From RISE: Something Beautiful to Behold
RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability & Equity) unveiled two art installations commissioned for the area under the A train’s elevated track in the neighborhood of Arverne.
Kristy McCarthy’s painted mural displaying birds and wildlife native to the Rockaways, entitled “Rockaway in Flight,” can be viewed along the roadbed off of Beach 61st Street.
Eric Rieger (HOT TEA) completed his kinetic sculpture, entitled “Laura,” overhead in the same space. The sculpture is a colorful display of strings that flow in the wind. Rieger first started as a graffiti artist in Minneapolis and shifted his focus to street art made from string. The final piece is a joy to watch and complements McCarthy’s murals below.
The installations are part of the initiative Art Under the Elevated, in which RISE commissions visual artists to create original pieces along the area designated “Wellness Way.” The project is funded by National Endowment for the Arts.
Make sure to take the time to stroll under the El, along Beach 61st Street, and experience two beautiful works. To learn more, visit www.riserockaway.org, click on Initiatives, and scroll down to Art Under the Elevated 2022.
By Jeanne DuPont, RISE Executive Director
