The Howard Hughes Corporation, LMCC And South Street Seaport Museum Present The 21st Annual RIVER TO RIVER

The Howard Hughes Corporation, South Street Seaport Museum, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) have partnered to present Lenticular Histories: South Street Seaport, an immersive installation of photo sculptures by Rose DeSiano at the Seaport as part of the 2022 River To River Festival.

River To River is an anchor of Lower Manhattan culture, and Lenticular Histories: South Street Seaport will be on view on Water Street between Fulton Street and Beekman Street and on Front Street between Fulton Street and John Street at the Seaport from June 18-29, 2022. An opening event will take place on June 18 at 7pm.

The 2022 River To River Festival utilizes art to heal and celebrate the resiliency of New Yorkers. Festival installations and exhibits are free to the public, providing opportunities for connection.

As a starting point for her research, DeSiano worked with the collection and archives of the South Street Seaport Museum, focusing on inclusivity and equity in representation.

The result is an immersive installation of mirrors, historic photographs, and optical illusions that bring to the surface and celebrate the community, workers, and the histories of the South Street Seaport Historic District and the New York Harbor.

Colorful images and light refracted from prisms dance in-between mirrors that reflect the idyllic cobble-stone streets, historic storefronts, and tall ships, while viewers witness their own reflection becoming part of the long illustrious narrative of the New York coastline of the South Street Seaport.

"Born into an immigrant family, granddaughter of a Sicilian fisherman, my family came to NYC becoming dockworkers and stevedores. The opportunity to create a new artwork using the photo collection of the South Street Seaport Museum has been extraordinary. Inspired by seaports' complexity and aware of its problematic histories, my public sculpture works to both celebrate and illuminate the microcosmic that is the NYC waterfront," said Rose DeSiano.

"The South Street Seaport Museum is pleased to collaborate with LMCC and artist Rose DeSiano on Lenticular Histories," said Captain Jonathan Boulware, President and CEO, South Street Seaport Museum. "The images that Rose has pulled from the Museum's collection for inclusion in the installation will showcase the communities and workers that shaped South Street, allowing us to tell the story of where New York begins through an exciting New Medium."

"We are thrilled to feature Rose DeSiano's work in this year's River To River Festival. Rose's research into New York City's waterfront history through the collection and archives of the South Street Seaport Museum, and the placement of the resulting sculptures at the Seaport, is the perfect example of what makes River To River a unique NYC experience," said Jess Van Nostrand, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

"We are honored to partner with Lower Manhattan Cultural Council once again on the River To River Festival," said Ellie Chamberland, Vice President of Marketing at The Seaport for The Howard Hughes Corporation. "The Seaport has long been a destination that celebrates the arts by supporting the local creators through relationships with storied organizations like LMCC and we look forward to presenting Lenticular Histories: South Street Seaport as part of this year's festival with our neighbors at the South Street Seaport Museum."