14. Hug Joy Brown’s Lovable Bronze Sculpture

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, The Broadway Mall Association, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Morrison Gallery of Kent, Connecticut commissioned the new installation, Joy Brown on Broadway. The nine large, charming bronze works rest on the Broadway malls from 72nd Street to 168th Street, greeting pedestrians crossing the street, and subway riders emerging from below ground. The gentle giants will remain on view through November, 2017.

This one, located at 117th and Broadway, seems to take after the aforementioned Reclining Figure rather than the imposing, classically beautiful statues that have historically populated Columbia’s campus. The figure looks lovable and soft, and seems like a friendly face amidst Broadway’s traffic.

Joy Brown is influenced by her childhood in Japan, and her apprenticeship in traditional Japanese wood-fired ceramics. She has exhibited in galleries and museums in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In 1998, she co-founded Still Mountain Center, a nonprofit arts organization that fosters East-West artistic exchange.