Wendy Klemperer's SHADOW MIGRATION to Be Unveiled This Weekend at Court Square Park

2015 Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award recipient Wendy Klemperer will be present to unveil her new public art installation SHADOW MIGRATION in Court Square Park, Queens (Jackson Ave between Court Square West & Thompson Ave), on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 2 to 4 p.m.

SHADOW MIGRATION exhibits animal silhouettes cut from steel plates and installed throughout the park. Klemperer investigates animal populations that were threatened in the 20th century, but are now rebounding and showing up in "our backyard." Wild animals are finding their way into suburban and urban environments as human populations sprawl into their natural habitats. While many species have been devastated, some are adapting and thriving on the largesse of urban life. Hawks dive from high rise cornices to feast on the rich urban population of pigeons and rats; bears walk through New Jersey neighborhoods; and just several blocks from Court Square Park, a coyote found its way to a rooftop in Long Island City.

Klemperer's animal silhouettes are steel forms, punctuated with cutouts in the shape of countries from around the world. Each animal is a melting pot, bearing countries on its body that are also represented in Queens' population -- the most diverse community in the world.

The exhibition is on view in Court Square Park, Queens from November 7, 2015 through November 2016. The $10,000 award is granted annually in memory of Clare Weiss, Parks' Curator of Public Art from 2005 to 2009.

For more information visit www.nyc.gov/parks/art.

Photo Credits: Wendy Klemperer, Photo by Joyce Klemperer