NEW YORK — Many of you may be feeling divided by the election, but new murals on Central Park’s iconic Wollman Rink send a message of inclusion.
Few things mark fall as much as the falling leaves in the park or the sound of skates on the ice. This season, guests at Wollman will be greeted by smiling painted faces and welcome skaters of all ages, abilities, races and backgrounds. Four of the facility’s walls feature new designs by students from the Harlem School of the Arts.
“It seems so natural to me to put people I see every day in this mural,” says muralist Marley Alburez.
“It’s just a great, different opportunity”
This is the group’s third year working with Wollman, but the first time they have been entrusted with any artistic interpretation, led by comic artist AK Lovelace, HSA’s media and design director.
“It was just thinking about the history of Central Park, thinking about the history of Wollman Rink,” Lovelace said, “and the things that put a smile on your face when you think about classic moments like that.”
Alburez is the mastermind behind the largest design, which features a purple, twinkling skyline above skaters with peach and yellow shadows.
“I wanted to have a kind of nighttime atmosphere, but also a kind of fantasy atmosphere with bright lights, for example, like the emotion that people feel,” Alburez explained. the warmth, even though it is cold outside.”
“It’s just a great, different opportunity,” added fellow muralist Taylor Denby, “Like, this isn’t something that people my age can always do. I’m really lucky.”
Denby’s thoughtful hot chocolate moment in the cafe area, featuring an older couple in a storybook look, introduces visitors to the new igloos available for rent at the ice rink.
“It’s really flattering,” they said of the reactions from passersby, “and it’s really encouraging to see the results of your work and the impact it has had on people.”
The messages of the murals are unmistakable
Stacy Shuster is vice president of business development for Wollman Rink.
“We’re skating into our 75th year,” Shuster said, “which is so incredibly huge. When you look at how things come and go in New York.”
The messages of the murals make the mission of the monument clear. This year you can also visit the ice rink for free by reserving a culture pass with your library card.
The skating season has already started and the ice rink in Central Park is open seven days a week. Click here for more information.
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