Keith Haring's sculptures have been displayed in Riverside Park and Central Park, and his famous Crack is Wack Mural (currently closed) sits in the Crack is Wack Playground in Harlem. (Photo courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation) Keith Haring poses near the Crack is Wack Mural in 1986. By the late 1980s, his public art pieces became a monumental voice in tackling social issues revolving around the '80s crack epidemic, sexuality, love, and diversity. Keith Haring (1958-1990) was an openly gay NYC artist made famous for his signature drawings of chalk-like outlines. Learn more about the Bethesda Fountain Keith Haring
In fiction, the Angel of the Waters also watches over the characters at the conclusion of Angels in America, Tony Kushner's landmark play examining AIDS and homosexuality. Some believe the statue was modeled after her lover, Charlotte Cushman, who was an American actress. This famous Angel of the Waters sculpture in Central Park is the masterpiece of lesbian sculptor Emma Stebbins (1815-1882), the first woman to receive a commission for a major public work in New York City. The statue is part of the beloved Bethesda Fountain which celebrates the 1842 opening of the Croton Aqueduct, which brought fresh water from Westchester County into New York City. Learn more about the Gertrude Stein Monument Angel of the Waters at Bethesda Fountain, Central Park They remained a couple until Gertrude passed away in 1946. In 1903, Gertrude moved to Paris where she met her lifelong partner Alice B. The monument's proximity to the New York Public Library reflects Stein's significant literary contributions-from plays, librettos, and film scripts to biographies, autobiographies, lectures, essays, poems, and novels. This statue in Bryant Park honors American author and arts patron Gertrude Stein (1874-1946). Visit the Alice Austen House Gertrude Stein Monument, Bryant Park In 2017, the historic house was designated as a National LGBT Historic Site. She was also the first woman on Staten Island to own a car and the founder of the Staten Island Garden Club. Some of her early works included images of women embracing and cross-dressing. Alice and Gertrude shared a loving relationship for 53 years, 30 of those were spent living together at Clear Comfort, now known as the Alice Austen House.Īlice was a trailblazer on many fronts.
Here are highlights of some of those stories told in our parks: Alice Austen House, Alice Austen ParkĪlice Austen (1866-1952) was a prolific photographer, producing thousands of photographs that captured life in NYC. She lived at Clear Comfort (inside what is now Alice Austen Park) with Gertrude Tate. Many notable New Yorkers, artists, and writers helped shaped the pride of the LGBTQ+ movement and gay rights. Held on the Saturday before the NYC Pride March, this annual event now ends in Washington Square Park. The march began in Bryant Park and ended in Union Square. Twenty-four years after the first Pride March, the New York Lesbian Avengers organized and held the first NYC Dyke March in June 1993. Learn more about the Gay Liberation Monument and the Stonewall riots The First NYC Dyke March In 2018, Christopher Park became a national park and the first-ever U.S. This sculpture at Christopher Park, opposite the historic Stonewall Inn, honors the gay rights movement and commemorates the events at Stonewall. Learn more about Washington Square Park's Pride history Gay Liberation Monument, Christopher Park The third Pride March began in Central Park and ended in Washington Square Park, which was the kickoff point of a July 1969 march to Stonewall in protest of the police raids. It started out from Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village and was followed by a "Gay-in" at Sheep Meadow in Central Park. The Christopher Street Liberation Day March took place in 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The Stonewall Riots-in protest of a police raid at Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, on June 28, 1969-sparked the modern movement for LGBTQ rights, as well as advocacy for the legalization of gay bars and the organization of the first NYC Pride March (then known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March). The Stonewall Riots and NYC's First Pride March Join us as we celebrate Pride this June with performances, Urban Park Ranger-led tours, and more! Check out our Pride Month EventsĮxplore parks and historic sites in New York City that commemorate the history and legacy of the LGBTQIA+ movement and community.