Socrates Sculpture Park

Sitting in the warm, breezy summer air watching a foreign film under the stars, or wandering through exhibits of displaced subway mock-ups, this is a place of peaceful wonderment. The art changes with a certain amount of regularity, but the welcoming atmosphere is always in place. The people who run the show are generally in the background, not seeking praise or glory, they seem content to let visitors have their own experience.

There used to be an exhibit of wind-blown bells that would fill the air with subtle tones of wind-chimes taken to another level . I've seen everything from the eviscerated body of a whale made of plaster; a greenhouse-like bedroom, enclosed behind windows; a recreation of an ancient city that never existed; a delicately balanced metal tower, and a kitchen complete with all appliances, plunked down at a hazardous angle as though snagged up by some giant hand  and dropped from the sky.

Children come to play around, and sometimes in and on the works being displayed. Animals are welcomed with open arms, and available poop containers. People from the neighborhood mingle with visitors from across the various waters of the world.

For our family, it's just around the corner and we visit it often. It's just up the block from the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum which is also an extraordinarily beautiful place to visit, but the difference between the two is substantial.

Socrates is free.

Evaluation: Extraordinarily sincere!

 

socratessculpturepark.org

3205 Vernon Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11106
(718) 956-1819