The High Line attracts nearly 6,000,000 visitors a year, both tourists and New Yorkers, and never has a shortage of things to see or do no matter what season.
The friends of the High Line and the city of New York sponsor numerous events such as yoga classes, dance parties, and spoken word festivals. There also are plenty of events for children and teens such as “lawn time” featuring storytellers and musicians and the “green corps,” which offers teens “hands-on experience in horticulture and green jobs.” There are even winter events including a toy drive and a Holiday Concert.
The current calendar of events can be seen here.
Even if you happen to miss all of these events, there is always the artwork to enjoy.
Art has always been an important part of the High Line and without it, the High Line might not even exist since it was Sternfeld’s photographs that turned the public’s opinion about the High Line.
Robert Hammond, one of the founders of the Friends of the High Line, is also a self-taught painter, and the High Line runs through Chelsea, which has the greatest concentration of art galleries anywhere in the world. The Whitney Museum even moved recently to a location along the High Line on Gansevoort Street.
These things make art along the High Line seem inevitable, and sure enough, the Friends of the High Line have commissioned contemporary artists to display site-specific artworks.
These artworks are only on view for a year and have a theme such as 2014’s “Archeo” which featured seven artists and focused on technology and obsolescence. The pieces also provided some connection with the history and culture of the High Line.
One of the works that was recently on display, Marianne Vitale’s “Common Crossings,” is a great example of this. It includes five sculptures “made from the steel components of railroad switches known as frogs” which were then put vertically so they vaguely look like totems.
Not only are these commissioned works part of the High Line, but artists have also put up billboards and put artwork on buildings that can be seen from the park.
