On June 30, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and community partners Groundwork Hudson Valley and Community Engagement Through the Arts gathered to unveil a new public art installation at Smith, O’Hara, Levine Park along the Yonkers Greenway. Designed and installed by Yonkers artist Haifa Bint-Kadi, the public art exhibit features three mosaic poles and two 2-D steel cut outs that represent the Greenway’s history and natural habitat.
The Yonkers Greenway public art exhibit enhances the recently revitalized park that also features a new playground that is transforming the once abandoned section of the Old Putnam Railroad. The Yonkers Greenway is a 2.4 mile walking and biking trail that soon will connect Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx up to the Yonkers downtown train station.
“This beautiful art exhibit will be an integral part of the Greenway’s goal to renew the neighborhood and improve the lives of all of our community residents,” said Mayor Mike Spano. “I want to thank our partner Groundwork Hudson Valley and Community Engagement Through the Arts for this meaningful installation celebrating the culture and fabric of our city.”
“Groundwork Hudson Valley is very proud to partner with the City of Yonkers,” said Brigitte Griswold, Executive Director, Groundwork Hudson Valley. “The installation of Haifa Bint-Kadi’s amazing artwork, with the help of our Green Team, not only enhances the space here, it connects the history of this site with the current community. We are looking forward to working with the city and the local community members as the construction begins on the Yonkers Greenway.”
The Yonkers Greenway public art exhibit features”All Aboard,” a set of two steel sculptures that were rendered from the actual photographs of a Putnam Railroad conductor and a Putnam Railroad locomotive in honor of the site’s history as the Lowerre Rail Station. The installation also includes three mosaic poles each depicting unique themes:
- The Community Garden Pole depicts the Greenway in all its glory, biking, gardening and neighbors coming together.
- The Foodway Pole depicts foods from around the world.
- The Paradise Pole displays cultural patterns and symbols from all the rich cultures that have chosen to call Yonkers home.
“My objective with this exhibit is that all Yonkers residents will see their identities and cultural contributions honored and celebrated in this art every time they visit the Greenway,” said artist Haifa Bint-Kadi.
The Yonkers branch of the Putnam Railroad ran from 1880 to 1943 between the old Polo Grounds in New York City and Getty Square in downtown Yonkers, which was instrumental to the early development of modern day Yonkers. In the early 1960’s, the Lowerre Station area of the railroad was converted into the Smith, O’Hara, Levine Park in honor of three Yonkers World War II veterans. However, by the 1980’s the park had fallen into disrepair. The Yonkers Parks Board recently rededicated Smith, O’Hara, Levine Park where the Greenway Playground and Greenway art exhibit now stand.
The Yonkers Greenway public art exhibit was funded through a federal Community Development Block Grant administered by the City’s Department of Planning and Development. The Yonkers Greenway is currently being designed and is expected to be constructed by spring 2022.
