kids , so I put my unique spin on promoting it.
I hailed three young men on skateboards and asked them if they’d like to try. I explained that you had to stir the bottle like a martini then flip it over and squeeze gently so that the recycled water would stream through the tiny holes at the top of the bottle. One of the guys handed me his skateboard and said “show me.” I hopped on and got about six yards from my starting point before I tried to navagate a circle and fell off. This turned out to be a blessing in disquise as it captured the attention of the everyone waiting for the next ferry.
“Does anyone want to be a New York artist for the day? Its free and its fun.” I called out. Immediately, I had about a dozen takers. For most of the day I sought out families with lots of kids or children in chairs. So often kids who are mobility challenged miss out on the fun public happenings. I figured out a way to tape a few bottles onto the armrests and handles of a little girl’s wheelchair. Her mother watched with pride as her daughter created some spectacularly beautiful patterns on her path through the park.
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