By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE - Several metal sculptures have found temporary homes in Broadway malls, parks and along sidewalks in the Upper West Side as part of a temporary exhibit by artist Carole Eisner.
Many Manhattanites may walk right by them, but others will stop to take a look and enjoy the three-dimensional abstract sculptures.
"I love them," said Upper West Side legal secretary Judy Zisholtz as she sat on a bench next to Eisner's 67th Street piece "Dali's Moustache." "This one looks like a Japanese character or letter to me. They all look nice."
The works of art are part of an effort by the Broadway Mall Association and The Public Art Division of the city's Parks Department to beautify the malls along Broadway from West 64th Street to 166th Street.
"I prefer the ones where people can walk all around them," said Susan Eley, 47, an Upper West Side art gallery owner and the person responsible for suggesting Eisner for the project. "They're meant to be seen from many views, many angles."
The sculptures, which range in value from $60,000 to $85,000, are made of scrap and recycled steel welded together to create collages of metal.
"Size was a part of the decision [to use Eisner's works]. We go for the monumental," said Sharon Lopez of the Broadway Mall Association. "People can see them if they're on the bus, if they're walking, if they're driving."
For walkers, the exhibit has a bonus feature. Placards have been placed at the bottom of each piece with a phone number for people to call. Each call is greeted with a prerecorded message from the artist who comments on the individual work. It's the first time the cell phone tour has been used since the BMA started displaying outdoor artwork in 2005.
Getting the series approved took nearly a year and a half and required the OK from three different community boards. The Sept. 9 installation of the heavy metal sculptures was almost as difficult.
"We could only get a permit for the middle of the night," Eley said. "We started at 10 p.m. and had to close two lanes of traffic on Broadway."
The team of installers started at 64th Street and worked their way north using a flatbed truck and a crane to place each sculpture in its spot.
"It was so fun to be out in the middle of the night and see people watching us and looking at the art," Eley said.
Both Eley an Lopez say the response to the exhibit has been good.
"One woman called in and was in tears because she loved seeing the pieces so much," Lopez said.
Eley hopes people will appreciate all of the pieces before they're removed on Dec. 8.
"The way the collection has been set up the viewer can stumble upon one and enjoy one," she said. "But we hope people see all of them once they realize they're part of a series."
