Neon art installation at the Barclays Center
Tavares Strachan’s pink neon sign “We Belong Here.” Courtesy of The Joe And Clara Tsai Foundation’s Social Justice Fund.

With the fall season in full swing, now is the perfect time to enjoy the cooler weather while viewing some of New York City’s newest public art installations. From the New York Botanical Garden to the World Trade Center, a dozen new art installations are open for viewing. This November, be sure to check out Thomas J. Price’s bronze sculpture The Distance Within, Joanne Handler’s seven painting series Stu.pe.fac.tion, and the BIG APPLE installation at Bella Abzug Park. In addition, keep reading to learn more about art installations still up from previous months.

1. The NO I.C.E. BOX at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts

The NO I.C.E. Box at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts. Courtesy of STOP 1.
The NO I.C.E. Box at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts. Courtesy of STOP 1.

The NO I.C.E. Box is a life-sized public art installation modeled after the ice vending machines found in bodegas across New York City. Begun in 2019 as a multimedia concept, the installation’s design was chosen to help spark conversation about the United States’ current immigration policies and rhetoric. Created by design workshop Stop 1, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), The NO I.C.E. Box was funded by a Kickstarter campaign that has raised over $20,000 to bring the project to life.

A portion of each donation will also go toward funding immigration services offered at the New York chapter of Make the Road, a national non-profit organization. Some of these services include greater legal representation in immigration, housing, and worker exploitation cases, helping undocumented people gain U.S. citizenship, immigrant rights training, literacy programs, and ESL training. The installation will include digital interactive elements, a series of window displays alongside the installation, and museum-curated programming. It will be located outside MoCADA from November 2021 through March 2022.

According to Stop 1 founders Sajjad Musa and Roger Ferney Cortes, “Current U.S. migrant and immigration detention policies have eroded the principles of tolerance and inclusivity that underpin our social fabric and our common humanity. The NO I.C.E. BOX challenges these policies through nuanced art expression and encourages viewers to recognize the disparities between their personal identities and those of immigrants across the country. With backers’ support, we can amplify and deepen the discourse around immigration reform while building resilience among our immigrant communities.”