PsychoBarn, the house from the movie Psycho is recreated on the rooftop of the Met Museum
May is the month to get back out into New York City’s parks (if you haven’t done so already), with a plethora of exciting art installations from Brooklyn Bridge Park to the High Line to Harlem. There will be pieces to see in plazas and public spaces from The Battery to 59th Street; from the roof garden at The Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center. Also don’t miss some of this past year’s best outdoor installations which will be coming down in May and June.
Here are 16 art installations not to miss this upcoming month!
1. Thousands of Pigeons to Be Released Nightly from Brooklyn Navy Yard on Weekends
From May 7 through June 12, thousands of birds will emerge and circle above the river as the sun sets on Fridays through Sundays. Creative Time and the Brooklyn Navy Yard will present the ephemeral installation Fly By Night by artist Duke Riley, paying homage to niche community of pigeon keeping and the pigeon obsessed in New York City.
Small leg bands, which historically have held messages on pigeons, will be replaced with tiny LED lights, which will illuminate the sky. This work from Riley reminds us of our once dense population of rooftop pigeons that stretched across all five boroughs and brings attention to a forgotten subculture. The Brooklyn Navy Yard was once home to the country’s largest naval fleet of pigeon carriers and a perfect setting for this tribute to a history of pigeon keeping. Tickets are on waitlist only, but stay tuned for our photos of the event in early May.