ON THE WATERFRONT: New Sculpture Connects People with the River
George Trakas' dramatic new riverfront sculpture includes a terraced angling deck, a new boardwalk, and a restored bulkhead.Photo © Harry Wilks
On Saturday, Oct. 27, officials from Scenic Hudson, Dia Art Foundation and Minetta Brook joined a crowd of art lovers for the dedication of George Trakas's Beacon Point, 2007. This permanent public artwork at Scenic Hudson's 25-acre Long Dock Beacon park will make the beautiful waterfront more accessible to local residents and visitors for years to come.
When planning the transformation of the former Nabisco printing factory into a museum dedicated to its collection of art from the 1960s to the present, Dia recognized the importance of access to the Hudson River waterfront. In 1999, Dia and Scenic Hudson engaged George Trakas to evaluate opportunities for improved public access to the river along the City of Beacon shoreline. Given his extensive experience collaborating with architects, engineers, and contractors to realize public environments that integrate sculpture, design, and architecture, George Trakas was an ideal choice for this initiative.
Dia's efforts dovetailed with the plans of Scenic Hudson, the largest environmental group focusing on the Hudson River. Under the organizational and administrative expertise of public art organization Minetta Brook, George Trakas worked over the next several years to develop his Beacon Point project. Trakas and Minetta Brook collaborated closely with Scenic Hudson to integrate the artwork within the environmental design for the peninsula.
In 2001, Beacon Point underwent an extensive clean-up that included selective tree pruning and clearing of excessive brush, followed by the construction of Trakas's terraced deck and boardwalk. Designed as a series of gradual cascading steps which recall the forms of undulating waves, it provides easy access to the water for visitors. Trakas's steel and wood deck provides a place for visitors to relax and enjoy the view of the water and the town of Newburgh across the Hudson River, and for such leisure pursuits as fishing.
With the construction of Trakas's Beacon Point complete, Scenic Hudson will now begin landscaping the site. The group, which has been protecting Beacon's natural resources for a decade, will ultimately create a 16-acre park there. Scenic Hudson has an agreement with developer Foss Group Beacon, who will create a model "green" and sustainable hotel/conference center on the parcel.
Scenic Hudson has been working with internationally renowned artist George Trakas on the Beacon Point project since 1999. Photo © Harry Wilks
About George Trakas
Born in 1944 in Quebec, Canada, George Trakas came to New York City in 1963. Trakas is among the leading artists of his generation working in the landscape. Widely acclaimed for numerous projects in North America and Western Europe over the past thirty years, Trakas's installations typically incorporate a functional response to a particular site or environment. Some of Trakas's works include Berth Haven (1983) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle, Washington, and Isle of View (1985) at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which are constructions of minimal forms that emphasize the natural resources of the site. He was recently commissioned by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art program to create a major work titled Shoreline Nature Walkway for the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Brooklyn, making accessible to the public approximately 1,000 feet of shoreline along Newtown and Whale Creeks. In much of his work, the artist recycles local materials and incorporates them into the finished site, providing a strong sense of the character of the original place.
