The heartbreak is literally over for a group of artists who have restored a beloved piece in a Greenpoint park after it was destroyed by vandals earlier this summer.
“Humanity Fountain,” a perfume-emitting sculpture whose heart-shaped glass centerpiece was bashed by thugs on Aug. 26, is back scenting the air in McGolrick Park thanks to the efforts of artists and the Parks Department.
City officials said that the heart attack — which, oh the irony, destroyed an artwork whose theme is human kindness! — was a one-time thing.
“We think it was an isolated incident — not a vendetta for public art,” said Jennifer Lantzas of the Parks Department.
Perhaps, but just in case, the artists took extra security measures with the new glass organ by bolting it to its base more securely and coating it with an extra layer of protective lacquer to prevent shattering.
“We’ve done everything again, but double-bonded,” said Anne McClain, one of the heart’s artists.
For now, no additional security is planned. Residents of the neighborhood, outraged by the assault on the previous heart, have been keeping more than a few eyes on the fountain, McClain said.
“It turns out, a lot of people cared about [the fountain],” she said.
If it’s not tampered with, the heart will stop pumping on Nov. 6, when the exhibit ends.
“Humanity Fountain” at Monsignor McGolrick Park (along Russell Street between Naussau and Driggs avenues in Greenpoint) For info, visit www.trustart.org.
